Are you concerned about your furry Yorkie because they’ve been panting a lot lately? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Let’s explore the reasons why Yorkies occasionally pant a lot and other related concerns through this article.
Your Yorkie may be panting due to dehydration, fear, excitement, exercise, heatstroke, injuries or illness, allergies, anxiety, stress, respiratory problems, or even obesity. But don’t fret, providing a cool place and fresh water, adequate exercise, and consulting a vet are all possible solutions.
It’s important to recognize what is normal and what is abnormal when it comes to your Yorkie’s panting. By doing so, you can take action as needed and ensure your furry friend is happy and healthy. So, let’s dive right in and learn more about why your Yorkie may be panting and what you can do to help.
Common reasons why your Yorkie pants a lot
Even though Yorkies are tiny dogs, their energy level is insane. So we can expect a little bit of heavy panting just after playing. But that’s not the only reason.
Common reasons why Yorkies pant a lot
- When it’s too hot
- Due to fear
- Excitement
- Exercise or just after running
Yorkies may pant a lot when it’s too hot.
This unusual painting we can often expect during the summer. Sometimes if the room your Yorkie usually stays in is hot, it could be the cause.
As humans, we can sweat through our skin to cool down. But, you Yorkie cannot do that because of his thick long hair. But, he can sweat a small amount through his paw pads. (Most likely, you have seen it.) But, this isn’t much help to cool down his body.
When your Yorkie is panting, he can exchange hot air from his lungs with cool external air. So, this process can speed up the evaporation of water from your Yorkie’s little tongue.
When the water evaporates from his tongue, he can easily regulate his body temperature. So, this entire process can help your Yorkie to cool the body temperature down effectively.
Recommended reading: Are Yorkies good for first-time dog owners?
Due to fear.
Usually, Yorkies tend to pant a little bit more as they are frightened by something. The reasons could be fireworks during festivals, thunderstorms, a low flying jet.
This can also happen if you stared at your Yorkie when you figured out something wrong behavior from him, such as stealing food or chewing your wife’s shoes up.
If your Yorkie has some kind of fear of a specific person, he may start to pant when that particular person is around.
Your Yorkie may pant a lot due to excitement.
We can expect a little bit more panting from your Yorkie as he is excited about something. Because when they wanna be more active, they should supply more oxygen to their muscles.
This excitement we can expect,
- When you return home after work.
- When you go out with your Yorkie for running.
- When they feel it’s exercise time.
- When they feel it’s mealtime.
Exercise or just after running.
If your Yorkie used to pant heavily during or after exercising, you don’t have to worry too much. Because it’s a normal fact and Yorkies are high-energy dogs that require a lot of exercise relative to their body.
But, you do should bear in mind that if he continues to pant excessively, that could be an abnormal circumstance.
Abnormal reasons why does your Yorkie pant a lot
Okay. Now you have a good idea what are the common reasons for this matter. But, there are a handful of abnormal reasons why some Yorkies pant a lot. So, let’s figure out what they are.
Here are the reasons.
- Due to heatstroke
- Injury or illness
- Allergic
- As they feel anxious or stressed
- Due to respiratory problems
- Obesity
Your Yorkie may pant a lot due to heatstroke.
This is one of the main abnormal reasons why some dogs pant a lot. This can happen to your Yorkie by doing loads of outdoor activities when it’s too hot.
If your dog stays outside in the heat for a considerable time and continues to pant a lot, give access to a cool place with clean water immediately.
If it seems like heat stroke, take him immediately to a vet.
The symptoms of heatstroke.
- Difficulty in breathing or excessive panting.
- Excessive drooling.
- Dehydration.
- Lack of urine
- Fever
- Muscle tremors
- Bright red, purple, gray, bluish gums.
- Vomiting or diarrhea
- Weakness
- Dizziness
Yorkies tend to pant a lot due to injuries or illnesses.
When a dog has some kind of illness or injury, he/she may tend to pant a lot. Then check if he exhibits signs of disease (These signs can vary from disease to disease.) or injured, such as limping, vomiting, being fatigued.
So, again the best solution for this is consulting a vet as soon as possible.
Due to allergic
Usually, Yorkies pant a lot like an allergic reaction, same as other dogs. It can also happen in case the dog has been poisoned. You can suspect his heavy panting as an allergic reaction if he starts to pant all of a sudden or right after eating something.
If you cannot figure out what he has eaten, search for places he has been before. Check if there any kind of food or object that he has eaten. Again the solution for this is consulting a veterinarian.
As they feel anxious or stressed
If your Yorkie suddenly starts to pant a lot, the reason could be anxiety or stress. This also can be named “Behavioral panting.”
Usually, this problem we can see with the following symptoms.
- Pacing
- Shaking
- Trying to hide
- Whining
- Repetitive yawning.
- Licking lips.
We can often see such kind of behavior from dogs when your Yorkie is scared of fireworks, adventure trips by a car, and when you attempt to visit the vet.
Your Yorkie may pant a lot due to respiratory problems.
If your Yorkie starts to pant a lot, the reason could be a respiratory problem like pneumonia. Usually, we can see other symptoms, such as coughing, fever, lethargy, and breathing difficulty.
Due to obesity
Obesity is also one of the main reasons why does your dog pant heavily. The reason is he should breathe with some effort to give oxygenated blood into his body.
So, if you feel like your Yorkie is overweight, go and consult a veterinarian and prepare a proper exercise schedule with a suitable nutrition plan.
You know what? Obesity could lead to several health issues, including heart failure, arthritis. In fact, it can reduce the lifespan of your dog.
Apart from these reasons, dogs tend to pant a lot after eating bully sticks.
How to tell if your Yorkie’s panting is abnormal?
Now you have a good idea about normal and abnormal reasons for their panting. But that isn’t enough. You got to understand how your Yorkie’s panting can be abnormal. So, let’s figure out how you can do that.
- When the dog behaves abnormally.
- He pants when you are about to leave for work.
- When the panting is intense and constant.
- When his gums or tongue appear purple, blue or white.
When the dog behaves abnormally.
So, the first thing is first. You got to figure out if your Yorkie behaves and pants strangely compared to regular days. Check if it is doing this abnormally, such as
- Being fatigued
- Vomiting
- Crying.
- Whining.
So, if you figured them out, consult a vet asap!
He pants when you are about to leave for work.
We know that Yorkies seek loads of attention and care from you. If you are a person who sticks with a tight schedule, you will see that dog starts to pant as you are ready to go work.
Why? Obviously, this is because your dog suffering from separation anxiety. If so, I highly suggest you take some advice and help from a certified dog behaviorist.
When the panting is intense and constant.
Usually, bigger dogs tend to pant a little bit more than other small dogs. But, when we think about Yorkies, they are a tiny dog breed. If you feel something like that, your Yorkie is used to pant like a big dog. That would be a really problematic situation.
When his gums or tongue appear purple, blue, or white.
If your Yorkie starts to pant a lot more than usual, check his gums and tongue. If you can recognize colors like purple, blue or white, probably he is not getting sufficient oxygen.
So, You got to consult a vet as you should always do when it’s an abnormal circumstance.
Why does my Yorkie painting while sleeping?
Usually, Yorkies tend to pant while sleeping, and this rapid breathing during their sleep is nothing to worry about.
Sometimes he may has excited by a dream. So, rapid breathing can be caused by a result of changing its sleep cycle.
Why does my Yorkie panting in the car?
Usually, Yorkies tend to pant in the car due to temperature, dehydration, car sickness, anxiety, underexposure, overstimulation, and medical concerns. Decreasing car anxiety, keeping the dog hydrated, and controlling the car’s temperature are possible solutions.
Riding a car can make your dog feel strange. Excitement, nervousness, happiness, scared, and many other emotions can arise. So, you got to eliminate his car anxiety to avoid this heavy panting in the car.
In fact, let him drink water before car riding. It’s better If you can bring a water bottle and a small water bottle in the car. Control the car temperate at a favorable level.
What can you do about this?
If the condition is abnormal, it is clear that you can do nothing but consult a veterinarian. But, when it comes to normal situations, you can do something about them. So, let’s figure out what you can do about this.
- Give your Yorkie access to a cool area.
- Provide exercise on a daily basis.
Give your Yorkie access to a cool area and freshwater.
In summer, it is extremely hot during the day. So, you got to make sure that he has easy access to water. In fact, Give him a cool room to cool off.
So, I would like to suggest you keep the exercises for the morning and evening. It would help them to stay out of the heat. In fact, letting them to exposed to strong sunlight could be caused to get heatstroke.
Provide exercise on a daily basis.
Suppose you wanna keep your Yorkie both physically and mentally healthy. In that case, it’s very critical to provide adequate exercise on a daily basis.
So, providing around 30 minutes of daily walks would be sufficient for an average Yorkie.
Conclusion
Most people love to own these furry, devoted, lovable canine friends. But the problem is some Yorkies tend to pant a lot due to both normal and abnormal circumstances. So, this whole article is entirely dedicated, for that matter. In fact, we have discussed normal and abnormal situations separately. Furthermore, discussed what you can do about that and other relative concerns. Hope you found this helpful. Have a nice day!
