If dogs breathe very quickly while sleeping, it may be due to narrowed nostrils or their young age. However, poisoning, anemia, asthma, sleep apnea or even heart failure may also be behind it.
Doctors refer to this as “tachypnea”. This is the technical term for an increased breathing rate when the dog's body has an increased need for oxygen.
But how fast is it normal for four-legged friends to breathe? This depends primarily on your activity level. A breath includes inhaling and exhaling:
- While sleeping: 15-30 breaths
- During activity: 30-60 breaths [1]
Smaller breeds generally breathe a little faster than larger breeds. For this reason the range is quite large. A stopwatch and tally sheet can help you here.
If your dog breathes faster than 30 times per minute while sleeping, then it's important to investigate the cause. Below you will learn about the 9 most common causes.
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#1 Narrowed nostrils
In principle, narrowed nostrils can occur in all dogs due to developmental problems. However, it is particularly common in brachycephalic dog breeds.
This refers to dog breeds that have a particularly short snout and a comparatively flat face from the side. Typical examples are here:
Not only do these breeds have naturally narrowed nostrils, but they also have an elongated palate, allowing less air to be absorbed when breathing.
In order to be able to supply all organs and muscles, they breathe faster due to their breeding. This applies both during the day and at night when you sleep.
However, if you have the impression that your breathing is very labored and there is a lack of oxygen, then I recommend visiting the vet.
This happens so often in the above breeds that there is even a name for it – the so-called “Brachycepal Obstructive Syndrome” (BOS). [3]
Dogs with a flat face naturally have narrower nostrils, which makes it difficult for them to breathe. These breeding-related breathing problems also lead, among other things, to dogs quickly overheating and breathing quickly while sleeping.
#2 Food poisoning
Many first-time dog owners mistakenly assume that all common foods must be healthy for dogs. This myth can be fatal.
And no, dogs can rarely sniff out poisonous foods. The numerous reports on the Internet about meaty poison bait provide proof of this.
Dogs would also devour a bar of chocolate at any time, even though the cocoa it contains is toxic to them. Typical signs of poisoning are:
- Sudden tremors
- Heavy or rapid breathing
- Nocturnal restlessness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Lack of motivation
- Excessive drooling [4]
The symptoms of poisoning often only appear after a delay of several hours. Rapid breathing can therefore only begin at night while you are sleeping.
In addition to poisonous plants, cleaning products, foreign feces and pesticides, many natural foods can also cause poisoning in dogs. This includes:
- grapes
- Onions
- Avocados
- Yeast
- Garlic
- cocoa
- Chocolate
- hop
- Macadamia nuts [5]
It is not for nothing that poisoning is one of the most common reasons why dog owners go to the vet. Depending on the quantity, this could also be an emergency.
Various common foods are toxic to dogs and can cause serious poisoning or even death. Among other things, this can also lead to rapid breathing while sleeping. Other symptoms include vomiting, excessive drooling and restless behavior.
#3 Dreams
It was only around 20 years ago that researchers discovered that other mammals such as dogs also dream in their sleep and even have the same sleep phases. [6]
The dreams primarily take place in the REM phase (“Rapid Eye Movement”). In addition, dogs are said to dream predominantly about situations they have experienced.
For example, a cat chase or a fight with another dog. You can usually recognize this by the following symptoms:
- Paws move
- Soft barking or growling
- Twitching in sleep
- Dog suddenly breathes faster in his sleep
- Eyelids move [7]
The more vivid the dream, the stronger the symptoms. And yes, sometimes it looks really funny, as the following video shows:
So if your dog breathes faster during a dream, it's usually just a sign that he's dreaming about an exciting event.
Young puppies dream more often and for longer periods of time than older dogs. This is because almost everything in their lives seems “new” and they therefore have a lot to process.
Puppies also sleep up to 20 hours a day, while for adult dogs around 12-14 hours is usually enough. [8]
In dogs, dreams can sometimes become so vivid that the same hormones as in reality are released. It is often the case that dogs breathe faster while sleeping, especially when they have exciting dreams.
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#4 Heart failure
Heart failure occurs when the dog's heart cannot pump enough blood through the body. As a result, the organs are undersupplied.
Among other things, it also means that the lungs can no longer work properly and shortness of breath occurs. Typical symptoms of this are:
- Constant coughing
- Heavy panting
- Swollen stomach
- Dog is breathing heavily
- Rapid exhaustion
- Pale gums
- Loss of appetite [9]
As a result, affected dogs breathe very quickly while sleeping, among other things. For diagnosis, the vet usually carries out an EKG and a blood test.
The better the cause can be identified, the better the chances of recovery and treatment. Medication is usually used for acute symptoms.
Dogs with heart failure can no longer supply their lungs with enough blood, which can lead to breathing problems. This can be recognized by the fact that the dog is quickly exhausted, breathes quickly while sleeping at night and has pale gums.
#5 Fever or heat
Unlike humans, dogs cannot sweat, but instead cool themselves down by breathing quickly or panting. You often see this in hot temperatures or when you have a fever.
Fever is basically just the technical term for a pathologically elevated body temperature. That is, when the dog's body temperature is above the usual 38-39 °C. Typical symptoms here are:
- Bright red gums
- Warm ears
- Lack of motivation
- Fast & loud breathing
- Red eyes
- Nausea and vomiting
- chills
- Loss of appetite [10]
So if your dog is too hot at night or suffers from a fever, you will notice this by, among other things, unusually rapid breathing while sleeping.
Typical causes of fever are bacterial inflammations. Ear infections in dogs with floppy ears and urinary tract infections in female dogs are particularly common. [11]
In individual cases, vaccinations, medication or poisoning can also be responsible. Cooling bandages on the ears and paws usually help to cool down the body.
If dogs are too hot or are struggling with a fever, this can usually be determined by bright red gums and an increased body temperature. If the body temperature is too high while sleeping, affected dogs usually breathe faster.
#6 Anemia
Even if it seems otherwise, blood consists of around 45% solid components. In addition to platelets, it also contains white and red blood cells.
The main task of red blood cells is to supply the organs and tissues with oxygen. But if there are too few of them, then we are talking about “anemia”.
Affected dogs therefore have to breathe faster in order to be able to nourish their bodies equally well. This also applies while sleeping. Other typical symptoms are:
- Pale gums
- Dog tires quickly
- Loss of appetite
- Dog sleeps a lot
- Dark colored stools
- Constant tiredness [12]
If you have anemia, your breathing is usually very shallow and labored. In most cases, injuries or blood-sucking parasites are responsible.
In some cases it is also due to medication, hormonal disorders or even cancer. If you suspect this, you should visit the vet and do a blood test. [13]
Dogs with anemia have a harder time supplying oxygen to their organs, so their breathing rate increases. Anemia can usually be recognized by the four-legged friend becoming exhausted unusually quickly and breathing rapidly at night while sleeping.
#7 Age & Size
Basically, the younger and smaller your dog is, the faster he breathes. This is especially true during the growth phase of the four-legged friends.
During this time, the body needs a lot of oxygen and a lot of energy to promote growth. Puppies grow fastest until they are 8 weeks old.
During this time, the four-legged friends grow between 5-10% larger per day. Growth then gradually decreases until the 14th month. [14]
So don't worry if your four-legged friend breathes quickly in his sleep at this age. This may look unusual, but it is completely normal. Here is an example video:
This happens more often in breeds that tend to be smaller than in larger dogs. Because their lung volume is generally significantly smaller.
And that means they have to breathe more often to be able to absorb the same amount of oxygen. That's no reason to worry either. [15]
Both the age and size of the dog have an influence on the breathing rate. Small dog breeds at a young age generally breathe the fastest. Especially in the first 8 weeks, puppies are more likely to breathe unusually quickly while sleeping.
#8 Asthma
Asthma is a chronic disease that causes attacks of shortness of breath and shortness of breath. For this reason, there is talk of an “asthma attack” upon entry.
Fortunately, asthma is much less common in dogs than in people. Asthma is primarily caused by allergic reactions. Typical triggers here are:
- mold spores
- pollen and grasses
- Perfumes & Home Fragrances
- Cigarette smoke
- Dust mites [16]
If an asthma attack occurs at night, this can also be manifested by rapid breathing during sleep. Other signs are here:
- Heavy panting
- Increased pulse
- Dog wheezes
- Pale or bluish gums
- Shortness of breath
- Panic and physical restlessness
- Sudden cough [17]
An acute asthma attack can be life-threatening and is therefore a medical emergency. The treatment is…