breathing problem

Question
QUESTION: My chocolate lab mix is 13 years old. She has been breathing funny for a month. We have taken her to see a vet 4 times this month. She is panting excessively and in her throat it sounds very raspy. She only pants at certain times of the day...mainly in the early to late evenings. The vet said that it could be allergies since: 1) allergies kick in about 2-3 years after moving somewhere different (we moved from Georgia to New Mexico 2 1/2 years ago), 2) she is licking her elbows, toes & knees and 3) she is rubbing her face alot on any cushion she can find. He put her on a broch-dialator (theophylline) twice a day.  I don't know if it helps greatly, but it seems to help a bit.  He also put her on 50mg Benadryl twice a day, incase of allergies. She did have severe skin allergies when we lived in GA for about 2 years - injections every day. When we moved here to NM, all allergies disappeared. Please let me know if this sounds serious, and if it's not allergies, what could it be?

ANSWER: Well I am going to guess that she is on Heartworm prevention, being from Georgia and the vet surely tested for that.

She certainly does sound itchy all over. Atopic allergies are inhalant ones and licking and rubbing are symptoms of that. But so are skin disorders. Another thing it could be is a food allergy or intolerance. Benadryl is pretty worthless for a true atopic dog.

Have you changed foods lately? A true food allergy can result in gastro-intestinal problems such as diarrhea and even vomiting.

But a food intolerance, such as to a dye or fat digest, can be manifested as an itchy dog.

Breathing issues are not usually a sign of food intolerance but they can be. Asthma is a possibility but the theophylline should have helped that.

Has he done any chest xrays? I would certainly start with those. That would tell the vet if this is lung related or just in the troat. It would also show if there is a mass in the throat.That is always something you worry about in a 13 yr old dog.

Also a dog in a smoking household can develop emphysema just like a person. So an xray will show that too.

So those are starting points to ask your vet about.
I hope this helps and please let me know what you find out.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you very much.  We have not changed her food in years. She is on Iams Weight Control.  She just recently lost 17 pounds using a weight-loss drug called 'Slentrol.' She was extremely overweight, and after a knee surgery last August, her orthopedic doctor said the other knee would tear if she didn't lose a considerable amount o weight.  It saved her poor joints and she is running for the first time in a long time.

We do not smoke, and the air outside here in NM is very clean and nice (compared to Atlanta).  

I am a bit worried now of a possible mass in her throat. Should I schedule her for x-rays soon or wait until "allergy season" is over (in about 3 weeks) and see if she improves?  The doctor felt her throat and didn't feel anything unusual.  But we did not x-ray the throat OR the lungs. She did have an x-ray last year on her shoulder/arm.  It picked up the heart and lungs and they looked great.  But a year ago in dog life is like 10 years ago, right?

I am very worried, however she does act like she could have allergies.  I DO NOT want to put her under anesthesia at her age to x-ray, or do an endoscopy (which is what the docs suggest if she doesn't get better).

One last question for you, if you don't mind.  If it were a mass in her throat/lungs, would the panting come and go during the day? Some days she doesn't pant much at all and other days it's very often.  We mowed the grass last week.  She went outside afterwards and layed in it, and her panting and raspy voice was just terrible the rest of the night and some the next day...I felt so bad for her!  So, that's what makes me think it is allergies.  But, please explain the symptoms to look for, for a mass.  If this helps (I don't know if it's significant or not), she paces when she pants, like she can't get comfortable in one position.

Answer
Well I am not a vet Heidi but panting and pacing are usually associated with lung/and or heart problems. Pacing is a result of anxiety in dogs and if she can't breath well she might get anxious.
You should have her heart checked also.

Raspy panting is from the air being squeezed as it is coming up out of the throat or the trachea, which is why I mentioned a mass. Otherwise a pant should be just a pant. Even a heavy pant wouldn't be raspy if the airways were clear. Of course she could have a collapsing trachea also which would make the panting wheezy and make her anxious also. But usually they cough and cough with one of those. More common in smaller dogs too.

I still believe her lungs should be xrayed. What you said is true- one year for her is about 7 for us. So yes, things can crop up.

If it is asthma then maybe he can put her on some albuteral. It will make her nervous at first but then it settles down.

I wouldn't think that the panting would be as noticeable during the day because just as with us, they are busy doing other things during the day and then at rest later symptoms worsen.
While it does sound like allergies with the grass problems, she should be on something stronger than Benadryl and theophylline if they are not working.

I hope you can get some answers soon.