My 1 year old Chihuahua pants a lot. What causes that?
ANSWER Dogs can pant for a lot of different reasons, although people usually associate panting with the dog being hot or overheated. However, dogs also pant for a lot of other reasons. They pant when they’re stressed, when they are happy, when they are excited, and also when they are in pain or discomfort. It can be hard to ‘read’ the panting if you’re new with this dog or haven’t been paying much attention to their body language and expressions. However, a dog that pants from stress and a dog that pants happily look very different. A stressed dog’s body language and eye movement will also indicate stress, along with tight corners of the mouth, ears back, etc. A happily panting dog will have a relaxed mouth and body posture. If this is a recent development, take your dog to the vet to have her checked out. Sometimes dogs pant because they are in discomfort or pain even if they show no other signs of illness or injury. QUESTION Can dogs be outside in the snow and cold weather? I have a
