Excessive Panting After Play

[DXMorris]

Louis regularly wrestles for hours with his buds at the dog park and goes on a 2 mile walk almost every day. Fine after both activities. Recently we got a laser toy and after playing with that for 20 minutes or so he takes about a 1/2 hour or more to calm down which is pretty long for him. A lot of panting too and tonight he threw up. The only other time he threw up was when he was starting to overheat on a walk a month or so ago.

Laser toy play seems a tad more intense with all of the sudden starts and stops and the sprints. Also chasing something that he can not touch or smell is probably a bit odd for him. My best guess as to what's going on.

Anyone else know of anything like this?

Thanks and Cheers,

Dave

 

[BeckyNC]

Is it possible the temperature was warmer when playing with the laser, than on the walk or when playing with other doggies? I think his behavior is pretty normal and nothing to worry about. Boxers are brachycephalic (refers to shape of skull with short nose) and therefore are unable to cool themselves as effectively as other, longer-nosed breeds. I can play soccer outside with Tae for 10 minutes in the evening in temps of 75-80 degrees and she'll come inside and pant for 30 min.

Due to the fact Boxers are more sensitive to heat, it is really important to ensure they don't get overheated. That can lead to death. This is one reason why Boxers are an indoor breed. They just cannot tolerate the summer heat as some others can.

If your boy gets really hot and seems lethargic, give him ice chips and wipe down his underside with a wet towel (since less fur, it's easier to cool his skin there) OR you can just wet him down. Some people wet the dog down before exposure to heat.

Now, regarding the vomiting. Had your boy had a lot to drink? When Tae was younger and she drank too much too rapidly, she would throw up. Somehow that's stopped happening. When it was an issue, though, I would limit the amount of water I gave her. I'd give a little then wait a minute or two and give her some more. Sometimes just filling the water bowl with ice cubes slows down water intake as the dog can just lick the ice.

 

[DXMorris]

Thanks Becky. He didn't get lethargic and may have had a lot to drink. It was a pretty cool night at about 70 degrees. I'm thinking he just really gets into this and the combination of the mental and physical causes him to overheat a little.

Thanks again.