My senior dog is panting hard after being hit by a car. What to do?

Question

My Dachound 13 years old . He was hit by a car 7 days ago. Bumped would be more accurate. No broken bones and swelling of the bladder with "rockets" in his lung. Very extensive bruising. On morphine for 4 days. We have been nursing him at home. He is drinking water and peeing. Has eaten some boiled chicken and broccoli and had 3 bowel movements (painful) in the last 3 days. My worry is that he panting or breathing hard. On and off. Not sure what to do. Pet's info: Dog | Dachshund | Male | neutered | 13 years and 9 months old | 37 lbs

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

Poor Oscar! Panting and an increase in breathing rate could be due to pain or changes in his lungs. I would recommend counting his respiratory rate when he is sleeping. You can do this by counting the number of times he breathes in 15 seconds, then multiplying it by 4. Normally dogs breathe about 20 times a minute when they are sleeping. If Oscar is breathing over 30-40 times a minute while he is sleeping, I would contact his veterinarian and recheck the x-rays of his lungs to make sure there isn't any fluid or other problems in his lungs. If his breathing is normal when he is sleeping, then I would suspect that he is painful, so I would discuss additional pain control options with your veterinarian. Good luck! I hope Oscar is feeling better soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

My senior dog is panting hard after being hit by a car. What to do?

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