My senior dog with lymphoma is panting fast. Is he suffering?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Border Collie | Male | neutered | 13 years and 8 months old | 61 lbs
My dog is 14 years old. He was diagnosed with lymphoma one week ago. His breathing is fast and he is panting without exertion. He is still eating okay but had a bad night of getting up and down and his breathing was bad. I need to know if the fast breathing is considered suffering for a dog. He’s on prednisone. Also Nister is a border collie about 61 pounds
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on September 29th, 2019
Poor guy. Labored breathing in a pet with lymphoma suggests that the cancer has spread to the lungs I'm afraid. Another possible cause for panting is that Buster is in discomfort, but the panting would not be labored. If the panting continues throughout the day, then I would suggest considering end of life discussions with your vet to assess whether it is best to humanely euthanize or try other palliative care options to possibly make Buster more comfortable. I am so sorry that your pet Buster is so ill and hope that you can make a good decision about his care moving forward. Take care.
11Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on June 10th, 2019
Poor guy. I'm sorry you are going through this difficult time. I would recommend getting him to an emergency clinic ASAP (tonight) for evaluation. He could just be in pain and need some medications, however with the bloated stomach and changes in his breathing I would be concerned about fluid accumulation and his abdomen, which pushes on the diaphragm and makes it hard for him to breathe. This can be caused by increasing lymph node size. it's fairly common with lymphoma for dogs to be doing pretty well, and then all of a sudden take a turn for the worse. Wishing you the best of luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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