Labored Breathing

[amberlynned]

My dog recently had surgery to drain an infected wound and now he is breathing very loudly and not as frequently as he was. Should I be worried? I called the vet and she said that I should watch him and if it becomes serious I should bring him in. How do I know its serious???

[chihuahuagrandma]

Labored breathing is not a good sign!
stress from pain or scared causes panting
hot causes panting
Too much stress from pain/other can cause labored breathing and enlarge heart or more or death...not to sound like the mortor...you know you dog better than anyone...be the judge of the situation, and if it were my pet, I would not delay the time in getting a labored/panting/breathing shallow dog into ER or vet office..
Welcome to the dog forum,,,I hope your situation gets better you...please stay in touch with us...most of luck to you and yours....

[vallieanne]

I would err on the side of caution and bring the dog in to be checked. I don't understand what you mean by " not as frequently as he was".
Was he breathing more rapidly than normal and then it slowed or is his breathing labored, like he's having trouble? Panting and labored breathing can be signs of pain and he may have developed a fever also. Let the vet check him out and if it's nothing, at least you will have some peace of mind. If it's something serious, than you can't diagnose it yourself. Look at it this way, if it was a child, would you ask or just bring it to the emergency room.  I hope everything turns out o.k. and let us know how he made out.