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My dog is breathing fast, even when asleep, what can cause this?

Jake is an 11 year old black lab.  Super friendly and a happy boy.

I noticed a few days ago that he's breathing fairly hard and fast while asleep.  I timed it to between 40-50 breaths per minute.  During the day when he's awake he's alert and panting, again fairly fast, like 40-60 per minute, it varies.  Sometimes it sounds labored, especially if he's laying down in certain positions, sometimes it's silent.  Sometimes its irregular fast breaths, like he speeds up or slows down for a few breaths.  He's not gasping and his airway sounds clear.  

I don't really know how long this has been going on as he typically sleeps in the living room and keeps to himself when I'm home, but our other dog passed away last week and Jake's been sleeping in the bedroom with me, and now I noticed it. Since last week I've also been taking him to work with me, we're basically together 24 hours a day now.

During the day he's breathing fast and hard.  Hard enough to rock his body when he's lying down sometimes.

He is a bit heavy (88 pounds) for a medium-sized lab, but he doesn't have that much fat on him. I can feel his ribs and he has a bit of a waist. He's just barrel-chested, always has been.  He has several huge lipomas which probably take up a few pounds of his weight.

I took him to our vet two days ago.  Vet listened to the lungs and heart and heard nothing wrong at all.  He palpated the abdomen, Jake did not react to pain.  (But Jake is very stoic and may not react to pain).

The vet didn't really know what to make of this.  No blood work or x-rays were done.  The vet said to just keep my eye on it.

It's just strange to me, and I don't know if I should just go to another vet or not.

Jake has no exercise intolerance.  I took him on a 2-mile walk at the park right after the vet visit and he trotted along and pulled the leash almost the entire time.  Normal fast happy doggy panting.  Got home and he wanted another walk around the neighborhood, even.  His panting was pretty fast afterwards, and didn't really slow down that much as the night went on.

His tongue and gums are always great color.  

His activity and behavior with the other dogs has been great.

He's not coughing.  He's not drinking more water.  Urination is fine.  Doesn't choke when he eats.  Skin color and texture is good.  No bloating in the abdomen.  He's not limping or favoring any leg.  I can palpate his joints firmly and he doesn't pull back.

His appetite is strong at meal time; I feed him twice a day.  However, he's been turning down some treats, which he's never ever done before.  

Two days ago he started pooping a yellow-white stool, medium firmness.  That sounds gallbladder or pancreas to me.  Or it could be all the treats he gets at work.  He was breathing fast for days before the pale stool, though, and may not be related.

Thinking he may have some gastric upset anyway, I put him on a bland diet for the past two days.  The yellow-white stool stopped today.  It's now a normal brown color, still softer than normal, but he's still breathing heavy and fast.

And he threw up a small amount last night, next to the bed.  Maybe just an ounce of yellow fluid and bits of green beans.  He does that once or twice a year, though.  

So my real question is, does this point to any particular issue?  Or is this just something that happens sometimes in older dogs and it's not much to worry about?  Or should I definitely get a second opinion?
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363281 tn?1643235611
Hello-For peace of mind and to make sure all is well, I would take him to another vet for a second opinion and insist on having blood work done. From what you have said, he sounds healthy, but given his age and a few things that concern you, it would be worth the visit. It is always best to error on the side of safety, especially with our beloved fur-babies.
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Avatar universal
Get you vet to do an ultrasound sound like your dog might be suffering from heart failure.  My small Maltese had the same symptoms and was diagnosed with heat failure and put on medication.
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675347 tn?1365460645
COMMUNITY LEADER
You do seem to have covered most of the bases with Jake. He sounds like a very happy healthy dog....
But, I think it is sensible to also run his blood-work, and to see if there are any imbalances.

Turning down his favourite treats sounds a little strange....however all dogs are entitled to get a bit of an upset tummy occasionally. If he got back to normal quickly that sounds good.

I can't immediately think of anything which could speed his breathing like this, which you/his vet haven't already checked out.

If you are unsure what to trust, then I would definitely recommend you get a second opinion from another (good) vet.
But I would get his blood-work done.
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