dog panting

Our 10 year old spaniel/New Foundland mix is overweight, and we started walking her. Two weeks ago after walking, she never stopped panting, and has been panting ever since. The only time she doesnt pant is when she lies with her head flat between her paws. Initially an urinalysis, thyroid profile, lab profile(CBC), lab profile (gen diag) were done. Then chest x-rays were done, and Prednisone, Ciprofloxacin, and Aminophyline perscribed. All these medications were stopped by the vet at intervals as she didnt improve. Then x-rays (additional views) were done, and then Urine cortisol ratio, ultrasound thorax and ultrasound abdomen. Finally an ATCH stim test was done, and all came back normal. Initally she drank a lot of water, but this has slowed down. She eats well, and doesnt appear to be in pain. We are desperate, she pants so loudly that she wakes us up at night, even while sleeping in another room - can you please help? Thank you.

[Jaybay]

It appears you've ruled out any physical problem, so that leaves you with the more difficult behavioral or mental issues to work with.  How many days did you walk her, and how long were the walks?  How did she behave?  Was she allowed to do whatever she wanted, or did you have good control over her actions?

I had a dog who did the same thing and panted hard nearly all night long.  The problem was that she felt she was the head honcho of the house and had to be on duty 24/7.  Once I started working with her, walking her every day, stopping the guarding behavior, etc., she calmed down and the panting was gone.

[donliz]

Thanks for your reply. We've been walking her for six weeks, 5 days a week before it happened. We have two dogs, and we let them do some sniffing when we walk, but not too much as the main purpose of the walking is to lose weight. Her panting seems worse in the house than outside, but maybe it's because of the confined space. She's been licking and chewing at her one paw, and I read that could be a sign of allergies, which can also cause panting. But the vetenerian says the Prednisone would have taken care of that (but Prednisone can also cause panting). Also, we bought a new bed for her about a week before it happened, and the label says 'made in China', and with all the toxic stuff coming in from China, I wondered if she wasnt having a toxic reaction to the bed. She was often licking the bed also. We removed it though and she's not better.