Mild(?) periodontal disease and night panting

J

janice7920

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This week our 4 year old was diagnosed with mild periodontal disease and we revisit the vet in about 3 weeks for a recheck of her teeth and discussion of when to do a dental cleaning, after we try cleaning with a solution of 1:1 hydrogen peroxide and water with gauze. Since then, I've noticed some discoloration on some of her soft toys after she bites them, blood no doubt. This week I also noticed that she pants enough to wake us in the middle of the night (she sleeps with us). It's been warm out so it could just be that she's hot from the bed but has anyone ever heard of panting being connected to gum disease? This began after I saw the vet so I haven't asked about it yet but will probably check in with them next week instead of waiting 3 more weeks. Thank you for reading.
 
If it has been really hot and muggy where you live that might cause the panting...otherwise heavy constant panting is usually associated with discomfort/pain or anxiety.

I assume your vet does bloodwork before any time he/she puts a dog under for a procedure...that would catch if there was any other issue that was making her uncomfortable. Mild periodontal issues usually don't cause discomfort. I wonder if there is a chance she has an infected tooth that isn't obvious just by looking...I would recommend asking about a pre-dental x-ray also.

Trini
 
Very belated thanks for the reply. Sorry it took me so long to acknowledge. We are seeing the vet again Monday and I plan to ask about bloodwork and he is supposed to do another recheck of the teeth and we are going to discuss scheduling dental procedure. The dog is pacing, panting and carpet scratching at night only but seems to be her normal self during the day. I was deceived by the warmer weather possibly causing her to be panting and restless but now I don't think so. Wish I would have pushed the issue sooner with the vet's office instead of waiting and tooth brushing at home these last few weeks.. Called them today and was told to make sure she doesn't get any facial swelling, as in an abcess, and that they'd ask the vet about it.
 
The fact that she seems normal during daytime and only displays the panting and pacing at night would seem to negate any possible tooth infection because that would cause discomfort 24/7 not just at night. And any other possible health issues would also be 24/7.

I am assuming that this behavior pattern is fairly recent? Did anything happen at night that upset her and might have translated into her relating night time with something stressful?

If only they could talk to us and tell us what is going on...it would be so much easier!!

Trini
 
Gosh I wish she could talk and tell me what's going on! I'm worried but can't think of anything stressful that might have set the behavior off. She sleeps normallly on the floor when she takes a nap or up on the bed with me after spouse gets up so it's just middle of the night stuff happening. I should have pushed for bloodwork sooner just to put my mind at ease, if nothing else. Thank you for your thoughts, I really appreciate it. I'll try to keep things posted and updated as things develop in case anyone else runs into something similar.
 
Bloodwork was all normal, had a 'large' panel done and everything came back ok. Dog has stopped the night pants so I can only think the night panting was related to the temperature in the house. She is scheduled for a dental on Oct 13 so I'm sure I will learn more about the condition of her teeth at that point. Thank you for reading and replying to my message.
 
Glad to hear the bloodwork is normal. I took my sheltie Buddy in to the vet because he was panting & had a slight cough. Turns out he has a heart murmur & enlargement that was making it hard for him to breath easily. His bloodwork was normal too. He's now on 3 meds & seems to be doing well. We had the cardiologist check him out to see exactly what was going on. I thought it might be the heat here too at first. Good luck with the dental.
 
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