My Dog Is Breathing From Their Stomach: 8 Vet-Reviewed Reasons
By Kit Copson
Updated on
Unusual or labored breathing is a major cause for concern among dog parents. In normal conditions, your dog should subtly move their chest when breathing, with minimal movement of their abdomen. If your dog moves their abdomen when breathing, it is because they are making an extra effort to breathe air in or out. A dog’s stomach is located within the abdomen, sometimes mistakenly referred to as breathing from the stomach, while it’s actually the abdomen. If your dog’s chest and abdomen are moving when they breathe, accompanied by other signs like flared nostrils, nasal discharge, extended neck, blue gums, elbows sticking out, coughing, noisy breathing or heavy panting, and shallow breathing, they may be suffering from dyspnea – having difficulty breathing.
Dyspnea occurs when a dog is having to work harder than usual to breathe, resulting in labored or shallow breathing. If your dog is displaying signs of dyspnea, this is an emergency situation and they need to be seen by a vet immediately.
There are a range of possible reasons a dog may suffer from dyspnea, and in this post, we’ll take a closer look at some of these causes. This list is not exhaustive and is not a replacement for veterinary clinical examination.
The 8 Most Likely Reasons Your Dog Is “Breathing from Their Abdomen”
1. Fluid Within or Around the Lungs
Difficulty breathing can be caused by a buildup of fluid in the lungs, also known as pulmonary edema. This condition is caused by different reasons where fluid accumulates within the lung tissue or in the lower airways. Heart problems, allergic reactions, low blood proteins, toxins, infections, and tumors are among the main reasons behind this problem.
Sometimes, fluid can also build up in the fine space between the lungs and the chest wall, which are lined by a thin layer of tissue called pleura, and this is known as pleural effusion. Similar health issues that lead to pulmonary edema may also cause this severe and life threatening problem. Both require urgent veterinary attention.
2. Airway Obstruction
A foreign object obstructing your dog’s respiratory tract is another possible cause of dyspnea. This could be a bone, a piece of material, blade of grass, a rock, a stone, a wrapper—basically, anything they shouldn’t eat that gets accidentally inhaled and stuck at the back of the throat, in the nostrils, or elsewhere in their airway.
3. Tumors
In some cases, tumors can affect your dog’s nose, trachea or windpipe, lungs, or heart, resulting in signs like coughing, wheezing, labored and/or noisy breathing, and nasal discharge depending on where the tumor is located.
4. Congestive Heart Failure
Congestive heart failure in dogs is most often caused by heart disease, the two most common conditions being dilated cardiomyopathy and mitral valve insufficiency (a leaking mitral valve), the latter being the leading cause in 80% of cases.1 The condition occurs when a dog’s heart can’t pump blood properly and it can occur on either the left or the right side of the heart. Common signs of congestive heart failure are breathing difficulties, reduced activity, exercise intolerance, and coughing. In some cases, fluid can also build up in the abdomen, causing a distended looking belly, and may cause arrhythmias.
5. Chest Trauma
Chest trauma can involve and be caused by various injuries to the bones, such as the ribs, soft tissues like the windpipe, the chest muscle wall, or diaphragm. Sometimes foreign bodies may penetrate the chest or neck area, damaging the respiratory tract, such as getting impaled on a stick or a fence. Trauma to the chest can also result in a buildup of air between the chest wall and the lungs, which becomes trapped. This in turn can prevent the lungs from properly inflating. Trauma can also cause lung contusions, diaphragmatic hernia, or other issues, some of which may need urgent surgical procedures.
6. Respiratory Infections
Respiratory infections can make it difficult for dogs to breathe properly. Pneumonia and complicated kennel cough infections are two such examples, though there are several types of infections that can affect the airways. Respiratory infections may present with signs like labored breathing, coughing, sneezing, fever, loss of appetite, and eye and nasal discharge.
Similarly to humans, allergies can affect a dog’s respiratory system to a smaller degree, although more commonly they’re exhibited as itchy skin or digestive disorders. You may spot signs like coughing, wheezing, sneezing, and discharge.
7. Heat Stroke
Heat stroke is a serious and life threatening condition caused by dogs getting too hot. Sadly, in many cases, this occurs as a result of temporary carelessness, like a dog being left in a hot car. It can also happen during walks or exercise in hot weather. Certain breeds are even more prone to heat stroke due to having short noses, narrow nostrils, and long soft palates, making it more challenging to breathe at the best of times (i.e. French Bulldogs) and/or heavy coats (i.e. Chow Chows).
Signs of heat stroke include difficulty breathing, heavy panting, red gums, drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and collapsing. Heat stroke can be fatal if the necessary veterinary attention is not sought in time.
8. Abdominal Conditions
If there’s something not quite right about your dog’s stomach or any other organ in their abdomen, like the presence of a tumor or fluid, being bloated, or having an enlarged liver, or spleen, this can put pressure on the diaphragm and result in a dog struggling to breathe.
Conclusion
The causes of dyspnea in dogs are vast and varied, ranging from foreign bodies in the airway, heat stroke, and respiratory infections to heart conditions or traumatic chest injuries. For this reason, it’s crucial to seek immediate medical attention for a dog suffering with breathing difficulties—this includes appearing to breathe from their “stomach”.
Remain as calm as possible to ease the stress on your dog and act quickly to enhance their chances of getting the treatment they need.
Featured Image Credit: 8th.creator, Shutterstock
