My yellow lab (who stays with my father because I can't have a dog his size in my apartment) is approximately 6 years old (I don't even keep track of my own age and have to do the math every time, haha).

He's always had a problem with drooling a lot, but it's never been a problem for him and the vet never seemed to think it was much of an issue.

At any rate, my dog has been going hunting this Autumn with my father and it seems that after just a quarter mile he will pant as though he has been running all afternoon. It's not hot outside (a high of 50°C today). Then he would need tons of water. Last season he did this too, but as he was hunted and the season progressed he got better and didn't seem to act as exhausted as quickly.

This season the opposite seems to be occurring. Tonight he barely ran anywhere and was panting worse than ever to the point that he vomited up white foam (I'm guessing bile). I wasn't with when this happened, but my father is concerned. He says that my dog did not eat anything that could have upset his stomach (which was my initial thought).

We're going to consult the vet, but I figured I would post to see what you thought. It is a little concerning since last season he seemed to get better as it progressed, but now he is getting worse. His mother, who is 3 years older than him runs circles around him and consumes a third less water (she is a little smaller than him, but not by a ton).

EDIT: To recap, the symptoms so far only seem to be the excessive panting, drooling, vomiting.

Excessive can and often is a symptom of pain. Your Vet will undoubtedly do blood work to check his kidneys as well as to rule out other health problems.

As you know, any change in a dog's normal behavior is cause for a Vet visit.

Please come back and let us know -

Appreciate the quick response Judy. :) I'm hoping for the best. I'm trying not to read too much online since I don't want to worry myself. I'm sure it's nothing to be too concerned with. But it's hard not to get worried. Haha.

I know - as it happens my heart was owned by a yellow Lab, long gone, still missed.

This could also "just" be age.

Fingers crossed.

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Originally Posted by JudyKayTee

I know - as it happens my heart was owned by a yellow Lab, long gone, still missed.

This could also "just" be age.

Fingers crossed.

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I remember you telling me that when I used to have my Yellow Lab as my avatar. I appreciate your help. :)

Is your dog at all conditioned for hunting season? Or does he lay around all year long and expected to hunt at top notch? That would cause for stress and dogs who are stressed drink lots of water. Drinking lots of water and over-excitement leads to vomiting.

He could just be overly excited knowing what time of year it is...

I would definitely advise a full physical exam seeing as how your dog is 6 years old, which if in poor to fair body condition can be considered a senior.

My vote is rule out heartworms first. He may have been out of condition last year and conditioned as the season went on. Isn't working this year, apparently. If he is on heartworm preventative, have you missed any of the pills, or delayed giving one at the proper time, last year especially?

Since you're going to the vet anyway, I'll leave it at that, and best wishes.

When the lake isn't open for dogs, he is ran every day in the yard with training dummies (which is plenty long for running the dogs). He is a high energy dog and does get incredibly excited. But he's definitely conditioned for hunting.

Thanks for the suggestions.

EDIT: To recap, the symptoms so far only seem to be the excessive panting, drooling, vomiting.[/QUOTE]
We're going to consult the vet, but I figured I would post to see what you thought. It is a little concerning since last season he seemed to get better as it progressed, but now he is getting worse. His mother, who is 3 years older than him runs circles around him and consumes a third less water (she is a little smaller than him, but not by a ton).

This doesn't sound like he is OK now.. just the opposite. You mention running him at the lake, so I know there are plenty of mosquitoes around. If he does have heartworms, keep running him and he may just drop dead when a few dislodge from his heart and hit his lungs. At least go to the vet and check that out, then do as you see fit?

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Originally Posted by paleophlatus

This doesn't sound like he is OK now..just the opposite. You mention running him at the lake, so I know there are plenty of mosquitoes around. If he does have heartworms, keep running him and he may just drop dead when a few dislodge from his heart and hit his lungs. At least go to the vet and check that out, then do as you see fit?

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I think you seem to of misunderstood me. I have not said he is okay. Since this problem we have not run him. I was answering the question the other poster had as to whether we have conditioned him for running or if he has sat around and then was expected to be able to run perfectly one day.

Also we are going to wait for the vet. The vet comes to the home and he doesn't think it's an emergency. My dog is behaving normally now, but we're not taking any chances by running/hunting him. We're going to wait to see what the vet says.

EDIT: To answer your question, yes he is on heartworm preventative, and no we have not missed any pills.

The Vet come to your home? I wouldn't have to stuff my 150 and 100 pound dogs into a van and then escort them into the office on a regular basis? If the Vet ever moves to NY, call me immediately.

Running around in the back yard and fetching is not adequate exercise for hunting season... I'm trusting he is in good shape though.

Take him to the vet for an assessment on weight and maybe check out his heart. If he has heart problems, not heartworms, but actual heart problems, he will tire fast and will be breathing faster. He may have a weak heart that gets weaker every time you over work him along with excitement of "that time of year".

I'm sorry, we seem to have gotten disconnected somewhere, but are both on the same track now. I didn't realize that you had stopped the strenuous exercise with your dog.

Heartworms can be a bit confusing for anyone who has not experienced the effect they can have on a dog. Having a few heartworms in the heart usually goes completely unnoticed, both by the dog and the owner. This is heartworm infection. After repeated exposure to infected mosquitoes, the heartworm load can build until their effect on the circulatory system and heart itself no longer goes unnoticed. Progression is exactly as traditional (non-heartworm) congestive heart failure develops and progresses. Both the dog and owner notice the changes. This stage of heartworm infestation is called 'heartworm disease'. The only difference of any significance between traditional congestive heart failure and heartworm disease is that heartworm disease can be treated and the animal usually returned to it's normal activity potential, with no notable effects after a period of rehabilitation.

While you have described clinical signs often seen in a dog with some degree of inadequate heart function, I can't be certain with no more than your brief description and history, and no examination. As long as you have curtailed his hunting activity, there is probably no urgency, but still worthy of being looked into at your first chance.