TL;DR: Abdominal breathing, or heaving sides, is a life-threatening emergency requiring immediate veterinary attention. Capturing a short video of the breathing can help the emergency team prepare for your arrival.
What is abdominal breathing in dogs and why does it happen?
When a dog's sides heave significantly during respiration, it is medically known as abdominal effort. This occurs when the diaphragm and abdominal muscles are forced to work overtime because the lungs are not functioning efficiently. It is a clear sign that your dog is struggling to get enough oxygen into their bloodstream.
Is my dog's heavy abdominal breathing a veterinary emergency?
- Urgency Level: High. Yes, heaving sides while breathing is a life-threatening emergency.
- This symptom indicates severe respiratory distress caused by heart failure, pneumonia, trauma, or fluid in the chest.
- Transport your dog to the nearest emergency veterinary hospital immediately.
- Delaying care can lead to total respiratory failure.
How does taking a video of my dog's breathing help the veterinarian?
- Capture a 10-second video of your dog's breathing to provide vital information for the triage team.
- A video allows the veterinarian to see the specific rhythm and effort before the stress of the clinic potentially alters the symptoms.
- This visual evidence helps the medical team determine the severity of the crisis.
- Providing a video helps the team prepare necessary oxygen therapy or stabilization equipment before you even walk through the door.
Clinical Context (Merck Veterinary Manual)
Compromised breathing in dogs manifests as an increased respiratory rate and effort, followed by changes in respiratory pattern. Postural changes such as standing with elbows abducted and back arched or high on the rear haunches with head and neck extended (orthopnea) may be observed. Labored, open-mouth breathing and cyanosis indicate significant loss of pulmonary function and impending pulmonary arrest. Pleural space disease causes asynchronous breathing, where the chest expands on inspiration as the abdomen is pulled inward, then the chest moves inward on expiration as the abdomen expands. Lung parenchymal disease causes quiet, smooth breathing, with the chest and abdominal wall moving in the same direction, with inspiration and expiration equally labored.
Chapter: Emergency, Respiratory
Source: The Merck Veterinary Manual, 11th Edition (Page 1663)