BOSTON TERRIER Help

[skoonikki]

I have a female Boston Terrier approx 9 yrs old. She has started having episodes of panting with tongue hanging out (not from heat although we do live in Florida). They are intermitent. She will wake from a sleep and start panting and literally jump into my lap or find me and try to climb up on me to hold her. She seems to get very hot (nose is hot and so are ears and chest. She sometimes runs into the closet as if to hide. I don't have the money to take her to a vet since I lost my husband and my job.....was in real estate business....haven't been able to find any free clinics for pets in Florida....any suggestions? It is killing me to see her like this. My Bostons are the only thing keeping me going at this point. I see them as my family and not animals.

[pitgrrl]

I really think you should try to get the dog into a vet, even if it takes borrowing money.

Panting can mean a lot of things besides a dog being hot (though getting a rectal thermometer and making sure she doesn't actually have a fever is probably a good idea), it can be a sign of stress or pain, etc.

[Dr Lee]

I agree with Pitgrrl. Getting a temperature with a thermometer is important. How they feel can be deceptive. Dog normal temperature: 99.5 - 102.5 F or 37.5 - 39.2 C.

Also a physical examination alone could be very useful and not be very expensive. For a 9 year old pet, a careful auscultation (listening with the stethescope) can be important to evaluate for cardiac murmurs or heart arrhythmias and fluid accumulation on the lungs. The mucous membrane color can help determine perfusion. Temperature can look for fever. Lymph node palpation can also help provide evidence of infection or inflammation. Tracheal palpation can help look for inflammation of the upper airways, etc.... While it often does not look like much, there is a lot to be seen on a physical exam.

Let's see what the vet says! Good luck.