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A common question asked by pet owners is, “Why does my pet excessively pant?” because dogs have very limited sweat glands, panting is actually a major way for dogs and cats to dissipate heat, and so the the most common cause of panting would be a pet that is hot or running a fever. Panting can also occur due to perceived pain from some sort of illness, whether it is an external injury, or some sort of internal disease or disease process.
Many older animals will typically pant due to a problem in their thermoregulatory center in their brains, and just like an elderly person, being frequently cold or cold, elderly animals tend to run on the hot side and will pant typically much more frequently than younger pets. Finally, excessive panting in dogs and cats can in some cases indicate high blood pressure in middle aged or older pets. Thus, if no other causes of panting can be found, your pet’s blood pressure ought to be measured to see if hypertension exists and whether medical therapy is indicated.