Winded

My 6 yr old Rottie gets winded very easily on walks. He likes to run and chase lizards but by the end of just a 30 min walk he comes back home and pants very heavily for at least 15 minutes.

Could this be just age catching up with him?

I’ve had other Rotties and they had more energy than he does when they were 6. He says and drinks normally and his urine and stool appear normal.

Hi. It’s possible that your Rottie is having more difficulty with strenuous exercise due to getting older, but I would strongly recommend a thorough check-up by your vet to rule out any underlying health conditions.

Rotties can have heart problems and this is something that needs to be checked out, just to be safe.

If he’s carrying excess weight, which we all tend to do as we age, that could also be a factor. It’s much harder on the heart, even a healthy one.

As you have lizards for him to play with I’m guessing you live in a location where it’s hot a lot of the time. I’d suggest only exercising him early or late in the day when it’s cooler, because the heat will add an additional level of stress to his body and could cause him problems – whether he has health issues or not.

Big, heavy dogs with black coats do not do well in hot weather, especially when exerting themselves.

I hope these ideas point you in the right direction, but definitely have him checked out by your vet to be safe. Good luck to you both.
~ Sue

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About The Rotty lover 2159 Articles
My name is Dr. Winnie. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Duke University, a Masters of Science in Biology from St Georges University, and graduated from the University of Pretoria Veterinary School in South Africa. I have been an animal lover and owners all my life having owned a Rottweiler named Duke, a Pekingese named Athena and now a Bull Mastiff named George, also known as big G! I'm also an amateur equestrian and love working with horses. I'm a full-time Veterinarian in South Africa specializing in internal medicine for large breed dogs. I enjoy spending time with my husband, 2 kids and Big G in my free time. Author and Contribturor at SeniorTailWaggers, A Love of Rottweilers, DogsCatsPets and TheDogsBone