Hyperventilation: Its Affect On Small Dogs

• Buffer
• Tweet

Why does hyperventilation produce apnea or reduced respiratory rate?

Hyperventilation occurs when pulmonary ventilation, the process of the exchange of gases in the respiratory system, is too accelerated or when the ventilation is too deep. Hyperventilation results when the rate of the intake of oxygen, the inhalation, and the exhalation exceed the rate metabolically necessary for gas exchange. Consequently, this accelerated rate of breathing, or rapid breathing, results in a reduction in the amount of carbon dioxide that is concentrated in the blood to below its normal level. This causes the pH value in the blood to rise, making it more alkaline. This, in turn, makes the blood vessels that supply the brain to constrict and prevents the satisfactory delivery of oxygen and other molecules that are necessary to ensure proper functioning throughout the nervous system.

Hyperventilation has been associated with symptoms such as numbness in the lower and upper extremities, dizziness, headaches, lightheadedness, chest pain, and fainting.

Stress and anxiety are often cited as common causes of hyperventilation. This regular occurrence is known as hyperventilation syndrome. Hyperventilation can also be caused by a variety of lung diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, or head injury. Hyperventilation can also occur when an individual exercises at the maximum carbon dioxide level, and the individual is not able to take oxygen and turn it into energy that is of sufficient quantity. Consequently, the body hyperventilates in an effort to make up for this inability to transform. Hyperventilation may also be consciously induced. Individuals involved in deep sea diving tend to practice hyperventilation as it can decrease the carbon dioxide level in the blood and prolong the amount of time they can dive without having the necessity to breathe.

Paradoxically, the result of hyperventilation is, as one can see, a reduction in the rate of respiration. Hyperventilation diminishes the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood and carbon dioxide is the main stimulation for breathing. Thus, as the carbon dioxide concentration diminishes, the respiratory rate deteriorates and this causes respiratory reduction.

Hyperventilation can also cause a person to develop periods of apnea. Apnea occurs when an individual stops breathing for short periods of time. If the concentration of carbon dioxide is the main stimulation for breathing, apnea may occur because the oxygen in the lungs has not had time to diffuse into the blood, and, as a result, the decreased levels of carbon dioxide in the blood can block and inhibit inhalation. This can adversely affect the functioning of the respiratory center in the brain as the carbon dioxide decreases below the level necessary to stimulate this center in the brain. When sleep apnea temporarily stops breathing, the blood oxygen levels drop, the heart beats faster, a burst of stress hormones is released, and the body rouses the individual to restart breathing. Many times, this process of hyperventilation, apnea and the sudden urge to breathe occurs without the person noticing. Unfortunately, this may occur every few minutes during the night, resulting in a poor quality of sleep. There are generally acknowledged to be two root causes of apnea. The first is obstructive sleep apnea, generally when respiration is adversely affected by an obstruction in the respiratory pathways that connect the lungs to either the nose or the mouth. This, for example, may be excessive skin that has grown in the throat that impedes the flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The second type is referred to as central sleep apnea. This is when the respiratory center, located in the brain stem, has been either permanently or temporarily compromised. A stroke or traumatic brain stem injury are two common causes of central sleep apnea. In this case, the respiratory center is unable to maintain the correct level of carbon dioxide concentration in the blood.

What mimics hyperventilation?

Hyperventilation is a medical condition when an individual experiences faster and/or deeper breathing than normal. Hyperventilation decreases the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood until it is below the normal amount, elevating the pH value of the blood, constricting blood vessels to the brain and preventing the ability to transport the oxygen necessary for the nervous system to function properly. A hyperventilation attack can be the result of a physiological condition, including metabolic acidosis, infection, heart attack, blood loss, or chemical imbalances; psychological conditions, such as panic and anxiety disorders and stress; or can be the result of a voluntary reaction, such as a through a daily exercise routine. Hyperventilation symptoms include lightheadedness, bloating, disturbances while sleeping, tingling in the lips and upper and lower extremities, nausea, headache, chest pain, fainting, nervous laughter, changes in breathing rate including dyspnea, tachypnea, hyperpnea and bradypnea, labored breathing, wheezing, cramps, generalized weakness, feeling of suffocation, confusion, agitation, possible visual hallucinations, heart palpitations, muscle tightness, aerophagia, dry mouth, and slurred speech.

There are many medical conditions that mimic the symptoms of hyperventilation but are not categorized as hyperventilation. Common medical conditions that can mimic hyperventilation are respiratory conditions, such as asthma, emphysema, cystic fibrosis, bronchitis, smoker’s cough, and lung cancer, as well as respiratory conditions that are related to AIDS, including chronic pneumonia. It is sometimes difficult to diagnose a chronic lung disease, and due to the fact a majority of the symptoms can be closely linked to hyperventilation, often times, a misdiagnosis can occur.

Another condition that is commonly known for mimicking hyperventilation is various panic disorders. Symptoms of panic disorders include inability to breathe properly, lightheadedness, chest pains, nausea, fainting, headaches, confusion, parathesias, dyspnea, tachypnea and confusion. Hyperventilation is sometimes an underlying symptom of a panic attack; it is dependent on how the individual is breathing during a panic attack. Often a chronic panic disorder will go misdiagnosed as a case of hyperventilation. This can be a very serious misdiagnosis, however, and other conditions need to be examined to make sure that it is hyperventilation and not a panic attack.

Other medical conditions that can mimic hyperventilation include atrial fibrillation, nasopharyngeal stenosis, pleural effusion, atrial flutter, pneumonia, dilated and restrictive cardiomyopathy, pulmonary embolism, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, respiratory distress syndrome, diabetic ketoacidosis, carbon monoxide toxicity, metabolic acidosis, venous air embolism, myocardial infarction and methemoglobinemia.

It is also important to state that sometimes hyperventilation is a part of a larger medical condition that is misdiagnosed as just hyperventilation if other symptoms are not discussed. These medical conditions include chemical poisoning, acute and end state liver failure, hip cancer, lactic acidosis, and Da Costa syndrome.

To get a correct diagnosis on whether it is hyperventilation or a condition that mimics hyperventilation, numerous tests must be completed. If certain diseases, such as pulmonary embolism and coronary artery diseases are left untreated because they mimic hyperventilation, it can prove to be fatal. Specific diagnostic examinations need to be completed. The medical professional needs to do a standard workup to see if the symptoms are just from hyperventilation or a condition that mimics it. A symptom that should be looked into is chest pain. Examinations include chest radiography, pulse oximetry, and an ECG.

Misdiagnosis of a medical condition that mimics hyperventilation is often a result of not reporting certain symptoms which can change the diagnosis, failure to do the medical tests ordered by the doctor, the skill level of the doctor, a doctor bias, lack of time, human error, and error margins. If a misdiagnosis occurs, and a patient is diagnosed with hyperventilation syndrome when, in fact, there is an underlying condition, it can prove to be dangerous.

What causes hyperventilation in small dogs?

Small dogs hyperventilate due to the nature of dogs to pant. Regulation of a small dog’s body temperature is achieved by panting. Small dogs have a decreased number of sweat glands than humans and a majority of these sweat glands are located in the feet of small dogs. Panting allows a small dog the ability to cool down the tongue and the mouth, as well as the blood that is circulated in the small dog’s head, allowing the body temperature to remain at a normal and safe level, and keep cool air throughout the body. Panting also has the ability to lower the temperature of a small dog’s respiratory system through the process of evaporation. The normal core temperature of a small dog falls between 101 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Any increase in this temperature can cause a small dog to suffer from heatstroke. A small dog pants faster in order to increase the time it takes for the core temperature to go back to a normal temperature and avoid damage to a small dog’s organs or even cause death.

However, when rapid panting occurs due to an increase of heat in the environment, it can cause a small dog to hyperventilate. This hyperventilation in small dogs occurs because the rate of oxygen intake, known as inhalation, and carbon dioxide elimination, known as exhalation, surpasses the metabolically necessary rate for the exchange of gas within a small dog’s respiratory system. This event causes rapid breathing due to carbon dioxide reduction, which is under the normal level in the blood. This reduction prevents sufficient oxygen delivery needed to allow the nervous system to function normally during inhalation and exhalation.

Another cause of hyperventilation in small dogs is shock. Shock occurs when many fundamental body functions enter into a depressed state due to the lack of much needed circulation. Causes of shock in small dogs include severe blood loss, trauma, various animal bites such as those from larger dogs or snakes, a lack of oxygen to the body, and diarrhea. When a dog hyperventilates due to shock, it is often in the form of rapid breathing, in which a small dog will take a minimum of 25 breaths per minute.

Hyperventilation is not completely reliant on how fast the breathing rate of the small dog is. How much a small dog is able to ventilate, the ability to shift gas into and out of the lungs, is determined by the quantity of carbon dioxide that exists in the small dog’s lungs. A dog is diagnosed with hyperventilation if the small dog is exhaling an elevated amount of carbon dioxide due to deep, rapid breathing, caused by a lot of gas entering and exiting with every inhalation and exhalation. A small dog’s breathing while panting is likely to be shallow, which is a decrease in the amount of gas during inhalation and exhalation, and this would prevent an elevation in carbon dioxide that is exiting the lungs of a small dog. An opposite situation can occur if the small dog, while panting, is taking in shallow breaths and is breathing at a slower rate. In a situation such as this, a small dog would be deemed as hyperventilating due to the fact that a severe decrease in carbon dioxide is leaving the lungs through exhalation, which can be damaging to the health of a small dog as well.

If a small dog is suffering from hyperventilation, one thing the pet owner can do to decrease the possibility of a hyperventilation attack is to cover the nose of the small dog. This act forces the small dog to breathe through its mouth.

Resource by B.Sobey

I am a recent masters graduate from FL. I enjoy the beach, traveling, and writing. I just moved to South Carolina in hopes to find a job as a journalist.

Related Research For Teachers, Students, and Kids