1411. A 14-year-old Pom has been panting and whining for the past 5 days

July 16, 2014

"3 days ago, my Pom had limped on her left hind leg," the man said. "My sister consulted Vet 1 and he prescribed Tramadol tablet to be eaten. But she keeps panting and whining despite medication."
"The dog is no longer lame," I saw her walking normally on the floor of the consultation room. "How long had she been panting and whining?"
"For 5 days."

Dogs in pain can't speak. This 14-year-old Pom was restlessness and had heavy panting, fast heart rate, shaking and whining. She had poor appetite but would eat if hand fed. Based on the findings, Vet 1 determined that Tramadol was a good painkiller to give.

But the dog was still having difficulty breathing.


SIDE EFFECTS OF TRAMADOL
Tramadol is an effective pain killer used as an alternative to NSAID. Mild side effects include nausea, vomiting, constipation, dizziness, drowsiness, and panting. A drop in heart rate and constricted pupils may be present.

This dog has panting and whining and X-rays shows "constipation" as food keeps lodged in the stomach filling it to the brim (image) after 2 days of Tramadol.

So was the panting due to the pain or side effect of Tramadol? I got Vet 1 's medical record. He did not mention panting during the visit.