I am a first time pet owner as an adult so I don’t know a lot but I want the best for my dog.

So my problem is that he breaths heavily when he sleeps and often he has these irregularities in his breathing and he twiches like he has nightmares.

Tonight he was sleeping in my bed while I was relaxing next to him and he started breathing fast and heavy and he was twitching a lot like he had some kind of a seizure. I woke him up and he was fine I hugged him, talked to him and pet him. Then he heard my brother eating and left to find him, so I think he is okay but I am scared that he has something or needs something.

Also we have him in this house about 4 months now. He usually sleeps in the living room (on the couch) alone but the last few weeks he is trying to sleep with as in our bedrooms (on our beds).

Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

  • I also agree. It sounds like he’s just dreaming. My dog used to sprint in his sleep when he was a puppy, which was funny to see. But he also would act exactly as you described.

    Something like a seizure would likely be different. My other dog had a seizure once, but it was while he was awake. He slumped over suddenly and shook. He is/was okay, though. It was a weird one-off thing, and after a checkup at the vet, he’s been fine for years.