Word for excited, non-sexual heavy breathing

I’m trying to describe a person taking deep excited breaths at seeing something they want with great desire.

Panting doesn’t really fit because it’s too fast and doesn’t convey the wanting sensation.
Heavy breathing sounds a bit too sexually loaded.

I was thinking of breathing haggardly but I’m unsure if that would be a proper fit, because it calls to a scenario of someone who has been through hell and is out of breath trying to it.

What would be a good way to describe the type of breathing I’m trying to convey?

Answer

Panting can take place in an excited way:

Pant[ing] suggests rapid, convulsive breathing, as from violent exertion or
excitement

from Dictionary.com

And Collins Dictionary gives ‘eager’ as one of its synonyms:

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/panting

In the same way thesaurus.com gives ‘desire’ as a synonym:

https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/panting

Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Tschallacka , Answer Author : Lordology

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