Why is my puppy breathing so fast?

A young puppy breathing fast, or erratically, can sometimes make you worry.

It might seem as if he`s breathing way too quickly, or even that he`s holding his breath.

Video: You NEED to Know About These 5 Pet Emergencies (Breathing & Digestion)

When you combinethis with the normal twitching, wriggling and even whining or barkingthat a many puppies indulge in when they`re dreaming and it can be `panicstations` for the human members of the family.

I get many questions about this sort of situation, and the good news is that almost every time there`s nothing to worry about!

My Puppy Breathes `Funny` When He`s Asleep!

Let`s start with the way your puppy behaves when he`s deeply asleep.

Youngpuppies are basically tiny babies, and they`re either eating, playing,eliminating or sleeping... and sleeping takes up more time than anyother activity.

Sleep is very important to puppies as it`s whentheir little bodies do most of their growing and developing, so it`snatural that it will be one of their favorite pastimes.

Butpuppies don`t necessarily sleep in that `dead to the world` way thatsome mature and older dogs do.

They may twitch, jerk or `wriggle`, whineor even bark..... and their breathing may seem very fast, or slow andshallow, or appear to `stop-and-start` as if they`re holding theirbreath.

If you`re a mom or have spent much time around newbornhuman infants, you`ll know that it`s the same with them.

Erraticbreaths, twitching, grimacing, smiling, clenching their little hands...they do all of these things while they`re asleep.

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This is all quite normal, and usually nothing to worry about.

Does my puppy breathing fast mean that he`s sick?

I`m not a veterinarian and there`s no way that I can tell you forsure that your puppy is 100% healthy, or whether or not he has anyproblems that are related to the way he`s breathing when he`s asleep....

BUT if he is happy, active, eating well, drinking well, is up todate on his vaccinations and parasite treatment and is showing no othersigns of illness, then chances are good that Fido`s just fine.

However, apuppy who has difficulty breathing when awake, or shows any other signsof illness is a different story.

Occasionally a puppy will be born with aheart or circulatory problem and this may cause his breathing to beextra fast, or shallow, as well as a number of other symptoms such astiring easily, failing to grow or put on weight at a normal rate.

If your puppy is breathing quickly, or erratically, when AWAKE, and has any of these symptoms, get him examined by a veterinarian right away:

Video: Sleeping puppy weird breathing, is this normal?

• `Failureto thrive` this basically means that your pup isn`t growing, developingor gaining weight like other puppies of his age/breed. He may also gettired more quickly than normal


• He breathes very fast whenawake, even if he`s just resting. Short periods of panting or rapidbreathing are normal if your pup has been running around or exercising,is hot, or anxious/scared. It can also be a symptom of pain or distress.But if your pup or dog breathes rapidly all the time there may be aproblem


• He gets tired more quickly than he used to, sleepsmore, or just lies down (even almost collapses) after light exercise or ashort walk


• If he has a chronic cough, especially when he`slying down or when he first wakes up from a nap, or in the morning. Acough can signal many things, including conditions such as kennel cough,but a chronic cough that is more noticeable when your dog is lying downor first thing in the morning could mean that his heart isn`t workingas well as it should


• He has a swollen belly. This is one that youshouldn`t panic about if your pup seems healthy otherwise as many, manypuppies have a swollen tummy either because they have puppy wormsthat need to be treated, or that they eat/drink too fast and swallow alot of air. But, if your pup is always tired, breathes strangely, haslost his appetite, has a cough, or any other symptoms of illness AND histummy is distended, get him a vet check asap

Ifyou`re a little worried about your puppy but he doesn`t seem really ill,isn`t injured or needing immediate veterinary attention, you can getanswers to your puppy health question (about a puppy who you think has breathing problems oranything else!) by asking an online veterinarian.

Video: Sleeping Puppy

It`s a quick way to get peace of mind and is much more affordable than a vet visit that you`re not certain you need yet!

BUT... if your puppy is showing signs of illness such as vomiting,diarrhea, extreme lethargy, weakness, disorientation or any otherserious symptoms, get him to your own vet immediately!

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