2 week old lhasa puppy gasping for breath whilst been bottle fed

by alan
(yorkshire)

hi can anyone help. we have a 17 day old lhasa pup which we have bottle fed since 2 days old but he has started gasping for air and going stiff.

He does this a couple of times while feeding it lasts about 20 seconds then he carries on feeding. we feed him 10 mm every 3 hours.





Hi Alan
If this little one seems to be thriving, is gaining weight and sleeping between feeds without a lot of fuss, then overall he is doing well.

However, the stiffening and gasping when he's being fed is worrying. It could be that the milk is flowing too fast for him and he's gagging on it. This is potentially a serious problem as if he inhales the milk rather than swallowing it he is at risk of a lung infection, such as pneumonia.

I'd suggest having him checked out by your vet to make sure he doesn't have any issues with his palate (roof of his mouth basically), as some puppies do have problems in this area. Also, to ensure he's overall in good health. Let your vet know what's happening and that you're concerned and hopefully he will be able to reassure you.

With very young or new born puppies, especially when they're a small breed, it's always better to be safe than sorry and I think some veterinary advice would be helpful here.

Sorry I couldn't help more, but I wish you the best of luck and hope that your pup grows up big and strong.