heavy breathing and gurgle sound in pup

by GS
(Honolulu)

5 week old Malshi.... energetic runt of litter. If u look at his chest one can visibility see breathing...almost looks like a heart beat thru the skin...In and out...in and out... If u rub throat..it feels like crunchy paper...and sounds like water in the throat.

Pup seems unaffected by all this...very upbeat. Vet says compressed trachea..could there be another less serious reason.

Giving pup back but want to know what the future or pup is...don't want it homeless!

Am pretty sure it also has round worms as litter mate had a lot and is being wormed. I advised the breeder of what the vet said...I just want to be sure that this is accurate infomation since this is the first time I've been to this vet







Hi GS
There are a few points here, first of all at 5 weeks old this little pup is WAY too young to have been separated from momma and siblings, and this will most definitely put stress on him which will aggravate any health conditions. A puppy should be a minimum of 8 weeks old before going to a new home.

Secondly - and the easier of the two issues is the worms. Almost ALL puppies have worms, and most are born with roundworms which have been transferred from the momma (although she wouldn't necessarily have had an active worm infestation). Puppy worms very easily treated and as long as they're treated early and properly (by a vet) they shouldn't cause any long-term problems.

When it comes to the trachea that's a much more complicated issue and as I'm not a veterinarian I can only give my personal opinion. From what I understand trachea problems such as this are fairly common in small and tiny breeds, and are most often genetic (passed down from one/both parents, although again they wouldn't necessarily be exhibiting the condition themselves, just carrying the gene). If you bought from a reputable breeder (unlikely as they gave you the pup at 5 weeks old!), then they should be informed of this and would no longer breed those particular dogs. However, unscrupulous breeders don't generally have the welfare of their dogs/puppies at heart and won't follow these guidelines... of course you still need to let them know about this.

As your puppy is eating and drinking normally and seems active and happy, I would think that he has a fairly mild case of collapsed trachea right now, but this can get worse as the pup grows and develops. There are different treatment options from medications up to a fairly simple surgical procedure, and only a vet can explain these, decide which is needed in your pups' case and give you the details. I believe it does need to be treated, but what form that may take is very individual depending on the puppy.

I would always recommend having faith in your veterinarian as he/she is the professional, however getting a second opinion is also often a very good idea, and you may want to do that before going any further. 'Runt' puppies are often simply smaller than their siblings, but perfectly healthy. However, sometimes there are health conditions that have contributed to their smaller size and perhaps weakness, heart issues are a common cause of this. As your puppys' heart seems to beat hard/fast I would also recommend that you make sure that this is just due to the collapsed trachea making the heart work harder, and that there's no other underlying problem.

I honestly can't say what will happen to this puppy if you give him back to the breeder. Obviously you'd hope they would get the necessary veterinary care for him so that he can live a long, happy life, however if they're motivation is the $$$ and not the welfare of the pups this may not be the case. What you do in this instance is a very personal decision, but you have bought this puppy and he is now relying on you for everything... literally his life is in your hands. It's not his fault he's not 100% healthy and he needs someone to take care of him and give him a chance, whatever you decide please do your utmost to make sure he finds a home with someone prepared to do that.

I wish you the very best of luck and hope this little guy gets the chance of a full recovery and the life he deserves.