Is my 10 week old puggle sick?

by Kristy
(Attleboro, MA)

Hi!

I bought a puggle puppy from a kennel a little over a week ago and aside from a day or two of him being home sick everything has been fine. I started to slowly crate train him 2 days ago (which he seems to hate) but last night I let him cry (very loudly) for about an hour. The crate is in my room and I tried the entire time to console him. Finally I took him out and let him sleep with me.

When he woke up this morning, instantly I noticed he seemed to have what sounds like a raspy cough. Because he is half pug, his breathing always sounds a little raspy, but it is noticeably different this morning and he doesn't seem to have his normal puppy energy and happiness today. Could it be because of how long I let him cry for last night, or should I get him checked for kennel cough?

Thank you so much for this site, by the way! It has been very helpful on other topics, so I thought I would give this question a try!

Kristy







Hi Kristy
It's impossible to say for sure what's causing your pup to sound a bit wheezy and to be coughing. It could quite well be that he strained his vocal chords and irritated his trachea with all the fuss he made last night, but it could also be that he's sick in some way.

Short nosed breeds like this are more prone to upper respiratory tract infections and other breathing issues, so it's always advisable to be cautious. He's also likely a little tired and stressed after his upset.

If I were you I'd probably take him to my vet for a check up just to be on the safe side, but it doesn't sound as though he's got a serious problem. I always prefer to be safe rather than sorry though.

As for the fuss he made last night in his crate, I'd recommend you decide whether or not you want to have him sleep with you from now on or whether you really do want him to stay in his crate.

I know how stressful it is to listen to your pup crying, howling and so on, but if you want him to be crated at night you will need to harden your heart! Actually talking to him and trying to console him will only make things worse, you need to ignore his fussing. My Crate Training A Puppy page has lots of tips and advice on this subject.

However, he is a brachycephalic breed (has a short nose) and these little guys can have breathing problems if they get overheated or too stressed out, so again if I were you I would ask my vet about whether or not it's okay for him to cry like that of if it's putting him at any sort of risk. Your vet is the one with the knowledge to answer that question. Then the action you take will be up to you but you'll be better able to decide what you want.

I hope this has helped some and wish you tons of luck with your puppy. I'm glad that my site has helped you so far :)