My 3-week-old puppy breathes heavily but still eats. Should I worry?

I would recommend bringing him in for an exam. Sometimes rapid breathing can be a sign of discomfort or illness. It is possible he may need a few rounds of deworming, or could have an infection and associated fever. Either way, around 8 weeks is when he should be getting his first round of vaccines and an exam, so I would simply talk to your veterinarian at that appointment.

The increased respiratory rate could be from him dissipating heat but it could also be pathological. I cannot tell you for sure just based on your description. I suggest you take a video of him breathing heavy at rest and then take him in to your vet for an examination. Show the vet the video and see what they think. The vet will take that video combined with their examination findings and let you know if it seems like his breathing is normal or abnormal. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This sign is likely to be compatible with an upper respiratory tract inflammation/infection or possibly to a chronic rhinitis (inflammatory, allergic, infective). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

I am concerned that she is having such trouble breathing. This could be another pneumonia, an upper respiratory infection, a fungal infection, a congenital heart problem and much more. If your vet has already done X-rays and they were normal, you may want to talk to them about having an ultrasound of the heart done. Also, I would have her blood work checked to see how her liver and kidney values are and see what her white blood count looks like. Finally, I would talk to your vet about whether see needs some antibiotics and medicine to help her breathing. I hope this helps and she starts to feel better soon.

8 weeks is the time for a first puppy exam and having the first course of puppy vaccinations. Looking a bit bloated is a possible sign or intestinal parasites (all puppies have them) and therefore it is also time to worm your puppy. When you take him to your vet for first shots, he will worm the puppy as well.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This sign could be compatible with an upper respiratory tract inflammation/infection or possibly to a rhinitis (inflammatory, allergic, infective). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service

Puppies do breathe a bit faster while asleep than adult dogs. An occasional sneeze or nasal drip is fine. Monitor for lethargy, decreased appetite, difficulty breathing or a yellow or green nasal discharge. See your veterinarian for an exam if any of these symptoms develop.