My Shih Tzu puppy drools from his nose when sleeping. Is it normal?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is very common for Shih tzus to have small nasal openings. Sometimes they grow as the puppy grows and sometimes they need cosmetic surgery to open the nostrils. This typically causes a lot of sneezing. I would worry the coughing could be something else, like Kennel Cough. I recommend discussing this with Coco's vet so they can see the size of her nose and listen to her lungs. Good luck and kisses to your new baby!

Tobie's heaving salivation could be due to dental disease, pain, or nausea. It is concerning that he has been salivating this much for two days, and it's time for him to see a vet. The vet will diagnose what is causing his salivation and how best to treat it. I would take him into the vet first thing in the morning.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. In Shih Tzus, their breathing is noisy to begin with so sometimes it can be difficult to know if it is a normal sound or abnormal. If there is nasal discharge and eye discharge, it is likely an upper respiratory infection. If the sound is new but there is no nasal discharge or eye discharge, it may be allergies or may be something else. If this is a new sound then I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at Chania so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps!

This all sounds like normal sleep behavior, and I would not be concerned. If Chutki is drooling when she is awake, then you might want to have a veterinarian look in her mouth and see if she has a problem with her teeth. Mouth pain can often cause drooling. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If this abnormal for Maggie, then I would recommend taking her to the vet ASAP for evaluation. Since Shih Tzus have short noses, they aren't able to move air like a more normal shaped nose. Any decrease in the air flow (such as something stuck in the nose/mouth/throat, inflammation from allergies or infection, mass, etc) can be very severe. The vet will do an exam and may recommend emergency treatment. Or if it doesn't seem life-threatening, they can prescribe something to help with the abnormal breathing.

If there is milk coming out of the nose while you are bottle feeding this puppy then yes, there is cause for concern. Puppies can be born with cleft palates, meaning that the soft palate (roof of the mouth) did not properly fuse. Penelope should be checked immediately by a vet to verify that the palate is intact, and if it isn't she should be fed via a tube to ensure that she isn't regurgitating the milk. Once she is a bit older, the palate can hopefully be fixed with surgery. I would have to say that clear discharge isn't normal either, and even if this isn't milk I would get it checked by a vet immediately to look for abnormalities in the palate and swallowing.

What an adorable puppy! From the photo, his snout looks pretty normal. It may take a while for him to "grow into" the traditional Shih Tzu "mushy" face and there is some normal variation between faces in dogs, with some having longer/shorter faces than others. I hope this helps!