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My puppy has cleft lip/palate. How do I feed and care for them?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Great Pyrenees | Female | 3.5 lbs

My dogs puppy has Cleft Lip/Palate and I don’t know what to do I read online that it helps to feed them with the tube but I am worried what can I do to help her the puppy

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. B. DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)

Answered By Dr. B. DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)

Veterinarian

Published on January 26th, 2019

It really depends on how severe the defects are. The larger the cleft palate the more risk to the puppy for failure to thrive from lack of nutrition and aspiration pneumonia. These puppies can require a lot of care to try to give them time to mature to see if the defects will close a little. Ultimately surgery is typically required to address the defects. These surgeries are best performed by a boarded surgeon for maximal success. I have attached a link below with more information. I would recommend that your puppy be seen by your family vet to assess the extent of the defects. If tube feeding is indicated he/she can show you how to do this. This puppy should also be weighed daily, be monitored for dehydration, and be monitored for signs of pneumonia. These puppies and parents of high risk breeds ideally should not be bred as genetics are the main cause of this issue. I hope this helps and thank you for using PetCoach!

https://www.acvs.org/small-animal/cleft-palate
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Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 12th, 2017

    I am sorry to hear about your puppy! I would recommend a visit to the vet for her to ensure there aren't any other congenital problems you may not see at first glance. It may be a good idea to purchase a small scale that can measure in grams or ounces, so you can weigh her daily or before and after eating to be sure she is getting milk and growing. You can find these online but also in with kitchen appliances at stores. If she is not gaining weight, youbmay need to supplement her nursing with puppy formula such as Esbilac which can be purchased along with a bottle at the pet store or your vet office.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Vet Q & A
Newborn puppy with cleft palate: Should I intervene or wait?
Most vets recommend waiting to fix cleft palates until they are nearly full grown, around 6-8 months. Keep going on, but know that they are at an increased risk of getting aspiration pneumonia. If they start having issues, you may need to have a vet teach you how to do tube feeding instead.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
New Pet
My 3-day-old puppy with cleft palate isn't thriving after vet visit?
Hi and thanks for your request. Prognosis for these cases is unfortunately poor. If elected, treatment of cleft palate depends largely on the size and location of the defect, and the degree to which the affected puppy is currently affected. hat even after successful surgical correction, long-term complications as a result of the cleft palate defect are possible, even likely (like upper rspiratory tract infections). At the same time other concurrent malformations can occur and may affect the Daxy your are taking care of.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Puppy with cleft palate throws up milk & won't eat. Is it serious?
Poor pup! If he is unable to keep down any food at all and isn't interested in it, it is best to seek veterinary care immediately. It is possible he has become dehydrated from not keeping anything down, or may have aspirated some of the milk and is now ill. Your vet may need to insert a tube to make feeding Steve possible, or an IV line to give him nutrition until the deformity has more time to close, or surgery can be done to close it.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
New Pet
My newborn puppy has a hole in its mouth and struggles to breathe.
Yes, it looks like this puppy has a pretty severe cleft palate. I would recommend having the puppy evaluated by the vet. Some of these can be fixed surgically. The vet may show you how to tube feed this puppy to make sure the milk is getting to the stomach and is not being inhaled through this hole (so that the milk gets into the lungs and causes pneumonia). You should start weighing the puppy daily on a small kitchen scale to make sure it is gaining weight every day.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Vet Q & A
Help! My 2-week old cleft lip puppy isn't gaining weight or pooping.
Luna needs to see a veterinarian as soon as possible. Depending on how large the cleft is, he may need further intervention. Your vet will be able to tell you how to feed him appropriately and how much for growth. He also likely needs to be dewormed for intestinal parasites, just in case that is inhibiting his weight gain. I am very concerned he isn't defecating. Many dogs with congenital defects, like a cleft palate, will have multiple defecates. After an exam with your vet, they will be able to determine the best way to proceed to give Luna the best chance possible.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
New Pet
Newborn puppy has a lip problem and won't eat, what should I do?
It looks like this puppy has a cleft palate. This is a genetic abnormality, and can only be corrected by surgery when he is older. You need to take him into a vet immediately as he cannot feed with this, and will need to be fed in a special manner if he's to survive long enough to get the surgery. Please take him, his mother, and her other puppies into a vet immediately. Best of luck.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
New Pet
My puppy has a cleft palate and won't eat. What's the humane choice?
The most humane thing to do is to have her euthanized by your vet. You may reach out to your vet and see if they know anyone who has experience in raising puppies with cleft palate and turn her over to them to try and save, but simply letting her starve is not humane.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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