Why is my puppy breathing heavy, yelping, and not playing? Is he sick?

I am sorry to hear about Dex. It sounds like he could be sick and need veterinary care. If he is breathing strangely this could potentially be a sign of a respiratory (lung)infection or a problem with his upper airway (such as his nose or the back of his throat). Being dopey/down and sleepy can also be signs of an illness. I would recommend bringing Dex in to his vet for an exam. They can use a stethescope to listen to his heart and lungs to check for abnormalities, feel his neck and look in his nose and throat. Depending on their exam findings they may recommend testing such as an x-ray or blood work to check for a cause of his symptoms. Best of luck to you and Dex!

He needs to be checked by a vet to make sure he did not aspirate any milk or have any pneumonia. Make sure he stays warm and you can try to bottle feed the puppy in order to ensure he gets enough nutrients

It sounds like Cubbie is really sick. Breathing fast can be due to a fever (due to infection), an injury, pain or even a problem in the lungs. Any any of those problems can cause a puppy to not eat well and not feel well. Anytime a small puppy is not eating normally, they need medical attention right away. Small puppies can become very sick very quickly because they cannot regulate their blood sugar or temperature normally. I think Cubbie needs to see a vet right away to figure out what is going on and how to treat it. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Cubbie feels better soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach..

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I can understand your concerns with having a new puppy. It is likely that your new puppy is finally starting to come into his own. As your puppy grows and matures he will start to develop his personality. This can lead to higher activity levels and more playfullness. As long as he is still tail wagging, running, jumping and overall seems happy, he is likely just fine. After quick spurts of play, puppies can also have heavy breathing episodes, but it should only last for 1-5 minutes at the most. If your puppy seems like he is in respiratory distress, coughing, gasping for air, etc, then its best to have him evaluated by your vet. At that point I would suspect he may have an airway infection, underlying heart disease, or a laryngeal disorder. However, if your pupy is still playful, eating, drinking and normal acting, then he is likely just fine and is having over exerting moments of play. Just try to limit his play to no more than 20-30 minute intervals two times a day to keep him healthy. I hope this helps and best wishes with your new puppy Winter. Take care.

I would recommend taking Buddy to a veterinarian if we are still breathing heavy. They can get stressed and breath heavier from anxiety but my concern is that puppies this young can get sick and decline quickly. If Buddy is resting comfortably now I would keep an eye on him but if he starts to breathe heavy then I recommend a veterinarian. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.

Oh dear, poor Totie! Changes in breathing and restlessness are concerning signs, particularly in a relatively young puppy. These signs could indicate congenital heart disease, infectious diseases, pneumonia, among a variety of other conditions. At this point, I recommend urgently taking Totie to her vet for an exam. She may also need to have chest x-rays performed to try to get to the bottom of this issue so that the best course of treatment can be started. I hope that all goes well!