Do newborn puppies always need an aspirator after they are born?

Puppies are born in sacs filled with fluid. Most of the time the dam tears the sac and cleans the puppy. In some cases such as a c-section, we have to open the sacs, remove the puppy, and wipe the fluid away from the nostrils and airway. The bulb syringe is used to aspirate fluid and mucus out of the oral cavity. You should only have to perform this once or twice.

Sometimes the mother will reject puppies that she feels won't make it, and in a large litter with such a small breed dog I would not be surprised if some of the pups just weren't viable. Your best bet in the future is to make sure the puppies are kept well-warmed - a heat lamp is good for this - and also watch the mom closely, especially in the first few days, to make sure that her mothering instincts are taking over and she's not trying to sit on any of the puppies. If you find some of them unresponsive, wrap them in a warm towel and try stimulating them by vigorous rubbing. You can also gently blow into their mouths, and use a bulb syringe to suction any accumulated mucous from the airway.

If the puppy is deceased then there is little to no chance of regaining a heart beat. If the pup has a heart beat but not breathing then gently blowing breaths into the nose / mouth may stimulate breathing. Also using a nasal aspirater to suction any fluids from the mouth and pharynx can be helpful. Of course taking the pup to a veterinarian immediately would be it’s best chance of survival, but the chances are still very low. I’m sorry you are going through this. Take care and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Poor puppy. Yes open mouth breathing and raspy breaths indicates that puppy is not getting enough oxygen, which can be due to either fluid in the lungs, congestion in the upper nasal passage or some other birth defect. I would recommend having this puppy examined by your vet soon! I do hope that your pup has a mild issue that can be treated for. Best of luck and take care.

Oh no. Breathing issue in a newborn are considered critical. Take a pediatric bulb syringe and suction out the nose and throat area for any residual liquid. I suspect that your puppy may have gotten fluid in the lungs. There could be a congenital defect (i.e. cleft palate) that could have caused this or it could have been accidentally done by aggressive feeding from the mother where milk went down the trachea instead of the esophagus. It is critical to take puppy to your ER vet if he continues to having difficulty breathing after you suction everything out well. He may need oxygen support (if tongue is blue or not oxygenating well) and antibiotics if he is found to have aspiration pneumonia. Constipation is also a concern but doesn't take precedence over the breathing problems. Please get puppy help asap because he is considered to be in critical condition and in need of medical assistance.

Hi and thank you for your question on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Unfortunately there is not a whole lot that can be done for this at home until it is seen by your veterinarian, but keep the puppy warm and make sure it has access to mom's milk. Also if fluids haven't been cleared out quite enough after birth, you may use a bulb syringe to help suck out fluid from the puppy's nose and mouth. I hope this helps and best of luck with Lulu!

Yes, this is a very bad sign, it means he has aspirated milk into his lungs, you must take him to the vet urgently, he will need antibiotic treatment. if you are the one feeding the puppy you need to be very very careful, you need to let the puppy suckle from the feeding bottle, never press or feed with a syringe.