Newborn puppy with cleft palate: Should I intervene or wait?

Question

We have 2 pups who are 12 hours old. They both have cleft palates but have been suckling and have nice round bellies. No milk coming through nose when eating. Is it best to just carry on and see how things go or do we need to intervene? They were born by c-section.

Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA · Accepted Answer

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.

Newborn puppy with cleft palate: Should I intervene or wait?

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