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My new Yorkie puppy has a big belly and breathes fast. Is he okay?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Male | unneutered | 2 months and 10 days old | 4 lbs

I just got a new yorkie and his belly is expanded. He has a shortness of breath as well. He is playing and sleeping just fine but he still has a shortness of breath. I have a feeling his previous owners have fed him too much food as he just started to transition to dry food or he still has worms inside of him as his deworming process is not fully complete. It's been a couple hours since his last meal, but it has not went down yet. He is very happy and energetic though.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

Veterinarian

Published on August 11th, 2018

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It isn't unusual for puppies this young to have a big belly after eating. I would make the meals smaller and feed him more frequently. You are also correct that he likely has intestinal parasites, deworming him will help but it will take time. If his stomach enlarges enough it can put pressure on the diaphragm and change breathing patterns. That's why I would feed small meals frequently for a while. Otherwise puppies do breath faster than adults, especially when sleeping. Since he is otherwise doing well I would just watch him closely and follow your vet's vaccination and deworming schedule. Good luck!

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    Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 18th, 2019

    It depends on how much you are feeding him. I would use the back of the food bag you have for a rough guideline on how much you are feeding him. For a pet that is 3 lbs at 9 months of age, he likely is a tea cup yorkie, so roughly 1/4 cup of food twice daily or even less is his recommended amount. A good rule of thumb, is that if he is leaving any food in the food bowl, then he likely needs to be offered a little bit less food. Also, if he has loose stool or not solid stool, you may want to have his feces checked for intestinal parasites, which can cause his belly to be overly distended all the time. However, if his stool are normal, it is more likely that since he is so small, his stomach is just likely more noticeable, so it appears like he is bloated right after he eats, then when the stomach empties, it goes back to normal. Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best wishes with your fur baby Minnie moving forward. Take care! : )

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