Is my rescue puppy's fast, heavy breathing during sleep normal?

Question

My boyfriend and I recently took in an almost 9 month old puppy that we believe is a pitbull terrier lab mix. She's very playful and happy but it's obvious she had been beaten, mistreated and VERY malnourished. Everytime she sleeps, she breathes VERY heavily and quickly. I counted her breathes per min and it was 62. I wonder if she had suffered from fractured or broken ribs. Or maybe this is normal. I just want to know if this is something I should be concerned about or not. Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Female | unspayed | 9 months and 10 days old | 15 lbs

Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA · Accepted Answer

I would recommend that you have Rousey checked out by a vet. Breathing that quickly is not normal. While sleeping, she should breathe less than 20 times in a minute. Increased respiratory rate at night could indicate heart or lung disease, anemia, or pneumonia. If she has fractured ribs, she could benefit from pain medications. She should probably also be checked for intestinal parasites, which are easily picked up while hanging out on the streets.

Is my rescue puppy's fast, heavy breathing during sleep normal?

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