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Why is my puppy breathing milk out of its nose? Is it dangerous?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pug | Male | unneutered | 5 days old

Why is my puppy occasionally breathing milk out of his nose and is it dangerous? The puppies are not bottle fed and is fed by the mother.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Tomasz Wnuk

Veterinarian

Published on April 7th, 2020

Yes, this can be dangerous as your puppy may aspirate some milk into the lungs and develop serious pneumonia as a result. Your puppy should be checked for cleft palate - sometimes a small cleft will not stop the puppy from feeding from the mum but at the same time some milk may get into the nose and lungs. I think you can check it yourself by looking at the roof of the puppy's mouth. If you are not sure how to do it, please take the puppy to your local vets.

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15Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on

    Milk coming out of the nose is concerning, and is often a sign of a birth defect called a cleft palate. I would recommend having this pup checked by a veterinarian to see if he has this problem, or if something else is wrong.

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    15Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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