One of my puppy's that was born last Sunday, has milk coming out of his nose. I have checked for cleft palate and can see no sign of it. He is fine when first suckling but when the milk comes through faster he struggles and comes off and then has milk all around his nose. Could it be that the milk is just coming through too fast for him?? He is maintaining his birth weight.  Thank you again xx

If he isn't gaining weight, just not losing, I would be wondering about a cleft palate. It doesn't have to be full and visible, at times all you get is a small hole.

>  I have checked for cleft palate and can see no sign of it.

If there's no visible sign of cleft palate, then maybe he is just not coping with the flow of milk at the moment. Often this will improve as they mature.

Or he might have a very small hole in which case it may well close up as he grows.

If he continues to grow OK then just keep an eye on him and wipe his milky face as necessary. If you're really worried then get your vet to have a good look with their bright light and special glasses.

The defect could be in the soft palate, farther back than is visible on inspection, at normal flow the pup can cope but when the milk becomes more copious it can't, try putting the pup on the teats nearer the the front legs that don't flow as fast.

If there is no weight gain then a vet visit is needed for closer examination and to rule out aspiration of fluid into the lungs.

My little one, is still going. She is gaining a little now each day and hope it will gradually increase. She still has milk coming out of her nose and I hope it is just because she is suckling too hard and trying to be greedy. Only time will tell. Thank you for your help x

I once had a pup that had milk come out of his nose frequently - he was the biggest in the litter. we took him to the vets for a complete check up as i could see no trace of cleft palette. they said he was just an avid sucker and the dam had so much milk, he wasn't digesting it properly. He remained the biggest and plumpest and after about 5 days it stopped as the flow of milk settled down. hes now 1 year old and perfectly happy healthy boy :)