Common Pug Health Problems

Like all breeds, pug’s are prone to certain health problems. Some of the medical problems in history for pugs are hip dysplasia, eye disease, patellear luxation (the knee cap dislocates), and pug dog encephalitis (inflammatory disease). While some of those may sound extreme, there’s no reason to worry. Overall pugs are healthy dogs.

http://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/pug/care/#health

We’ve been lucky to not have any serious problems with our pugs. But there are certain health problems we’ve noticed within our grumble.

Eyes; Pugs have big eyes that stick out. This makes the dog’s eyes prone to infection, and injury. We’ve had both happen to at least one of our pugs.  The vet will prescribe eye drops to put in their eyes to get rid of the infection. Injury on the other hand can be more serious. Thankfully our pug’s eye injuries haven’t been bad, but because their eyes are so big there are many other cases with pugs that end up losing one or both of their eyes. Keeping the pug’s nails trimmed and dangerous items out of their way is necessary.

Jaxun and his big eyes, and dry snout from winter

Ears; Pugs ears need to be cleaned at least every other day if not daily. (Unless you have a mama pug who will do the work for you) Their ears flap over which makes it easy for dust or dirt to get into their ear and stay there. You can notice if your pug is having an ear problem because they will continuously scratch it. If you notice this with your pug, consult your vet. This can be a sign of infection which is painful for our pugs.

Skin; Pugs are prone to allergies and dry skin. Some pugs require medication to settle down their allergies. With our grumble we have learned to manage their coat. For our grumble we put coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil on their food at least once a week. This helps keep their skin soft and fur full from the inside out.

Jaxun showing off his shiny coat

Breathing; Pugs can have a hard time breathing. Our pug Mia has more skin above her nose so sometimes it makes it harder for her to breathe. The only way to make her breathing better would be to have surgery on her nose to remove some of the skin. When pugs have a lot of activity you will notice they have a shortness of breath and take some time to recover. Try to calm your pug down and keep them from getting to excited to help manage their breathing.

Mia, with her extra pudgy nose 

Pugs are actually very easy to take care of despite their common health problems. Even if they require a little extra love, there is no love quite like #puglove!

Just a cute picture of Jaxun

Enjoy another cute pug video talking more in-depth about #pugproblems;