Many pug owners and prospective pug pawrents hear stories in the press and on social media about several severe health issues associated with pugs. Naturally, this is a cause for concern as no pawrent wants their pug buddy to endure health problems.
And pug health should be taken seriously. When you choose your dog breed, you are making a commitment to raise that dog and give them the best life possible.
According to recent studies, disorders annually compared for different breeds of dog have revealed that pugs experience more health problems than your typical dog.
When I first decided to get a pug 12 years ago, these health issues were not as widely reported but now pugs are synonymous with being susceptible, or even predisposed, to certain health problems. In fact, pug health problems are one of the top pug-related searches online.
Whilst all dog breeds are associated with certain health issues, I would not recommend getting a pug (or any breed of dog for that matter) before reading up on them. Do your research on your chosen dog breed so you know what to expect, what to look out for, and what to do/not do to keep your dog companion healthy and enjoying their best life.
This guide is based on my personal experience of having two pugs and the experiences of other pug pawrents that I know. The aim is to provide an honest account to inform prospective pug owners of the health issues you may encounter – and should make every effort to mitigate – so that your pug can enjoy a long, healthy life.
Before we get into pug health, due to the different health issues that pugs are susceptible or predisposed to, the importance of finding a good pet insurance provider and cover is crucial. Be sure you understand what is and is not covered and how to claim – it will avoid headaches at times when you need financial support.
Disorders annually compared for all dog breeds have revealed some of the severe health issues compromising pugs health. As a result, the health perspective always comes up whenever pugs are mentioned.
The main pug health problems I know of (either from personal experience or our wonderful pug community on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook) are:
Click on the links above to read more about the corresponding pug health ailment.
This is one of the most distressing health problems that affects brachycephalic breeds and can lead to severe breathing problems. If your pug has brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS), they will likely require surgery to help them breathe more comfortably following health testing and a consultation with a specialist pet surgeon.
Pangpang had his BOAS surgery in 2024 after I became concerned about how he was breathing in stuffy and hot weather. Whilst brachycephalic breeds usually pant, snort and snore, if you notice your pug is struggling to catch their breath in warmer conditions, I would strongly recommend taking them to see a specialist just for peace of mind to ensure they are breathing properly. As always, the health of your pug should be your primary concern.
Please note, our pet insurance company refused to pay out to cover the cost of the surgery which was substantial. Huge “thank you” to all our friends who donated to help cover the cost of Pangpang’s BOAS surgery – it really helped us as at a time when our pet insurance let us down. Increasingly, it seems that many pet insurance firms are refusing to cover these costs so it is something to be aware of as pug health is attracting increasing attention due to the reported health problems.
It’s widely acknowledged that pugs love their food! (Well, all dog-friendly food to be more specific!) Consequently, you see many pugs that are overweight or obese (particularly on social media) which is a worrying trend. The most distressing thing I’ve heard is that some people think it’s cuter for their pug to be overweight rather than fit and in good shape.
As responsible dog owners, we have to think from a health perspective when deciding what is best for our dog, and allowing your pug to get overweight would be compromising pugs health. Remember: your pug should be fit, strong and healthy, not fat. As such, managing your pug’s weight is integral to good pug health.
There is a myth that pugs don’t like exercise and naturally prefer a sedentary lifestyle. This is absolute nonsense – all the pugs I know are just as active as most other dogs and love their pug walkies and playing games with their owners. The only thing to bear in mind here is pug joint health in older age, so check with your vet how long your pug buddy should be walking for each day and build this into their daily routine.
Despite their adorable puppy dog eyes and frequent begging for food, you need to strike the right balance between exercise, food and portion size based on your pug’s size to ensure they do not become overweight. The best way to do this is to speak to your vet who can advise on a meal plan to make sure your pug buddy stays in their healthy weight range while getting the nutrition they need. The pug health benefits of getting this right should not be underestimated.
Dog obesity is a typical dog issue that all dog owners have to manage. The only difference is that pug obesity can lead to, or exacerbate, severe health issues in pugs so should be avoided at all costs.
All pug owners need to be more mindful of pug health in summer, especially on hot, humid days. Other dogs are typically better at regulating their temperature to prevent overheating but pugs can really struggle. For instance, I attended a pug meetup in London on a warm summer’s day and noticed a few of the pugs were panting excessively. So, based on my experience, it is undeniable that hot weather can exacerbate breathing difficulties.
With this in mind, I would recommend managing the situation carefully on humid and hot days. This includes:
This is arguably more important for pugs than many other dogs as it is dangerous for pugs to vomit, so keeping them cool and comfortable is essential. For me, of the health problems mentioned on this list, this is the most common and one all pug owners should be mindful of.
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Pugs can develop skin infections in their pug skin folds when moisture and dirt collect there which is not removed. Consequently, the typical dog breed is not as susceptible to this due to the fact breeds such as pugs and French bulldogs have more skin folds, especially on their face.
Fortunately, this is one of the distressing health problems that I have never encountered first hand. However, it is important to caveat this by saying that we clean Pangpang’s facial folds multiple times every day using dog wipes or cotton wool. It takes some training and a lot of trust for your pug to allow you to do this, so try to develop this habit as early as possible until it becomes a standard part of their daily pug health routine. (Having your pug’s favourite dog treats on standby helps in most cases!) I also asked around my pug community and, again, this was not something most of the pugs had experienced.
However, I have seen some posts on Facebook and received some DMs on Instagram that have showed the symptoms of this health issue. It causes great discomfort to your dog when they suffer from this pug health condition, so please take extra care and get into a good pug grooming routine to keep your pug healthy.
One of the common pug health problems I have seen firsthand is paw infections. Of course, this is not exclusive to pugs but they do seem susceptible to this issue.
The telltale sign is when your pug starts excessively licking, smelling and chewing their paw. When pugs have an infected paw, it usually gives off a slightly cheesy smell which leads to your pug licking, smelling and chewing their paw, resulting in their paw becoming sore and irritated. When cleaning your pug’s paws, look for pink skin between their pads and nails and any resistance to giving you their paw as it could be causing them discomfort.
As soon as you notice these signs, you should take your pug straight to the vet as if you catch it early enough they might not need full medication.
It has also been suggested that paw infections are related to the weather as Pangpang seems to get this issue once a year in autumn as the weather turns from summer.
Our vet recommended that we avoid walking Pangpang through the woods to reduce the chances of getting paw infections in the future. Also, having a good pug health routine which includes cleaning your pug’s paws with dog wipes on a daily basis is really important.
Paw infections are definitely not exclusive to pugs – other dogs often get them too. So whatever breed of dog you have, you will need to clean their paws as it’s easy for moisture and dirt to build up. And whilst it’s not one of the severe health issues most people think of, it’s something to manage to keep your dog happy and comfortable.
This is when a pug’s eye pops out the socket due to their shallow orbits. Other dogs can also suffer from this health issue, particularly brachycephalic breeds. Thankfully, this has never happened to Pangpang or any other pugs that I know but it is something that many prospective pug pawrents have asked me about on Instagram. So, based on my experience, it’s not a common issue for most pugs but it is something that can happen according to veterinary experts.
Hip dysplasia, which occurs when a pug’s hip joint fails to develop properly, can cause lameness in the legs and lead to mobility issues. Thankfully in my experience, hip dysplasia has not affected my pugs or indeed any of our pug buddies.
That said, I have seen a few pugs with hip dysplasia on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube and they tend to use dog wheelchairs to assist their movement. For pugs that do suffer from hip dysplasia, vets usually recommend gentle walkies using a pug wheelchair, as remaining active can help to maintain good pug health by keeping the joints as strong as possible.
So, in summary, hip dysplasia can occur in pugs but is not something I have come across much, yet experts report that it is one of the most common health problems to affect pugs.
Experts say that a lot of the serious pug health issues can be attributed to bad breeding practices. It’s certainly something we should be paying more attention to in order to ensure that pugs are given the best chance of leading a happy, healthy life. It has been claimed that some pug breeders have been compromising pug health in the interest of a cuter appearance, with one notable example being a flatter face, which can culminate in severe breathing problems.
Obviously, we do not condone this, and any characteristics that have been intentionally bred into the breed that is having a detrimental impact on pug health should be eradicated in the interest of ensuring healthier pugs going forward. What is undeniable is that unhealthy characteristics remain in pugs and that breeders need to do much better in this area if we are to see an alleviation of pug health problems.
From our personal experience, we got Pangpang as a puppy from a registered pug breeder and he’d had the required health testing in order to be KC registered which he passed. As a result, we were hopeful that Pangpang would not have any breathing difficulties or any of the other health issues commonly associated with pugs. However, when Pangpang turned 6 years old, we became worried about his breathing, particularly in stuffy, hot weather and made the difficult decision to have the brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) surgery.
As a result, if I get another pug in the future, I would rather adopt an adult pug so that I can be confident their breathing is completely healthy. Moreover, adopting a pug means that a pug gets a forever home rather than bringing more puppies into the world which is definitely the way to go to ease issues surrounding puppy mills and poor breeding practices.
However, one thing that I find really tiring is people focusing solely on pugs and French bulldogs. If breeders are to blame for the health problems in these breeds, surely they’re also responsible for the health issues that are commonly found in other breeds, and indeed all pets. As I’m not a hypocrite, I think that all pet breeding should be more tightly controlled and monitored so that bad practices are eliminated. Further research and corresponding policies on how to prevent negative breeding practices is therefore required to alleviate health issues in different dog breeds.
Generally, Pangpang gets a really good reaction from all that he meets since he’s a very sweet, playful dog and the pug dog breed is generally considered friendly, funny and approachable. If we take him for pug walkies in a crowded area, it’s pretty much guaranteed that we’re hear a few people shout “pug!” which always makes me laugh. I’ve also learned the word “cute” in about 20 different languages thanks to people’s love of pugs so thanks for helping me advance my language skills, my fellow pug lovers!
However, as a pug owner, you will inevitably meet those people who feel the urge to critique every aspect of your pug as they ‘don’t agree with people owning pugs’ or simply ‘don’t like pugs’ for various reasons. Being a generally sarcastic individual, I have to fight the urge to reply ‘thanks very much for that’ or ‘well, he doesn’t like you either’. But really, the best thing is to ignore the haters and focus on giving your pug buddy the best life possible as they deserve it for being such wonderful companions and bundles of joy.
Generally, Pangpang gets a really good reaction from all that he meets since he’s a very sweet, playful dog and the pug dog breed is generally considered friendly, funny and approachable. If we take him for pug walkies in a crowded area, it’s pretty much guaranteed that we’re hear a few people shout “pug!” which always makes me laugh. I’ve also learned the word “cute” in about 20 different languages thanks to people’s love of pugs so thanks for helping me advance my language skills, my fellow pug lovers!
However, as a pug owner, you will inevitably meet those people who feel the urge to critique every aspect of your pug as they ‘don’t agree with people owning pugs’ or simply ‘don’t like pugs’ for various reasons. Being a generally sarcastic individual, I have to fight the urge to reply "thanks very much for that" or "well, he doesn’t like you either". But really, the best thing is to ignore the haters and focus on giving your pug buddy the best life possible as they deserve it for being such wonderful companions and bundles of joy.
From a health perspective, it is reasonable to say that pug owners need to extra vigilant with their dog’s health compared to some other dogs. There are certain health issues – some of which are common pug health problems including several severe health issues – that pug owners need to manage, take steps to mitigate, or keep a look out for.
Pug breeding, as with many other breeds, is still nowhere near good enough and is likely exacerbating health problems. Consequently, unhealthy characteristics remain that need to be addressed in the interest of ensuring pugs are a healthier breed. Disorders annually compared for different dog breeds need to be monitored to check that progress is being made in this respect.
Personally, I would like to get another pug as I want Pangpang to have a brother to play with and for companionship. However, I would not get a pug puppy from a breeder. As long as I can, I would prefer to adopt a pug needing a forever home with no major health problems.
Meanwhile, if I get another breed of dog (one day I plan to get a golden retriever or labrador) I will also do my research on the breed I choose and there will be certain conditions and health issues that I will need to be aware of and manage. The important thing to realise is that even the typical dog will sadly get ill from time to time – we just have to be responsible dog owners and hope that our dog can avoid serious health issues that impact their happiness and wellbeing. And when health problems do arise, seeking expert advice and acting accordingly is important to managing these conditions.
If you do decide to get a pug, remember to check the health of your pug before you get them (ensure they have passed a health check), and establish a good diet plan, and exercise and grooming routine. But from my experience, being a pug owner is not that different from being an owner of a typical dog breed – there are certain things to be aware of and manage, but they should enjoy a long, happy life and be a wonderful addition to your family.
Copyright © 2024 Pangpang the Adorable Pug - a cute pug, social media dog model & actor - All Rights Reserved.
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