Pug Rescue Network

Pug Health Issues

This is educational information only and is not intended to replace advice or treatment from your veterinarian. Please discuss any health problems or concerns you may have with your own veterinarian.

Allergic Reactions to Vaccinations: Pugs have had near fatal allergic reactions to their vaccinations. Their faces can swell up so much that it cuts off their airways. You might want to wait at the vets office at least 15-20 minutes to see if your pug has any immediate reactions to the vaccinations. Make sure you have at least 4 hours to watch your Pug after its shots.

Allergies: same as in humans. Dogs can be allergic to things they come in contact with, eat or inhale.

Collapsed trachea: a condition where the cartilage rings that make up the trachea are malformed and tend to collapse easily.

Entropion: Entropion is the medical term used to describe rolling inward of the lower eyelid and eyelashes towards the eye. The skin of the eyelid and the eyelashes rub against the cornea (the front part of the eye) and conjunctiva (the mucous membrane that protects the eye). This rubbing can lead to excessive tearing, crusting of the eyelid, mucous discharge, a feeling that something is in the eye, irritation of the cornea, and impaired vision.

Keratoconjuctivitis sicca (dry eye): Pugs with dry eye normally do not have shiny, glistening eyes, but rather have dull and rough-looking eyes. It is caused by the lack of tear production in the eye - either the nerves have failed to stimulate the tear glands, or the tear glands are no longer working, or the ducts that carry the tears to the eyes are blocked. Treatment may help depending on the cause of the problem. We use Genteal Eye Gel everyday in all our Pugs as a preventative. This can be found at Wal-Mart by the human eye drops.
(note: the manufacturer has discontinued this item. We are looking for a replacement.)

Note: We have found a new replacement for the Genteal Eye Gel it's called Tears Naturale^® P.M this can be found at
Wal-Mart by the humane eye drops.

Pigmentary Keratitis: Pigmentary Keratitis is a build up of dark scar tissue on the surface of the eye. It appears as a brown pigment that may gradually cover the eye over time, typically starting in the inner corners of the eye. PK can be caused by numerous things, and can sometimes be caused by nothing. Most often, this is a symptom of some other problem, either dry eye, entropion, or ulcers. It can also be caused by overexposure to the elements. Treatment is the use of Cyclosporine or Tacrolimus eyedrops given once to three times daily to try to remove the pigment. Surgery on the eye can help if the scar tissue is being cause by entropion. We use Genteal Eye Gel and other tear replacement drops as a preventative to help prevent this issue.

Facial fold dermatitis: Dermatitis means inflammation of the skin. Where there are excessive skin folds or wrinkles, fold dermatitis occurs due to rubbing of skin and trapping of moisture in the folds. Pyoderma (bacterial skin infection) commonly develops, almost always caused by Staphylococcus intermedius

Demodectic Mange: Often called Demodex, is a skin disease caused by parasitic mites called Demodectic Mites. These mites live on your Pug’s body at the base of the fur follicles 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year. You won’t be reminded of, or even aware of these mites being on your Pugs body, until you see some symptoms that let you know they’re there, and doing damage.
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Patella luxation: a condition where the knee caps slide in and out of place.

Elongated Soft Palate: The soft palate is part of the structure of the nose and mouth. If it gets too long, it can block some of the airway into your Pug's lungs. The only way to determine if your Pug has an elongated palette is to put it under anesthesia and have the vet examine it. Trimming the palate to correct this problem is a major surgery.

Stenotic Nares: Is a birth defect found in breeds with short noses including the Pug and is essentially overly soft nasal tissue. When a dog with overly soft nasal tissues breathes, their nostrils collapse, leaving them to breathe through their mouths to get the necessary oxygen. You can identify a dog with Stenotic Nares by noting a foamy discharge when they breathe or excessive breathing through their mouths when they get excited. Stenotic Nares can be corrected through surgery.

Pug Dog Encephalitis (PDE): PDE is an invariably fatal disease in the Pug which generally arises between 6 months and 7 years; however, the majority of Pugs affected are between 9 and 19 months of age. In clinical terms, the disease is described as a necrotizing meningoencephalitis. This description means that the brain and the layer of tissues surrounding the brain are abnormally inflamed. The term “necrotizing” describes the clinical way in which portions of the brain are literally dying. Although these portions may be very small, they are numerous and will cause severe and progressive neurologic symptoms. Specifically, symptoms of PDE include: seizure, pressing of the head against a wall or furniture, a staggering walk, apparent blindness, lethargy, depression, and neck pain. When first presenting symptoms, most pugs simply quit jumping on or off furniture as they once did casually and they appear to have a “stiff neck”. Pug Dog Encephalitis (PDE) Project
Detection of an Autoantibody from Pug dogs with Necrotizing Encephalitis (PDE)

Portosystemic Liver Shunt: Liver shunts typically affect younger dogs, but we have seen it show up in 5 year old pugs as well. Some of the outward symptoms are lethargy, smallness in size, seizures, excessive drooling, head pressing, walking in circles. There are two types of shunts. One is internal and can most often not be corrected with surgery. Internal shunts can sometimes be monitored and controlled through medication and diet. External shunts can *usually* be fixed through surgery by a certified professional internist. Surgeons no longer just tie off the shunt as this causes too much shock to the dog's system and can result in death. Rather, they use an ameroid constrictor ring to slowly close off the blood vessel and help the dog adjust at a more acceptable rate.