Pug health Archives - Two Pug Tails

Pug Diapers

September 30, 2022 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

Why Are You Considering Diapers?

If you’re looking to use diapers 24/7 to keep your incontinent dog from making a mess in your house, please learn about expressing the bladder and/or bowels instead. Helping them express should be your #1 priority when caring for an incontinent dog.

I do give diaper advice lower in this post, but I hope you’ll learn to express your pug’s bladder first if they have ongoing incontinence. Diapers may be helpful if your dog leaks urine despite being expressed regularly. I’ve also heard of people using diapers on their dogs if they were going to be left home alone for a few hours and unable to express at their regular times.

Some use diapers on female pugs that are in heat. There are various reasons why limited use of diapers makes sense. Please learn from my mistake though and don’t move to 24/7 diapers for your dogs.

Incontinence Doesn’t Mean Their Bladder Empties Regularly

This is extremely important to know – and I didn’t know until it was too late with both of my pugs. I learned it after they had passed. My vet had told me that as long as they were urinating regularly they were fine. This isn’t the case. Dogs can urinate pretty regularly but still fail to truly empty their bladder.

If the bladder isn’t getting empty, it can lead to bladder stones, UTIs and other issues. Both of my dogs battled recurring UTI’s. When they would occur, they’d be uncomfortable until it was resolved. I could have avoided this discomfort if I knew to express them instead. For this reason, it’s better to learn to express your dogs bladder rather than rely on diapers to absorb what they leak.

People often think of incontinence as being the result of “worn out” bladder muscles, so they think that any urine that their body makes will just flow out. That isn’t how it works. Instead, the default for the bladder is to stay tightly closed, and we have to intentionally use muscles to relax the bladder to let urine out. So if the muscles get weak, or there is nerve damage or neurological issues…it’s common for the bladder to stay too closed and to only open when “over full”.

Join Wheelie Pugs

Incontinence is common in pugs who have something called puy myelopathy. My pug Frank had this, but our vet told us it was “similar to progressive arthritis”. She never gave us a real name for it. After Frank had passed, I came across the Wheelie Pugs facebook group. This is an awesome group for pugs who have mobility issues, incontinence and more. The group is owned by a vet who has studied a lot about pug mobility issues, and pug myelopathy in particular. This is a conditioner that is unique to the pug breed and most vets are not very familiar with it…so having this Facebook group as a resource can be invaluable.

There are resources in this group to assist with learning how to express your dog’s bladder or bowels, to learn about how to slow your dogs mobility progression, how to get a well-fitting cart (wheelchair) for disabled dogs and more. With mobility issues, you don’t want to wait until your dog can’t walk before looking into getting them help. If you see any wobbliness or weakness in their rear legs, join now.

Belly bands for male pugs

We liked Teamoy Belly Bands for our pug Frank. The size L1 fit him well. These weren’t as bulky as some other belly bands that we had tried from other brands. We used human Incontinence Gaurds inside of the belly bands. These are similar to feminine pads, but more absorbent and larger which worked well inside the belly bands.

I tried dog diapers and baby/toddler diapers on Frank, but none were a good fit. The closest fit was 4/5T pull-ups, but even these were too small. They would cover his backside, but they wouldn’t go high enough on his belly to catch his urine when he peed.

How To Keep Diapers On A Female Pug

For my female pug, we found that pull-on diapers or pull-on training pants fit well. I preferred the Pampers brand over Huggies/Pull-Up brands because the pampers pull on diapers and “easy ups” have elastic along the sides, which helped them stay on my dogs hips. Here is beans in a 2-3T easy ups.

I later learned that the Pampers 360 diapers are basically extra-small training pants, and those fit Beans a bit better than the 2/3T did. On occasion, the 2/3T easy-ups would gap around her thighs so urine could leak out. With the size 4 pull-on diapers, they fit snug without being too tight.

Beans was good about leaving her diaper alone, but it wouldn’t stay up on its own very well. To keep it on, we had her wear a harness and then used children’s suspenders (or later, children’s mitten clips) to clip the diaper to the harness. The pink part is the suspenders, the purple straps are these mitten clips. The mitten clips worked better than the suspenders so we eventually moved to just using mitten clips and taking the suspenders off.

Sources:

http://pugrearataxiaparalysis.com/ditch-diapers-express.html

Does Your Pug Have An Upset Stomach?

September 23, 2022 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

No pug owner ever wants their dog to feel unwell…but the reality of owning a dog is they are likely to have an upset stomach at some time or another. Most of the time an upset stomach is something you can manage at home and won’t last too long.

Signs That Your Pug May Have An Upset Stomach

Hard or loose stools. Especially if this is outside of their normal experience.
Vomiting.
Asking to go outside frequently and trying to go #2.
Pooping more or less often than usual.
Strange noises (gurgling or bubbling sounds) coming from their belly.
Stomach growling sounds even if they have eaten relatively recently.
Excessive flatulence.
Really strong flatulence.
Eating grass.
Excess saliva.

Causes Of Upset Stomach In Pugs

There are many potential causes of upset stomachs in pugs and other dogs. Here are some of the more common ones though.

Changing diet too rapidly. When dogs get used to a specific food, it can be a shock to their system if you completely change foods on them overnight. To avoid this, change foods very gradually. For example, use 75% of the old food, and 25% of a new food for a while, then a 50/50 mix, then a 25/75 mix, etc.

Table scraps. Dogs bellies can be thrown off if they get access to human foods that they don’t usually have. Many human foods are not suitable for dogs (too spicy, too greasy, etc) and may upset their stomachs.

Allergies or intolerances. In my opinion, too many people assume allergies for their dogs. A banfield pet study showed that just .2% of dogs have food allergies. Yet, if you go to any pet themed group and reference food allergies, you’ll find that lots of pet owners believe their dogs have allergies. Meaning in most cases when people think their dog has a food allergy, they probably don’t. However, some do have food allergies and this can cause them an upset stomach if they eat something they have an allergy to.

Lack of fiber. Fiber helps keeps dogs regular, so if they are lacking fiber it can cause digestive trouble that can cause an upset stomach.

Some viruses.

Stress or anxiety.

Medication side effects. If your dog is on any medications, google the prescription name to see if nausea or other digestive symptoms are side effect.

Ingesting something harmful. Household cleaners, pest control substances, and many other substances can cause stomach upset in dogs if consumed.

Swallowing a non-food item. If your dog has swallowed part of a dog toy, an animal bone, rawhide, etc it can cause a partial (or full) blockage which can upset their stomach. If the item is too large his can be an emergency.

Motion sickness from traveling in a vehicle or similar.

Trapped gas. If your dog needs to burp or fart, that trapped gas in their tummy can cause upset until it finds a way out.

How To Help Your Pug With An Upset Stomach

Have them fast for at least 6 hours. This is recommended if your dog has vomitted or had diarrhea. It essentially resets their digestive system by letting it empty before adding anything new in.

Try feeding plain chicken and rice as their first meal after the fast. This is the dog version of having butter-toast after having a stomach bug. Chicken and rice are bland foods that are easy on the stomach for most dogs. Another option would be turkey and pure pumpkin, as those are also easy on the stomach.

If the bland diet goes well, feed that for a couple of meals, then slowly reintroduce their regular dog food. Go slowly, such as a 75% bland, 25% kibble mix, for a meal or two, then 50/50, then 25/75, before finally having them go back to just their dog food.

Try a dog probiotic if your dog regularly has tummy trouble. Sometimes dogs struggle to keep the right amount of healthy bacteria in their digestive system on their own, and probiotics can help.

When An Upset Stomach Needs Vet Care

If your pug is losing weight due to their stomach problems
If your dog has chronic diarrhea or constipation
Blood in their stool
Blood in their vomit
If they’ve consumed something harmful
If they’ve swallowed a non-food item.
If they’re panting, whining/crying or otherwise showing signs of pain.

Pug Pimples Or Pug Acne | What Causes It & How To Get Rid Of It

September 3, 2022 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

My Pug Gets Bumps On His Muzzle. What Is That?

It’s likely pug acne or dog acne. Yep, dogs can get pimples just like people! It’s a really similar cause, too. Any kind of dog can get acne but it’s more common in breeds with short hair, including pugs. Their heavily wrinkled faces make them more prone to it as well.

What Causes Acne In Pugs?

Clogged pores. Basically, acne is caused by your dogs sebum (natural skin oils), bacteria and dead skin cells building up on the surface of the skin and clogging the pores. When the pores get clogged, the immune system responds to try to fight the bacteria and acne develops.

In other words, it’s caused by the area getting too dirty. However, how frequently the area needs to be cleaned can vary from dog to dog. Some dogs will experience acne with really low levels of bacteria and sebum buildup, while others have a higher tolerance. So, it’s not necessarily that your dog is extra dirty if they’re getting acne. They may just get acne with less bacteria than other dogs. It’s common for pugs to develop acne more easily.

Age is a factor. Younger dogs create more sebum than older dogs, so they’re more prone to their pores getting clogged.

Regardless f the cause, if your dog is experiencing pimples that means they need their skin cared for differently.

How To Reduce Pug Acne

Keep them dry. Many pugs get acne on their lower jaw. Pugs have slight jowls which can leave their lower mouth wet after drinking from their water dish. For some reason my pug Beans used to almost always have a damp lower mouth! I assume it was just something about the shape of her muzzle. If you have a pug like that where their fur stays wet for a long time after drinking, this may increase the odds of bacteria spreading. In that case, drying off their mouth after drinking may help.

Keep Them Clean. If your dog makes a big mess while eating, washing their muzzle after meal time can greatly reduce any occurrence of acne. Even if they don’t get visibly dirty around their mouth, washing their face/mouth can wipe away excess skin cells and excess sebum to keep their pores from getting clogged.

Ditch the plastic bowl. Plastic water and food dishes for dogs can breed bacteria a lot worse than other materials because plastic is somewhat porous. Changing to stainless steel bowls, glass or ceramic can help. We used plastic dog bowls when we first got our pugs but Frank developed acne so we switched to stainless steel bowls. They were a little more pricy but they lasted us for years.

Wash their food and water dish daily. Even with stainless steel bowls, bacteria can build if the dish isn’t washed regularly so be sure to keep it clean.

Keep wounds/sores extra clean. If your dog gets injured and has an open wound, that area will be extra prone to developing irritation or infection. If your dog ever gets injured around their mouth, be extra diligent about keeping the area clean and dry to avoid an acne outbreak.

A healthy diet. Again, like people, diet can impact our skin health. If your pug is on a high-quality diet, they’re more likely to have fewer skn and fur problems compared ot if they are on low-quality dog food.

Wash their toys regularly. Any toys that your pug puts in their mouth get germs on them. If bacteria builds up on your dog’s toy and then they play with it again, that bacteria can transfer onto your dog and cause acne or other problems. Wash their toys regularly to keep them clean.

Don’t let your dog rub or itch. Once your dog has a pimple, they’re likely to try to scratch the area as it may itch. If your dog rubs their muzzle along firm surfaces r paws at their face, this can further irritate their hair follicles or even break off hairs which ca leave their facial pores more open and more likely to develop even more acne.

Try a dog acne shampoo. They make dog shampoos that are designed to flush the hair follicles, usually with topical benzoyl peroxide.

How long does pug acne last?

Dog acne can last up to 12 weeks in severe cases.

If you have a young pug who seems to have acne due to their age, keep in mind that it is still about sebum clogging their pores. Younger pugs will have more sebum and may be especially prone to acne, but it won’t likely entirely go away once they’re older. It’s best to try to find a hygiene routine that stops the acne.

For severe pug acne

If your pug’s acne is severe, it’s time to visit a vet. Signs that it has gotten severe is if the pimples have bled, if their mouth or lips are swollen, if hair loss has occurred, or if here is oozig. Acne can develop into bacterial or fungal infections among other big problems. In some cases dogs may need steroid treatments, antibiotics or other treatments that only a vet can provide.

Can You Pop Pug Pimples?

Your pug’s zits should be left alone, not popped. Popping the zit can cause further trauma to the skin and leave it open to more irritation and inflammation, leading to more problems.

How To Help Your Pug Lose Weight

June 22, 2022 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

Unfortunately, obesity is the most common health problem that pugs have. Pugs aren’t alone in this, either. According to VCAhospitals.com, 20-30% of all dogs are overweight, but 40-45% of dogs over the age of 5 are overweight. The good news is, pet obesity is a problem that owners can fix!

How Do I Know If My Pug Is Overweight?

With obesity being common in dogs (and in pugs, specifically) it can skew our idea of what a healthy weight looks like. If you think your pug would look pretty ‘average’ if they were surrounded by other pugs, they may still be overweight. If you think your pug would look like a chunky one in a group of pugs, they’re almost certainly obese.

However, it’s best to not rely on assumptions. Talk to your vet about your pug’s weight to see if they think they are overweight. Some vets will talk to pet owners anytime they see an overweight animal, but others don’t. So, if you’ve been to the vet and their weight hasn’t been addressed, that doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t overweight. However, if you ask your vet about your pug’s weight and whether it’s too high or not, they should be happy to give you a good answer.

According to the AKC, ideal pugs weigh between 14 and 17lbs. However, this doesn’t always mean that your pug is overweight if they are over 17lbs. Pugs can vary in height and length, and pugs with bigger frames should weigh more than pugs with more petite frames. This is where body condition score comes into play. Here is a body condition score chart made just for pugs, which I find super helpful seems how pugs are a short, stout breed, their ideal body condition looks different from some other breeds.

Source: Universiy Of Cambridge.

As you can see from the chart, you can determine if your pug is overweight by looking at how visible their waist is, any feeling their rib area. A body condition score of 5 or 6 is where you want your pug to stay. If your pug has a body condition score of 7 or higher, they would benefit from losing weight.

How To Help Your Pug Lose Weight

How many calories your pug is consuming is by far the largest factor in their weight. Like people, pugs will gain weight if they eat more calories than they burn. While increasing activity can increase how many calories are burned, if too many calories are consumed, it is extremely difficult to exercise those extra calories away.

One study showed that if a 20lb dog walks at a pace of 4 miles per hour, they will only burn 8 calories after a 1 hour walk. In other words – if you’re overfeeding your pug, they have no hope of losing weight by exercising more. You must feed them less.

Really, the solution to helping your pug lose weight all comes down to making sure you’re feeding them the right amount. Pugs are not a breed that does well with being “free fed”. Meaning, you shouldn’t leave food out for them all the time – most pugs will become severely obese if they have access to as much dog food as they can eat.

Instead, you should feed them 1-3 times per day, and measure the amount. How much they should eat will depend on the food that you are feeding. Look up how many calories are in a cup of the brand and type of dog food that you purchase, then calculate how much food to give them based on the calorie content.

You’ll want to give your pug the amount of calories for their ideal weight, not their current weight. Most dogs need to eat 25-30 calories per 1lb of body weight. If your pug has a goal weight of 17lb dog would need to eat 425 to 510 calories a day. Younger dogs and more active dogs can eat towards the higher end of the spectrum, while older and/or lower activity dogs should sick towards the lower end of the calorie spectrum. Most pugs are not super active, so in most cases, it’s best to stick with the lower-calorie range for their ideal weight.

I made the table below using information from AmericanMedicalCenterOfChicago. Pugs are an obese-prone breed, so I used the obese-prone status for dogs weighing 14-22lbs as pugs should have an ideal weight between 14lbs and 25lbs.

How many calories pugs should eat per day based on ideal weight

Ideal Weight	Calories/day
14 lbs	392
15 lbs	413
16 lbs	434
17 lbs	454
18 lbs	475
19 lbs	494
20 lbs	512
25 lbs	606

Keep in mind that this is their total calories, including any snacks or treats. If you give your dog any snacks or treats, then their meal calorie total should be less than that shown above.

Also, metabolism can vary, and usually lowers with age. If you find that feeding your pug a set calorie amount per day keeps them too heavy, this likely means that they have a slower metabolism and should be fed a bit less. Part of why older dogs are more likely to become obese is because pet owners sometimes continue to feed their dog the same amount even after their dog’s metabolism slows down. Monitor how much you’re feeding your dog and how it impacts their weight. If they are gaining weight, they’re eating too much. Or if your goal is to have them lose weight and they are maintaining weight instead, you need to restrict their calories a bit more.

I have a whole blog post on how much to feed pugs if you want to learn more.

Factors That Contribute To Obesity in Dogs

Some breeds are more prone to it, and pugs are one of those breeds.

2. Age. Older dogs have slower metabolism which means they will weigh more if they eat the same amount as a younger dog.

3. Spay/neuter status. Spaying and neutering your pets is important and recommended, but it does have the downside of increasing the risk of obesity.

3. Activity level. While pugs are small and don’t burn a lot of calories while moving around, it is somewhat of a factor in their weight.

4. Personally. Dogs who are in love with food are more likely to become obese. These dogs will be more likely to find table scraps or dig food out of the garbage if left unattended, and are more likely to beg for food from people. On the other hand, dogs who aren’t excited about food or picky eaters will often have a easier time maintaining a healhy weight. Most pugs are lovers of food!

5. Medical conditions. Some medical conditions such as thyroid problems or diabetes can be a factor in a dog’s weight.

Why Pug Obesity Matters

It’s easy to think that chubby dogs are cute! Sometimes people feel that it really isn’t a big deal. Here’s why obesity does matter in pugs.

Shortens life span. While each dog is unique and there are always exceptions to the rule, statistically, obese dogs don’t live as long as dogs that maintain a healhy weight. We all want our pugs to be with us as long as possible, so keeping their weight down can help.

2. Can make it harder for pugs to breathe. Pugs are prone to breathing problems due to their facial structure. When a pug is overweight, this adds stress to their chest and neck which can worsen their breathing struggles.

3. Can worsen joint problems. Pugs are prone to arthritis and other joint problems. If a pug has excess weight on them, this adds unenccesary pressure to their joints which worsens joint problems and can increase pain.

4. Heat intolerance. Due to pugs’ flat faces, they aren’t very tolerant of heat at any weight. However, when a pug is overweight this exacerbates their heat intolerace.

How To Get Your Pug More Active

Be active yourself! Pugs love their people so if you are out and about more, they’ll join you.

Take time to play every day. Try out a wide range of types of dog toys if you need to find something your dog likes. Playing is often the best way o get pugs moving! My pugs liked small plush dog toys, so we’d use them for tug-o-war and would throw them for them to fetch.

Let them tag along! Going for a walk to the neighbors, or doing yard work? Open the door and let your pug outside with you.

Go to the dog park or dog-friendly parks. Dogs often get a lot of exercises while playing with oher dogs, so trips to the dog park can help. If you don’ have a dog park, going to a park that is dog-friendly may result in meeting up with another dog to play. Or if you have friends or family member’s with dogs you could plan meet-ups with their dogs.

Daily walks. Whether you live in a city or a rural area, find a way to take a daily walk. It could be on the sidewalk, through the woods behind your house or in a public nature trail. My pugs loved to explore, and they loved routines. Anytime they knew what we were doing next, they’d get excited! So if your pugs are lke mine, once they begin to understand the routine of their daily walk time, they’ll look forward to it!

How To Reduce Your Pug’s Food

If your dog has been severely overeating (such as being free fed), you may try cutting back slowly rather than making a really dramatic reduction, for the sake of letting your pug emotionally and mentally adjust to getting less food.

2. Try more meals but smaller ones. For example, if you’ve calculaed that your dog should eat 3/4 of a cup of dog food per day, you may give three 1/4 cup meals a day rather than one meal that is 3/4 of a cup all at once. For some dogs this makes them more emotionally/mentally satisfied.

3. If you give them snacks or treats, use VERY low calorie and healthy options. You don’t to spend most of their daily calories on snacks. Carrots or other dog-safe veggies can make great snacks or treats.

4. If your dog likes ‘volume’, consider a weight control dog food. Like people, some dogs will feel more satisfied if they eat a lot of a low-calorie food vs if they eat a small amount of a calorie dense food. Weight control dog foods are usually just lower-calorie versions, but if yur dog likes to eat a lot of volume they may help.

5. Keep your pug busy and mentally enertained so they aren’t wanting to eat out of boredom.

6. Use a kibble dispenser, hide kibble in a snuffle mat or other toy that will make your pug “work for their meal” and make it last longer.

How I Helped My Pugs Lose Weight

My pugs were free-fed by their previous owner. When I got them, they were 31 and 33lbs! Severely obese.

I kept them on the type of dog food that their previous owner had them on, and left food out for them 24/7 for the first couple of weeks. While I knew this wasn’t healthy, I knew that being rehomed was really emotional for them. I didn’t want to force unneccesary changes on them in the beginning. So, I let them get a bit settled in first.

When I felt they could tolerate the change, we changed them to a higher quality dog food (they were on Walmart brand previously) and to a weight-control dog food. This way, I could divide up their daily food into several small meals easily due to it having more volume. Early on, they would beg for food constantly so I would give them 4 meals per day (1/4 a cup each time) to try to appease them.

After a while they seemed to grow to accept their new “diet”, and quit begging for food between meals. That’s when I realized we could feed them fewer times per day. I measured out 1/2 of a cup twice per day after that, and that is the feeding schedule that we stuck with for the rest of their lives. We bought store-brand dog treats that were really soft. We reduced their treat calories by tearing dog treats into very small sizes, so although we would give them a treat each time they went potty (it was clear to us when we got them that they expected treats after going potty!) they only ate about 1 dog treat per day because each time we gave them a treat it would be a small peice broken off, rather than a full one. We also gave them bully sticks occasionally, mostly as an anxiety tool.

I am sure that I could have switched to a non-weight control dog food if I wanted to, but it was working fine so I figured why fix what isn’t broken?

Frank went from 33lbs down to 24lbs. Beans went from 31lbs down to 23 pounds. They both were still slighly overweight. While Beans weighed less, she was more overweight because she had a smaller frame than Frank had. I (wrongly) struggled with feeling bad about reducing their food more than that, so I allowed them to stay a bit overweight. Not great, but it’s the truth! Still, I think their story shows that getting your pug to lose weight is very possible.