Pug health Archives - Page 2 of 7

All About Pug Wrinkles

June 13, 2022 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

Where Do Pugs Have Wrinkles?

Most pugs have some wrinkles in their forehead area and between their eyes, as well as below their eyes and above their nose. Some pugs may also have wrinkles or creases along their neck/shoulder area if they have enough excess skin for it to fold.

Do Pug Puppies Have Wrinkles?

Newborn pug puppies are usually born without wrinkles at all, and by 8 weeks old some pugs have significant wrinkles while others are still wrinkle-free. Exactly when the wrinkles appear can vary, but the wrinkles will get more pronounced as they get closer to full grown.

The pug wrinkle above their nose

The wrinkle above a pug’s nose is usually the one that needs the most care. This wrinkle may be really tight and deep in some pugs, while others may be more spacious. My pug Frank had a slightly longer nose than some other pugs, and this resulted in the wrinkle above his nose not being as ‘tight’ as my other pug’s was. This made it a lot easier for his to stay clean and dry. All pugs need to have their wrinkles kept clean, but if you have a pug with a tight nose wrinkle you’ll need to be extra diligent about keeping it clean and dry.

How To Clean A Pug’s Face Wrinkles

Take a cloth or dog-safe wet wipe over one of your fingers and go along your pug’s wrinkle crease. This will help free any shed hairs, dirt or other debris that has collected in their fold. Repeat this process again until the cloth shows that no more dirt or hair is coming out. Once done, use a clean and dry cloth to dry the crease.

If your pug has tight wrinkles, you should do this daily. If your pug has looser or shallower wrinkles, you may only need to do it every couple of days. If you aren’t sure, it’s always better to err on the side of more frequent.

Why you have to clean a pug’s wrinkles

Pug wrinkles need special care because they can trap bacteria or begin to grow yeast! Some people complain of noticing that their pug’s face wrinkles smell. That is a sign that it is getting infected due to not being clean. The wrinkles have creases which can allow shed hair, sweat, water (frequently happens from missy drinking), food, dirt and other things to collect in the crease. If anything gets trapped in the crease and isn’t cleaned out it can get irritated and even infected over time.

The best wrinkle wipes for pugs

I recommend PetPost bulldog wrinkle wipes. Of course, pugs are not bulldogs but they have similar needs. These wrinkle wipes are specifically formulated for dogs. Baby wipes and other types of wipes can include alcohol or other ingredients that can be harsh or drying to pug’s face, or could be irritating to their face.

Signs of an infected nose wrinkle

If your pug’s nose wrinkle is red, losing hair, swollen, itchy, wet (oozing), or has an odor those are all signs that it may be infected. If you see any signs of infection, head to the vet! They will be able to give you medication or ointment to clear it up.

Pug Wrinkle creams or balms

If you really struggle with keeping your dog’s face wrinkles clean and dry, you may consider a cream or a wrinkle balm. I don’t have personal experience with trying these, but they should be used after cleaning your dog’s wrinkles and after they’ve dried. The goal of the balms is to keep moisture off the skin to protect from infection.

How To Get Your Pug To Accept Face Cleaning

“But my pug won’t let me clean their wrinkles!” you say? You aren’t alone in having a pug who doesn’t like their face touched. Pugs have big eyes that stick out which makes their eyes vulnerable to injury. As a result of that, it’s very common for pugs to be even more hesitant than other dog breeds to let people near their face.

However, it’s really important to keep their wrinkles clean to avoid infection. You can train your pug to tolerate face cleaning by making it a positive experience. Most pugs are highly food motivated, so using treats to reward them while they have their face cleaned is a good way to make them more tolerant of it.

Be calm but firm when cleaning your pug’s face. You want them to feel safe, yet to also know that you are in control.

Can you clean pug wrinkles with baby wipes?

Most popular baby wipes have alcohol which can be drying to a pug’s facial skin. However, I understand that the wipes specifically designed for cleaning a dog’s face are a bit pricy. If your dog’s skin is irritated or sensitive, I’d recommend sticking with the dog wrinkle wipes. However, if your dog’s skin is in good shape and doesn’t seem overly sensitive, you can try one of the more natural brands of baby wipes. Look for one that is free from alcohol. I’d recommend Water Wipes, as those are 99.9% water, and the remaining ingredient is a fruit extract which has naturally antimicrobial properties.

Why do pugs have wrinkles?

Pugs were originally bred in China, and the people breeding pugs wanted them to have wrinkled faces! They wanted the wrinkles on a pug’s face to resemble the character that means “prince.” Wrinkles are genetic for pugs, so you can get a rough idea of how deep (or severe?) of wrinkles a pug puppy might develop as they mature if you look a the wrinkles of their parents.

Why Your Pug Has Stinky Breath & How To Fix It

May 25, 2022 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

Causes of stinky pug breath

Dental problems. The most common cause for stinky breath in pugs is dental problems like decay. If your dog has an infected tooth that infection will smell bad and you’ll notice it in their breath. Pugs are particularly prone to dental decay because they have short flat mouths that leave their teeth crowded and often crooked. This allows food to get trapped in their teeth and cause decay over time if their teeth are not brushed.

2. Lack of brushing/cleaning. Related to the first point, but a more temporary version. If you’ve ever left a bit of food on a plate in the kitchen sink for more than a few hours you’ve probably noticed it can start to smell. Food particles that get stuck in a dog’s mouth can begin to stink, too! If your dog’s breath usually smells normal but is particularly stinky one day, check to see if they have something stuck that you can help remove by brushing.

3. Teething. When puppies are growing in new teeth or losing old ones they have extra saliva when their gums are irritated. Some say this produces a uniquely stinky smell that is described as a sour milk smell.

4. A stomach issue. Acid reflux or other digestive issues can cause the breath to smell bad.

5. They ate something stinky. If they were just chewing on a bully stick you may notice that in their breath shortly after. This can also be true if they eat things they shouldn’t like cat feces.

6. More severe medical problems. Kidney trouble can cause the breath to smell like urine or ammonia. Stomach blockages can cause the breath to smell like feces. Lung infections, liver trouble or diabetes can also change the smell of a dogs breath.

How to help your dogs breath smell better

Brush their teeth using dog-specific toothpaste. It’s easiest to do this if you train your dog to be used to it from the time they are a puppy. If you haven’t brushed your dogs teeth before, the process of desensitizing them to allowing you to brush their teeth may take a while.
Use oral care products in their drinking water. Various brands make products to aid with cleaning dogs teeth that can be added to their drinking water. While perhaps not as thorough as brushing, it’s an easy way to do something to support your pug’s oral health even if they won’t tolerate brushing.
Make sure they get dental cleanings often. Pug owners are often worried about having their dogs put under to have their teeth cared for, but it can be done safely especially if you seek out a pet with experience in caring for brachycephalic dogs. Getting their teeth profesionally cleaned and any bad teeth pulled can be really beneficial to their overall health, not just to their breath!
Give them dental ‘chews’. Dental chew treats are designed to help your dog brush their own teeth, so to speak. They have bumps or ridges designed to sort of scratch the teeth and remove plaque as they chew. These are unlikely to reach all surfaces of all teeth the way brushing can, but it can help.
Keep up on the rest of their health. Of course, you want to make sure that your pug’s bad breath isn’t caused by other health issues so saying on top of regular vet visits is key.

Pug Snoring

May 5, 2022 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

Why Pugs Snore

Snoring is usually the result of trying to breathe while the airway is obstructed. In pugs, their airway is small because they have flat faces and short mouths. Many pugs also have elongated palates. Basically, their facial structure increases her odds of snoring compared to other types of dogs.

Is it normal for pugs to snore?

Yes, most pugs snore a least occasionally.

Interestingly, my pug Beans had a harder time breathing than Frank did. Yet Frank snored more than Beans. Neither of my pugs snored all he time. I’d say they snored less than half he time that they were sleeping.

Causes of snoring in pugs

As I mentioned above, pugs are predisposed to snoring due ot being brachiocephalic dogs. There are other factors too though. SOme of those iclude:

The position that your dog is laying in can impact their snoring. Some positions keep the airway more open than others. Positions like laying on the back can increase the odds of the airway being obstructed and snoring resulting.

Allergies. If your dog has allergens, you may notice them snoring more when their allergies are flaring. Like people, if we have allergies it can inflame parts of our face which puts pressure on our airways and makes it harder to breathe quietly.

Obesity can be a factor. The heavier a pug is, the more pressure there will be in their neck and chest. If your pug is overweigh, trying to get them to a healthier weight may reduce their snoring.

Illness. If your dog is sick, they may snore more than usual or harder than usual until they recover.

Age. As dogs age, their muscles naturally weaken. When this happens to the muscles surrounding the airway, it may result in more pressure landing on their airway.

How To Stop A Pug From Snoring Or Improve It

Adjust their sleeping position if they are laying in a way that obstructs their breathing. You may try placing a small pillow under them to keep pressure off their neck. Gettig them a dog bed with a ledge they can rest their chin on may result in them naturally falling to sleep in that position.

Treat their allergies. You may be able to determine heir allergies through observing what they are exposed to when heir symptoms flare. If not, you may have to see our vet for allergy testing. Once you learn what they are allergic to, reducing their exposure to those allergens may reduce their snoring.

Watch their weight. Overweight or obese dogs are more likely to snore, so if your dog has extra weigh they may snore less if they lose weight.

Keep a clean environment. Keep their bedding clean, vacuum regularly and watch the air quality in your home to reduce allergens.

Stenotic nares surgery can open heir nasal passages and improve breathing in general, including a night.

Keep the room comfortable. Many pugs will breathe worse if it’s ho or humid. Using an air conditioner when it’s hot or humid can help them breathe easier.

Video of pug snoring

This is Frank snoring particularly loud (for him) one day.

When to be concerned about pug snoring

If their gums get really pale while they are asleep, his could be a sign that they aren’t getting enough oxygen.
If your dog seems to struggle to breathe while asleep.
If the snoring is excessively loud.
If he snoring has a really sudden onset.

How to cope with pug snoring

If you or others in he house find the pug snoring disrupting, you may try to reduce the snoring using the tips listed higher up in his article. If the snoring can’ be improved or fixed, here are some tips for coping.

Use a white noise machine. White noise machines can help somewhat drown out other noise, making noises like snoring less disruptive. You may try different types of white noise (Fan/wind sounds, storm sounds, rain sounds, etc) to see what works best for you.

Change where the dog sleeps. This is tough with pugs because pugs are clingy and want to be with their people. However, if you just can’t sleep while your pug is snoring, they may have to start sleeping with another family member or in a kennel or dog bed in another room.

How To Give A Pug A Bath

April 13, 2022 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

How To Give A Pug A Bath

Brush your dog thoroughly before the bath to reduce how much hair you’ll get in your drain.

Use luke-warm water, not hot or cold.

If your dog is sensitive to sounds, drawing all of the bath water before you bring your dog into the bath may make it a more positive experience for them.

Placing cotton balls into your pug’s ears (not too deep!) can help keep their inner ears from getting too wet.

A non-slip mat may help your dog feel more secure while you bathe them.

Some people find it helps pugs to stay calm if they put some peanut butter on the side of the tub for their dog to lick while they are bathed.

Talk to them calmly and positively throughout the experience to make it more positive. Reward them with praise and/or treats if they dislike bath time.

Use a dog-specific shampoo. I personally recommend avoiding the Hartz of shampoo because I’ve read a lot of online stories about how these cause seizures in some cats and dogs. Better safe than sorry! My pug Frank had sensitive skin so we had irritation with some dog shampoos, but his skin did well with Burt’s Bees dog shampoo I believe we used the oatmeal one at times and the hypoallergenic one at other times.

Use a water-safe brush to make sure your dog gets well-shampooed. We had the kong shampoo brush and liked it.

If you have a handheld shower attachment using this can help get a really thorough rinse.

Use a washcloth or cotton balls to dry out their ears thoroughly after a bath to avoid infections.

Thoroughly dry their face wrinkles to avoid infection or irritation.

You can use a blow dryer on no or low heat to speed up the drying process if it doesn’t scare your dog. Otherwise, just keep towel drying them.

How Often To Bathe Your Pug

Opinions on how often pugs should be bathed vary from about every 3 weeks to only once every six months! You want to bathe your pug before they get stinky, but not so often as to dry out their skin. We bathed our pugs monthly, just before we gave their flea medication.

Dog Shampoo For Pugs

Use a dog-specific shampoo on your dog rather than a human shampoo or soap. The PH levels of human shampoo are different than those formulated for dogs. Human shampoo is more acidic which is harsh on Pug’s skin. We liked the Burt’s Bee’s dog shampoo line, it worked well on my pug with sensitive skin, even.

How To Bathe A Pug Without A Bathtub.

If you don’t have a bath tub, you can bathe your pug in any container of water that you can get, basically. For a while we lived in an apartment that only had a stand-up shower, and our pugs really disliked the shower head sprinkling down on them. So we would fill a plastic tote with a couple of inches of water and bathe them in there!

You could use your kitchen sink if your pug will stay in place well. Even if you have a full sized bath, you may find that bathing puppies can be easier in a sink.

If you don’t have a tub or a tote, a kiddie pool is another option.

Do Pugs Like Baths?

Most pugs can’t swim, so they aren’t usually a big fan of water the way that some other dog breeds can be. Some pugs may enjoy their baths, but mine both disliked them!

Regardless of which pug I bathed first, the one that was not getting bathed first would go hide! Frank knew that if Beans was getting a bath now, he was next, and Beans knew the same if she saw Frank getting a bath first. Beans would huff and sigh when I first put her in the bathtub, but would accept her fate.

Frank on the other hand, would shake, wimper and cry throughout his bath usually. He’d also refuse to sit with me for a while after his bath, like he was mad at me. He was normally a huge cuddler so it was really something that he wouldn’t want to sit with us after a bath! Or worse, he’d refuse to sit by me if I bathed him, but would sit with Ryan…or if Ryan bathed him, he’d cuddle me after. It was like he thought whoever gave him the bath was the ‘bad cop’ and the other one of us was the ‘good cop’ that day, haha.

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