Pug health problems

For a canine companion who is affectionate, loyal, and up for joining in on all your family’s adventures, look no further than the pug!

Thanks to their small size and charming personality, the pug is popular with pet parents around the world. Since they’re so clever, pugs are usually great to train – but you will have to find the right reward to motivate them, and keep their attention on you.

Pugs tend to have a short, soft coat, which means they only need to be brushed a couple of times a week.

Explore our pug breed guide for more information about these playful dogs!

Potential health conditions linked to the pug breed

Please remember that while the following health concerns are frequently seen in pugs, each dog is a unique individual. So, your canine companion isn’t necessarily going to suffer from any of the health conditions commonly experienced by pugs. But, if you’re considering pet insurance, you could read our guide to insuring your pug for more information.  

Always speak to your vet if you’re concerned about your dog’s health.   

Don’t forget to visit our dog first aid guides to discover the basics of canine first aid.

BOAS (Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome)  

BOAS, or ‘Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome’, is the term used to describe a range of conformational features most common in flat-faced breeds, that impact on an animal’s ability to breathe. As a flat-faced dog breed, your pug could end up suffering from BOAS.

Sadly, there are many issues that cause BOAS in flat-faced breeds, including:

• Narrow nostrils – breathing is harder for your pug because less air is able to pass through their nose.
• Narrow windpipe – makes breathing very difficult for your pug due to the lack of space available for air to pass through.
• Obstructions of the nose and throat – the same amount of tissue seen in a dog with a longer nose is compacted into the smaller space of your pug’s short muzzle.

Here are just a few of the symptoms associated with BOAS in dogs:

• Snoring.
• Noisy breathing, meaning they often make snorting or snuffling sounds.
• Excessive panting, even at rest.
• Reluctance to exercise.
• Vomiting, due to breathing difficulties.

Additionally, dogs who are flat-faced and have BOAS are at an increased risk of heatstroke.

It’s vital to take your pug to a vet immediately if they’re struggling to breathe or showing signs of heatstroke.

To diagnose BOAS in your pug, a vet will ask about your dog’s symptoms, perform a physical examination, and may assess your pug’s breathing rate following a short walk. If your pug needs further tests, they might see a specialist vet who can carry out an endoscopy (using a camera to check their airways) or MRI under anaesthetic.

The treatment options for BOAS include surgery, ensuring your pug maintains a healthy weight (since being overweight can worsen their symptoms), and keeping them cool during hot weather.

Hip dysplasia 

Canine hip dysplasia is a genetic condition (something a dog is born with) that impacts their hip joints. ‘Dysplasia’ is a word linked to abnormal development, so, hip dysplasia describes abnormalities within a dog’s hip joint.

For pugs with hip dysplasia, either one or both of their hip joints are unstable and can cause them to experience pain, swelling, and stiffness – resulting in lameness. Eventually, hip dysplasia can cause pugs to develop arthritis.

Treatments for canine hip dysplasia can include weight management, anti-inflammatory medication, and surgery.

Eye ulcers

An eye ulcer, or ‘corneal ulcer’, is a wound on the front of your pug’s eye. Eye ulcers can vary greatly in severity, though they often appear suddenly and might get worse over a short space of time. 

Although eye ulcers can have many different causes, ranging from injury to infection, the shape of a pug’s face can increase their risk.

Symptoms like a runny eye, holding their eye closed, and cloudiness of the eye could suggest your pug is suffering from an eye ulcer.

Along with a physical examination of your pug’s eye, a vet may use an orange dye to check the size and severity of an eye ulcer.

To treat a canine eye ulcer, your vet could prescribe eye drops and pain relief, as well as providing support through frequent check-ups, until your pug’s eye has healed. If, however, your pug has a deep corneal ulcer or their eye fails to heal after a course of treatment, they might need surgery to treat it.

Pug Dog Encephalitis (PDE)

Pug dog encephalitis, also known as ‘PDE’, is an inherited condition caused by inflammation of the brain as a result of a pug’s immune system attacking normal brain tissue.

Symptoms of PDE tend to appear when a pug is six months to three years of age, and can include:

• Head tilting.
• Head shaking.
• Wobbliness.
• Head and neck pain.
• Blindness.
• Seizures.
• Circling without the ability to stop.

While vets may be able to perform MRI or CT scans to check for PDE, unfortunately, because the symptoms of PDE can mimic other conditions, it’s sometimes difficult to diagnose. 

Sadly, PDE is fatal – so treatment options are focused on improving a pug’s quality of life, though won’t be able to cure the condition.

Skin allergies and infections

Atopic dermatitis, also known as ‘atopy’, describes a range of skin allergies frequently seen in dogs that can sometimes lead to skin infections.

For pugs, one of the main types of dermatitis they tend to experience is ‘skin fold dermatitis’ – which usually occurs between the wrinkles of their face. The folds of a pug’s face provide the ideal environment for bacteria to grow, sometimes leading to a foul smell, pain, and itchiness, along with redness and inflammation. To treat skin fold dermatitis, a vet is likely to recommend cleaning your pug’s face folds regularly, as well as prescribing anti-microbial shampoo and/or anti-inflammatory medication.

While skin fold dermatitis is one of the most frequently seen types of skin condition in pugs, atopic dermatitis is common in this breed, too. Pugs with atopy are likely to scratch, chew, and/or lick the parts of their body that are itchy, inflamed, or irritated, which could include their:

• Face.
• Ears.
• Armpits (axillae).
• Tummy (abdomen).
• Paws.

Vets can diagnose atopy by evaluating your pug’s medical history and symptoms, alongside performing a thorough assessment of your pug’s skin.

Just like human allergies, such as hayfever, that require ongoing treatment to manage symptoms, canine atopy will probably need to be treated throughout your pug’s life, too.

It can take some trial and error to work out which treatments (or combination of treatments) will work best to ease your pug’s symptoms – for example, medication and/or soothing shampoos. Though, thankfully, the majority of atopy cases can be managed effectively to make sure your pug is able to enjoy life to the full.