Pug Health ProblemsOne of the major health problems for pugs is Pug Dog Encephalitis - an inflammation of the brain that typically affects dogs when they are between 2 and 3 years of age. Little is known about this disease, but it is heartbreaking as it will eventually kill the dog - the question is merely how long it will take. Usually accompanied by seizures (although seizures do not necessarily mean your dog has PDE), your dog may have a seizures and then return to normal in between or may seem confused and have trouble walking in between. There is nothing anyone can do if your dog has Encephalitis and often it comes quickly and results in immediate death, or in making your dog so incapacitate that euthanizing him is the only humane thing to do. Some feel this is genetic, so if you are buying a pug puppy, be sure to quiz the breeder to make sure that no dogs in his lineage have had PDE. One of the common pug health problems, elongated soft palate, is due to the shape of the pugs face. Unlike PDE, this is not life threatening. The soft palate is the flap of skin at the back of the throat and when elongated can block the throat. This might result in your pug wheezing or coughing up food. It is actually quite common in pugs and luckily there is surgery that can correct this. Pugs can also be prone to hemi vertebrae, also known as screw tail. This happens when two pieces of the dogs vertebrae do not fuse together the right way. It causes the two halves to grow unequally and this inequality puts pressure on the spine. It usually causes paralysis and the only course of action is to put the dog to sleep. This defect will be present from birth and can be seen on an x-ray so if you are worried about it, you might consider having an x-ray done on any pug puppies you plan to adopt. Certainly, these serious Pug health problems can be heart wrenching and no one would want to go through them, but bear in mind it is only a small percentage of Pugs that will be affected by them. Your best course of action is to be sure to get your put from a reputable breeder - or consider adopting one that is a bit older - 4 or 5 years old - who would most likely be past the point of these serious health concerns. No matter whether you adopt a puppy or an adult pug - you want to be sure to train him properly using the right techniques!
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