Pugs are prone to the following health issues:

• Brachycephalic syndrome: This syndrome describes anatomic abnormalities in certain breeds where the upper airways disfunction and/or are obstructed.
• Dry eye: Often observed through your dog’s red eyes, this condition is caused by a dog’s immune system attacking its lacrimal glands, shutting them down.
• Corneal ulcers: Cornea is the transparent membrane on the front of the eye. A corneal ulcer, the cornea is damaged.
• Allergies: Histamine, which is a chemical in the body associated with immune responses, is released during allergic reactions.
• Encephalitis: This condition is inflammation in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).
• Hip dysplasia: This condition is when the socket joint in the hip isn’t large enough, or more often too shallow, for the femoral head.
• Patellar luxation: Luxating simply means out of place or dislocated. Patella is a kneecap. A Luxating patella is a kneecap that chronically moves out of its normal position.

It is important to remember that pups with short snouts are more vulnerable to eye injury. Additionally short snouts are more prone to breathing issues. Whenever you are exercising with you pug, monitor their breathing and keep them out of extremely hot weather.

Other health concerns to be aware of include:

• Entropion: In this condition, an eyelid, typically the lower one inverts which cause the eyelashes to rub against the eye. This causes irritation on the eye.
• Legg-Calve-Perthes disease: This disease occurs at the head of the femur (the ball and socket joint in your dog’s hips. Here, the femur degenerates which can cause the hip to collapse and can cause arthritis.
• Portosystemic shunt: The portal vein carrying blood bypasses the liver. While most commonly a birth defect, liver disease such as cirrhosis can also be a cause.
• Necrotizing meningoencephalitis: Both progressive and rapid onset, this disease attacks the central nervous system, which leads to death.

Before adopting always request health screening from both parent pups from your breeder.

While you always hope your pet will live a long and healthy life, it is always a good idea to invest in pet health insurance.

Keeping your dog’s mouth clean and problem free goes a long way to your pup’s overall health. Dental hygiene can be the cause or can be the byproduct of other serious health issues.

Visual inspections can be performed to keep track of the signs of potentially waning oral health. These signs can be anything from bad breath to abnormal chewing to loss of appetite.

Keeping ahead of these warning signs can pay dividends. A preventative approach can delay and stop many of the common dental problems from arising.

Oral health can be tackled in five basic steps:

1. Brushing your dog’s teeth to prevent an undesirable buildup of plaque
2. Feed your dog a diet where the high quality dog food has dental benefits
3. Regularly give your dog dental toys and treats
4. Use mouthwash, to help where brushing misses
5. At the sign of any abnormalities, consult a vet. You can even do it virtually, from the convenience of your home.

Dogs are just like humans in that they can experience anxiety. The degree to which they are susceptible to anxiety and how they deal with anxiety is breed specific. Left unchecked, initial signs of anxiety could give way to an anxiety disorder. The symptoms of anxiety disorders can lead to a myriad of behavior issues.

Knowing the signs and symptoms will best equip you to keep ahead of it and to nip it in the bud at the earliest signs. There are options available to help with anxiety.