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As your Partner in Pet Health, the team at Hillside Animal Hospital would like to provide you with as much information as possible regarding your role in keeping your dog happy and healthy. With this in mind, we have developed new Breed-Specific Wellness Programs. These programs are intended to increase your awareness on health conditions that have been found to be commonly associated with your dog's breed. While many dogs live a long, healthy life without facing major health issues, we feel that educating pet owners about possible health conditions is the best way to be proactive in detecting health issues before they become a problem. You'll find important recommendations for scheduling physical exams and diagnostic tests which we encourage you to discuss with the doctor throughout your pet's care. Please contact us at 480-391-7297 if you would like further information or to schedule an appointment.
Pug - Specific Wellness Program
Dermatological Conditions
 Atopy
About the condition:
- Certain breeds are predisposed to becoming sensitive to environmental allergens. These allergens stimulate an inflammatory process which usually affects the skin as well as the respiratory tract.
How to detect this condition:
- The primary symptoms of atopy are scratching of the body and ears, licking (especially the feet and in between toes), sneezing, shaking of the head and redness of the skin.
Musculoskeletal Conditions
Avascular Necrosis of the Femoral Head (Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease)
About the condition:
- The femur of the leg meets the pelvis forming a ball-and-socket joint called the hip. In certain breeds, such as Jack Russell Terriers, there is a genetic predisposition for the ball section of the femur to deteriorate causing hindlimb lameness, atrophy of the thigh muscles and pain when this joint is moved.
How to detect this condition:
- If you notice that your pet seems to be limping, walking abnormally or they seem to be having difficulty getting up, x-rays are recommended to determine if this condition is the cause.
Neoplastic (Cancer) Conditions
Mast Cell Tumors
About the condition:
- These skin tumors may range from benign to highly-aggressive malignant and are relatively common in dogs.
How to detect this condition:
- If you notice any new lumps on your dog, please let your doctor know so an examination can be performed.
How to prevent this condition:
- Preventative surgery can be done at the time of spaying/neutering.
Ocular Conditions
Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca (Dry Eye)
About the condition:
- This is a common disease characterized by reduced tear production resulting in drying and inflammation of the conjunctiva and cornea.
How to detect this condition:
- We should check the tear production of your pet's eyes at every annual exam.
Respiratory Conditions
Brachycephalic Upper Airway Syndrome
About the condition:
- There are several breeds of dogs that can be classified as brachycephalic, the Pug is one of these breeds. The characteristics of this syndrome are narrowed nostrils, an elongated soft palate (this is a section of tissue that separates the nasal passage from the oral cavity, which, in brachycephalic dogs, flaps within the throat causing snorting sounds), a narrowed trachea (windpipe) and inefficient panting (this may lead to problems if your dog overheats).
How to detect this condition:
- Your dog may have difficulty breathing due to their respiratory system composition. To prevent any additional problems, owners should take care not to let their dog get overweight (as this will strain their respiratory system further) as well as ensure that they do not overheat during the summer months.
- Monitor what is normal for your dog - know how much snorting and sputtering they do when they are healthy, so you will be able to quickly detect when something may be wrong.
This list is not intended to cover all possible diseases and/or conditions found in Pugs, but instead lists those that we have found to be most common at Hillside Animal Hospital. Please let your doctor know if you have further questions regarding these or any other conditions.
Wellness Recommendations
An annual physical exam is recommended for the life of your pet so that any problems can be detected. In addition, we recommend the following diagnostic evaluations in order to provide more thorough veterinary prevention and care:
| Annually |
Full eye exam, check tear production |
| Age 6 |
40 |
Full blood profile and urinalysis |
| Age 8 |
48 |
Full blood profile and urinalysis |
| Age 10 |
56 |
Full blood profile and urinalysis, x-rays of chest, abdomen and hips if needed |
| Age 12 |
64 |
Full blood profile and urinalysis, x-rays |
| Age 14 |
72 |
Full blood profile and urinalysis, x-rays |
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