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This is a list of diseases known to occur in the Pug breed. It is not complete, but does cover the most common ailments we see or hear about. We've arranged them alphabetically by medical name, and included a brief desciption of the problem with the name. Further research should be done either on the internet or through your personal veterinarian.
Allergies: same as in humans. Dogs can be allergic to things they come in contact with, eat or inhale.
Atopy: an allergy caused from things dogs inhale.
Cervical disc disease: the cushioning discs between the spinal bones (vertebrae) in the neck are malformed or are degenerating.
Cleft lip: the two halves of the upper lip do not join together. Cleft palate and cleft lip are often seen together.
Collapsed trachea: the cartilage rings that make up the windpipe are malformed and tend to collapse easily.
Corneal dystrophy: an abnormality of the surface of the eye (cornea) normally seen as shallow pits in the surface.
Corneal ulcer (superficial): an erosion of the outer membrane and surface of the eye (cornea). Severe corneal ulcers occur when superficial ones are ignored and they expand and grow larger and deeper.
Cystitis and cystic calculi: cystitis is an infection of the bladder which often leads to formation of bladder stones (abnormal mineral deposits called cystic calculi).
Demodicosis: a kind of skin disease (mange) caused by microscopic Demodex canis mites living within the skin layers and perhaps caused an immune system deficiency. Also referred to as Demodex and Red Mange.
Dermatitis, atopic: inflammation and subsequent infection of the skin due to atopy (see above).
Dystocia: complications of the birth process (difficult birth). Very common in pugs, can lead to caeserian section births, still births, and loss of dam.
Elongated soft palate: the soft palate is abnormally long, extending into the throat and causing breathing disorders.
Encephalitis: an inflammatory condition of the brain causing signs of central nervous system dysfunction and epilepsy (seizures). A unique form of encephalitis, which is fast acting and fatal, has been found in the pug breed and is called "Pug Dog Encephalitis."
Entropion: the eyelid rolls in or under, unto the eye itself.
Epilepsy: a disease characterized most commonly by convulsions (seizures) but also by occaisional loss of consciousness.
Facial fold dermatitis: an infection of the facial skin caused by unusual or excessive skin folds.
Hanging tongue: a syndrome where the tongue does not retract into the mouth properly, due to neurologic or anatomic defects.
Hepatic portosystemic shunt or arteriovenous fistula: the malformation of blood vessels in the liver or abnormal flow of blood between the arteries and veins in the liver.
Hermaphroditism: a syndrome where the individual dog has anatomical features of both sexes.
Hip dysplasia: a developmental malformation of the hip joints causing severe hip pain. Often not seen until a dog is two or three years old.
Hypothyroidism: an endocrine disease where the dog produces abnormally low amounts of thyroid hormones. There is also Hyperthyroidism where the dog produces abnormally high amounts of thyroid hormones.
Intervertebral disc disease: a disease where the discs between the spinal bones are abnormally shaped and may rupture or shift out of alignment.
Keratitis sicca: when one or both eyes do not produce a normal amount or type of tears. Cause of Dry Eye.
Legg-Perthes disease: where the blood vessels feeding the top part of the thigh bone shrink, leading to starvation and death of the femoral head (the ball of the ball-and-socket joint of the hip). Also called Legg-Calve'- Perthes disease.
Malocclusion: the structure of the mouth is out of alignment so the teeth do not meet properly.
Mastocytoma: a rare cancer developing from a type of tissue cell known as a mast cell. Also known as Mast Cell Cancer.
Pannus: an eye disease characterized by abnormal growth of tissue over the cornea.
Patella luxation: the knee caps slide in and out of place on a dog, often first noted when a dog is running and for one or two steps will 'carry' the bad leg so the knee cap can slip back into place.
Pigmentary keratitis: an inflammatory condition of the cornea characterized by abnormal pigmentation. The pigmentation is deposited on the eye surface in an effort to protect it from some other issue that is irritating the eye.
Progressive retinal atrophy: a genetically inherited disease where the retina slowly deteriorates, producing night blindness. Should be tested for after age two.
Pseudohermaphrodism (pseudohermaphroditism): the dog has the gonads of one sex internally but the appearance looks ambiguous or is of the opposite sex.
Spondylosis: misshaped or malformed spinal bones (vertebrae).
Stenotic nares: the openings of the nose (nares) are too small for the dog to comfortably breathe, causing stress on the heart, lungs, and trachea.
Syncope: a brief period of fainting or collapse. NOT a seizure.
Tail fold dermatitis: a skin infection caused by abnormal tissue folds or wrinkles around the tail.
Teeth abnormalities: any number of problems of the teeth including out of alignment, missing teeth, retained puppy teeth, etc..
Ulcerative keratitis: an inflammation of the cornea characterized by the formation of ulcers.
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