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PUG DOG CLUB OF B.C. HEALTH QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
As a courtesy to all who have asked questions of our club in the past, and don’t know where to get the answers, we have set up this site. Please note: We are not Veterinarians. This is for general information only. To be absolutely sure of a diagnosis, a Veterinarian should see the dog. Anyone who has a dog that is sick or needing some kind of attention should seek Veterinarian care as soon as possible.
Question-
I have heard a lot about how vaccinations times have changed. I am confused, and want my dog to be protected, but I don’t want to take a chance that he will develop some kind of reaction to the shots. I usually vaccinate once a year.Answer-
There are many sites on the Web to check out. Please go your search engine. Print in the words " Results for dog immunization". Click on "side effects of annual dog vaccinations" .There are many sites. Two of the sites that interested me were:
http://www.canineepilepsyguardianangels.com/FAQ.htm#side_effects
and http://www.Shirleys-wellness-café.com/petvacc.htm
There has been a lot of talk about vaccination immunity, and how our pets are being over vaccinated.
The consensus is that vaccinations should be done on an every 3 years instead of annually after the initial Vaccinations
There is proof that over vaccinating called "vaccinosis" can cause immune deficiencies, epilepsy, seizures, pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, encephalitis, demodex(skin allergies), food reactions (a new study- dogs do not have food allergies), and even the very diseases they are supposed to protect your dog against!
So why not just vaccinate every year just to be safe? Vaccinations are not necessary for dogs who are already protected against the disease from previous vaccinations. It is said that some of these vaccinations actually last for 3 to 15 years.
Veterinarians are now suggesting that all dogs have a "titer" test before they are revaccinated after one year of age. A "titer" test just confirms whether or not the dog has immunity to the diseases he is being vaccinated against. Blood drawn from your dog can indicate whether your dog's protection against disease is adequate.
Even if your dog has had no reactions to vaccinations, each time you vaccinate unnecessarily, you put your dog at greater and greater risk, since each vaccination is yet another assault on your dog's immune system. Dogs who are ill, with certain ongoing immune suppressing diseases, already have major challenges to their immune system. They are therefore more susceptible to an adverse reaction to vaccinations, which further compromise an already compromised immune system. If your dog is taking ongoing medication for any disease they should forgo the vaccinations.
Rabies vaccine - is required by law. This vaccine is the one that has been implicated in the most serious side effects... among other things, seizures may develop or be worsened by this vaccine. It is always advisable, if you absolutely must get this vaccine for your dog, that it be given alone, at least 4-6 weeks before or after any other vaccine.
Kennel cough vaccine- has a history of causing more harm than good. Dogs vaccinated for kennel cough are more likely to get the disease than those who are not vaccinated for it.
VACCINATIONS: To quote Dr Jean Dodds-
" NEW PRINCIPLES OF
IMMUNOLOGY
Dogs and cats immune systems mature fully at 6 months. If a modified
live virus vaccine is given after 6 months of age, it produces immunity,
which is good for the life of the pet (i.e.: canine distemper,
parvo, feline distemper).
If another MLV vaccine is
given a year later, the antibodies
from the first vaccine neutralize the antigens of the second
vaccine and there is little or no effect.
The titer is not
"boosted" nor are more memory cells induced. Not only are annual
boosters for parvo and distemper unnecessary, they subject the pet to
potential risks of allergic
reactions and immune-mediated hemolytic anemia. There is no
scientific documentation to back up label claims for annual
administration of MLV vaccines.
Puppies receive antibodies through their mothers milk. This natural protection can last 8 - 14weeks.
Puppies&kittens should NOT be vaccinated at LESS than8weeks.
Maternal immunity will neutralize the vaccine and little protection(0-38%)will be produced.
Vaccination at 6 weeks
will, however, DELAY the timing of the
first highly effective vaccine. Vaccinations given 2 weeks apart
SUPPRESS rather than stimulate the immune system.
A series of vaccinations is
given starting at 8 weeks and given 3-4 weeks apart up to16weeksofage.
Another vaccination given sometime after 6 months of age (usually at year 4
mo) will provide LIFETIME IMMUNITY.
Dr Jean Dodds DVM has done research that seems to say that we are over
vaccination
For more information on this, please contact:
Jean Dodds, DVM
Question-
I have heard that there is dwarfism in Pugs. What does that mean? How can I tell if my pug has it?Answer-
The medical term for Dwarfism is called chrondrodsyplasia.This is not normally not a life threatening disease.
Breeds who throughout the centuries have had their sizes changed from small to larger, and back & forth are subject to dwarfism.
Signs of dwarfism in the pug are: short legs, extra digits (toes) on the OUTSIDE of the front foot (leg), extra ribs, missing ribs, also Legge- Calve Perthes Disease. In other words they are malformations.
In Pugs, Legge- Calve Perthes Disease is caused because the Pug has very small veins for it’s size (hereditary). Therefore in some cases, not much blood or circulation surrounds the hip area. Tissue, muscle, cartilage all die.
If the pug accidentally bangs his hip at an early age, it is also likely that the circulation to the hip area will also be stopped.
If more than one pug in a litter has LCP Disease, then it is hereditary, not accidental.
Question- My pug has cancer. Is it hereditary? I want to give him some prime time and attention while he is still with me. How will I know when it is time to put him to sleep? I don’t want him to be in pain.
Answer-
We are so sorry to hear this. Our pugs are so precious, and seldom show pain. Their every thought seems to be for us.Pugs are not known for hereditary cancers. That isn’t to say that some individuals can’t be stricken with it.
Cancers that are not hereditary are caused through virus that invade the body & immune system in some area that is weak and susceptible to disease.
I am sure that you will know when the time comes to put "Charley’ peacefully to sleep so that he doesn’t suffer. Usual signs (but not definitely) are that he will seem depressed, moping with tail down, won’t play or eat, won’t want to go for walks, won’t want to go outside to the bathroom, sleeping all the time, limping (depending on where the cancer is).
Our thoughts and prayers go with you at this awful time.
Humans & many animals are now contracting cancers that they never had in earlier times. Some are known to be hereditary, some are environmental.
It is hard to know just how many deaths could be attributed to cancer in early medical days.
It is my own opinion that I credit the amount of environmental cancers to the atomic bomb & hydrogen bomb testing of the ‘60’s. This nuclear waste was introduced into our environment for ever more.
In order to "protect" the environment (Over 200 atomic bomb testing) were done in this time.
On Prompting from the United Nations, countries were asked to stop to save the environment.
After this time, some countries began testing underground, sending large clouds of radio active earth into the environment. It landed all over the earth.
Certain countries continue testing even today.
Question-
My pug has seizures. He is currently on medication. The Veterinarian says that he has to stay on this medication all his life. Is this PUG DOG ENCEPHYLITIS?Answer-
It sounds like your veterinarian has done a full panel of tests on your pug to ensure that he is medicating for the correct disease. PDE is a life threatening disease that will kill your pug. It sounds like your pug is just having epileptic seizures that can be brought on by anything from : diabetes, head injury, stress, conditions such as internal sicknesses, accidentally ingesting a toxic substance either by taste or smell, OVER vaccinating, allergies (caused by allergic reaction to anesthetic or medications, vaccinations) .
Question- My pug died of ENCEPHALITIS. Can you tell me about this disease? What are the symptoms? My pug didn’t have any siezuring. He just suddenly seemed to get sick. He stopped doing anything except just laying there. He could hear me, and never seemed to lose consciousness. He always responded to his name, and to touch. He didn’t show signs of pain.
Answer- You don’t specify whether this is PUG DOG ENCEPHALITIS, or just encephalitis. So I am going to send you this information. There are many websites that deal with PUG DOG ENCEPHALITIS (PDE). If you go to search and then print in " encephalitis " & then also "pug encephalitis" you will come up with lots of information on Encephalitis.
Not all encephalitis is hereditary. Not all seizures in pugs mean the pug has PDE. Some are caused by head injury or serious health issues.
The basic answer is that after lots of research, not much is known about PDE.
There are 6 known types of Encephalitis.
There are two basic types of Encephalitis which cause death in pugs. One is known as PDE (hereditary) the other is an GME (encephalitis with origin unknown – likely viral) .
1. Necrotizing Meningoencephalitis - known as "PDE".
2.Granulomitis Meningoencephalitis- is known as "GME" .. this is not PDE.
Symptoms of PDE- Quoted from the Canine Genetic Website:
" PDE is an invariably fatal disease in the Pug which generally arises between 6 months and 7 years; however, the majority of Pugs affected are between 9 and 19 months of age. In clinical terms, the disease is described as a necrotizing meningoencephalitis. This description means that the brain and the layer of tissues surrounding the brain are abnormally inflamed. The term "necrotizing" describes the clinical way in which portions of the brain are literally dying. Although these portions may be very small, they are numerous and will cause severe and progressive neurologic symptoms. Specifically, symptoms of PDE include: seizure, pressing of the head against a wall or furniture, a staggering walk, apparent blindness, lethargy, depression, and neck pain. When first presenting symptoms, most pugs simply quit jumping on or off furniture as they once did casually and they appear to have a "stiff neck"."
Question-
My pug keeps getting sores in the wrinkle between his nose his eyes. This is such a huge wrinkle. What are the sores, and how can I keep him from getting them?Answer-
OVERNOSE PUG WRINKLES- I am not a Veterinarian, and haven’t seen the "sores" but I think I know what this is.Pugs often get fungal infection in this area due to the fact that food , water & dirt get trapped here, and there is no air.
The over nose wrinkle needs to be cleaned DAILY regardless of the size of the wrinkle.
To Clean- you need : clean water (do not use baby wipes or anything with any lotions or perfumes in it) , q-tips; 4X4 or 2X2 gauze.
Lift the wrinkle & wipe the area clean of food & debris with a gauze soaked in water. Dry with a dry gauze. Do not use any powders or lotions or Vaseline’s or oils. Powders bunch up & create infection. Plus the powder will get into the pugs eyes. Lotions or Vaseline’s or oils create heat in the area & cause infection.
To clean up an infection- first treat it as if it is just irritated. Clean as above, and then put Polysporin CREAM on the area. If that doesn’t heal it then it is fungal. If it is fungal, use athletes foot CREAM on the area. If it is fungal, then the pug should go on anti-fungal medication from the Veterinarian.
Question-
My pug is aggressive. When he is in my arms and someone comes up to pet him, he looks like he is going to bite them. His eyes get very wide, and he actually acts like he is afraid. He barks fiercely at them.When he is on the ground either with or without(but mostly with) a leash he lunges and barks and growls at anyone within a certain distance from us. What can I do to make him stop?
Answer-
well, there are two main reasons why pugs act in this way:Natural (hereditary) bad temperament.
bad manners-(environmental)-spoilt, no training, no socialization, over protected by the owners.
I haven’t seen the pug in question, but as this is a pug we are talking about, I would think that it is probably # 2.
All dogs need socialization from an early age. It doesn’t take a dog long to figure out that he will be protected by his owner while he barks and carries on badly.
Many dogs like to bark and be brave while held by their owners because they know that there will be no consequences. This can create a BIG problem when the "bad mannered" protected dog meets a big dog like a Rottweiler on a walk.
Often when dogs are like this, we see owners who talk in worried, sympathetic tones to their dogs when any thing happens instead of ignoring the incident.
We see owners holding their dogs closely because they are afraid that they may bite. Of course the dog grows to feel that this is his protection, and that he can do what he wants.
Best bet for these owners and dogs is to begin taking the dog to obedience classes, and out to all & any events. Try out different activities forcing your dog into different situations. If he doesn’t want to do it, gently go through the activity with him … but insist.
Stop holding him when there are people and situations. When he barks or growls, correct him with a water bottle spray of water in the face, or a "mustard" bottle with hot sauce in it squirted into his mouth. Be consistent with this training. DON’T pick him up!! Don’t baby him because he looks like his feelings are being hurt! He won’t carry on with these undesirable activities for long.
Pugs & Obedience classes- Pugs should not wear chain choke collars. When training use a plain leather buckle or cloth snap close collar.
Question-A friend of mine has a cute 6-pound pug. He was recently told it was a miniature pug.
I see some miniature pugs advertised by a breeder who says she breeds only miniatures. Do you breed miniatures? And if so, how much are yours? This breeder charges lots because hers are so rare.
Answer-There is no such thing as a miniature pug.
The standard weight for the breed in every country of the world is 14 – 18 lbs. A Pug that is 14 lbs these days is viewed as very small.
Although I have not seen this pug, I would like to suggest that it is either a very young puppy, or else there is some health problem that would keep it from growing.
Sometimes individual puppies in a litter are just small for no reason, but not whole litters.
Liver Shunt, heart problems & other such problems often cause stunted growth in dogs. Also, the size of puppies is often related to the diet of the mother before and during the birth of her puppies. Also often in what type of food & environment the puppies have during their growth before they go to their new homes. Which is why you need to find a reputable breeder.
Question- I couldn’t believe the Gaul when on my own website "guest book" recently appeared this advertisement that stated- " WE HAVE A PURBRED PUG, FEMALE, 2 YEARS OLD, NOT FIXED, SHE IS HEATHY AND FULL OF SMILES. ME AND MY HUSBAND BOTH WORK FULL TIME NOW AND WE ARE WANTING TO SELL HER FOR $ 450,WE BOUGHT HER FOR $ 850 FROM SURREY,B.C. WE NOW LIVE IN THE OKANAGAN,B.C.SHE NEEDS SOMEONE TO LOVE HER LIKE WE DO,IF ANYONE WANTING TO BUY HER YOU CAN SEE ME AT …………….@SHAW.CA"
I assumed that this was a valid sale, and that the people selling the pug were just ignorant and so tried to rescue the dog for PDCBC RESCUE.
I Answered- Hi, I am forwarding this email on to someone who is interested. Please don't sell her through the newspaper, as you may get the wrong kind of home for her. There are weird people out there.
The answer came back - she’s sold
I Answered- (still assuming that I was dealing with reputable – but ignorant people) Subject: "NOT FIXED"
All I can say to this is that you may have put your " PUG, FEMALE,2 YEARS OLD, NOT FIXED" into a "breed until she drops" situation. I am not surprised. When you put "NOT FIXED" in an advert., you are condemning your pug to a not to rosy future. This is the kind of pug that puppy mill' ers buy up. These animals are bought by supposedly reputable people who appear looking for a "pet" for themselves, and when they get the dog it is bred to death. The dog spends the rest of it's life in filthy conditions with little or dirty water, and bad food (when they eat).
" SOMEONE TO LOVE HER LIKE WE DO". Dogs have complete & unquestioning faith & love in their owners. They trust their owner without doubt. I can only hope that you haven't let her down, and condemned her. No dog deserves the life that some sold this way get.
I hope you find yourself in the future forever wondering about what REALLY happened to this dog after you sold it. I sure will be.
"NEVER SELL AN UNSPAYED/ UNNEUTERED PET. NEVER BUY OR SELL PETS FROM THE NEWSPAPERS" .
From here the communications turned ugly and each email after that was filled with such vile swearing that it told me that this was not your average "seller" and "sale of a pug".
The "Seller" basically rudely told me that it was none of my business how he sold the dog, and if I was so worried about the pug going into a puppy mill, why didn’t I buy her if I was a breeder?.
When I stated that it was my business if he put the ad on my website, he got hostile, stupid and even ruder. Communication stopped.
LESSON: NOT EVERYONE WHO SELLS A DOG THROUGH THE NEWSPAPERS OR OTHER MEDIA IS WHAT THEY CLAIM TO BE. THEREFORE, IT IS BEST TO BUY FROM A BREEDER WHO WILL BE AROUND FOR A FEW YEARS, AND ACCOUNTABLE.
What about the unfixed pug? Well, we hope that the pug went into a pet home and was spayed.
Why shouldn’t we buy a dog advertised at that price, and then have it spayed? Well, who knows. The BIG question is why they were selling this pug. I think that they were likely running into health problems.
We would hope that the people who bought it do not end up paying thousands of dollars to fix up any hereditary problems. Likelihood? ….. knowing what the PDCBC knows from experience, they will. I feel sorry for the pug. Don’t you?
Question-
I bought a pug from a breeder. I signed a contract that stated that I have to go to his Veterinarian. I have to keep in contact with this breeder regularly throughout the life of the dog. I can’t sell the dog, but have to return it if I don’t want it anymore.I have finished paying for it, and so now have the Registration. Apparently this contract states that I must follow it for the life of the dog whether I have the Registration or not.
I know that you tell me you also sell your pugs this way, and wonder why? It seems to me that I bought this dog, and so it is mine to do what I want with. Can you explain?
Answer-
Yes, I will try. Not all breeders are in the same category. Some breeders (although seemingly reputable) are only interested in producing & selling puppies. These breeders don’t care about the dog once it leaves home, and prefer not to be bothered if the dog needs to be placed again or if it gets sick.Others realize that the dog they are selling would not be alive if it weren’t for them. Therefore, these types of breeders feel that any pain, suffering, discomfort that their dogs go through for the life of that dog is their responsibility. That is why they try to make a contract that "seems" controlling, but is really just a way of insuring that the dog that they produced is not put into a stressful situation.
You are lucky. You chose to buy your pug from a reputable breeder. You’re not alone if something goes wrong. Please honour your breeders contract as I am sure that it will pay off for you in the end, and she …and you will always appreciate that you did what you signed that you were going to do.
