New research shows Pugs have high health risks and can no longer be considered a ‘typical dog’ from a health perspective
A new study from the Å·²©ÓÎÏ·µÇ¼ƽ̨ suggests urgent action is needed as many health issues of Pugs are associated with their extreme body shape
New research from the Å·²©ÓÎÏ·µÇ¼ƽ̨ (Å·²©ÓÎÏ·µÇ¼ƽ̨) has revealed that the health of Pugs in the UK is now substantially different and largely worse than non-Pugs. Pugs are almost twice as likely to experience one or more disorders annually compared with other dogs. These findings suggest the Pug can no longer be considered a ‘typical dog’ from a health perspective and urgent action is required to reduce the high rate of health issues associated with the breed.
The Pug has become extremely popular in recent decades, with a five-fold increase in Kennel Club registrations from 2005 to 2017. However, there is growing concern over the serious health issues of Pugs stemming from the breed’s flat face, bulging eyes, wrinkled skin and tendency towards obesity, sadly all characteristics which are often considered ‘cute’ by the public. While there is growing awareness of these severe health problems in Pugs, until now, the full scale of the health crisis in Pugs has not been fully understood.
To address this knowledge gap, the study, led by the Å·²©ÓÎÏ·µÇ¼ƽ̨’s VetCompass programme, compared the health of random samples of 4,308 Pugs and 21,835 non-Pugs. Information on all disorders recorded in each dog over a single year was extracted. Overall, Pugs were found to be 1.9 times as likely to have one or more disorders recorded in a single year compared to non-Pugs, indicating a poor overall health status in the breed.
Compiling a list of the 40 most common disorders across Pug and non-Pug groups of dogs, Pugs had a higher risk of 23 out of the 40 (57.5%) disorders compared with a lower risk of only seven out of 40 (17.5%) disorders. Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS)* was the disorder with the highest risk in Pugs, with the breed almost 54 times more likely to have the condition. This reflects the common respiratory difficulties experienced by flat-faced (brachycephalic) breeds due to their extreme flat faces.
Pugs were at higher risk of many other conditions compared to non-Pugs, which included:
- Narrowed nostrils (x 51.3)
- Eye ulceration (x 13.0)
- Skinfold infections (x 11.0)
- Ear discharge (x 9.6)
- Allergic skin disorder (x 5.9)
- Demodectic mange (x 5.6)
- Retained baby teeth (x 4.3)
- Obesity (x 3.4)
Conversely, Pugs had significantly reduced risk of some conditions, including heart murmur (x 0.2); lipoma (x 0.2); aggression (x 0.3); and wounds (x 0.5). Pugs are often considered to have a very gentle temperament, and this is supported by the study which showed very low levels of aggression in the breed. While this may make the Pug a good family pet from a human perspective, owners also need to consider the quality of life that the dog endures.
Although these results provide evidence for some positive aspects of Pug health, they sadly highlight the Pug overall has substantially poorer health than non-Pugs. The findings suggest that many Pugs may suffer from seriously compromised health and welfare because of the extreme body shape that humanity expects of this breed. To correct this, the body shape of Pugs must shift towards a more moderate, and less extreme, conformation if we are to reduce these health and welfare issues for Pugs in the UK. While we are waiting for these changes in the breed that can reduce these health problems, the advice from experts to the public is to ‘stop and think before buying a flat-faced dog.’
Dr Dan O’Neill, Associate Professor in Companion Animal Epidemiology at the Å·²©ÓÎÏ·µÇ¼ƽ̨ and lead author of the paper, said:
“Although hugely popular as pets, we now know that that several severe health issues are linked to the extreme