Legg-Perthes- This disease afflicts young Pugs under 1 year of age. The blood supply to the head of the femur does not grow and does not supply enough blood. The Femoral head begins to deteriate and will cause a lot of pain when the Pug walks. This can fortunatly be corrected by surgery.
Luxating Patella (Kneecap Dislocation)- There is a small bone that is moveable in the front of your Pugs knee. When it is dislocated your Pug will limp slightly or sway while walking, favoring the affected leg. Some Pugs may have Luxating Patella only mildly and do not display any signs of lameness. However, a slight skipping in their rear may be apparent.
This is inherited and can be corrected by surgery. It is vital to keep a Pug with Luxating Patella lean. This is to prevent pressure on the knee.
Hip Dysplasia- A Pug with this disease is born with it, although it may not show up for years. It is sometimes preceded by a swaying walk where your Pug looks like she is swinging her rear end. She may do a bunny hop when running or a gait that sways. What it is i a degeneration of hip joint? An explanation might be an example of a a ball out of its socket. The joint socket is much to shallow and the femur head is mishaped. Hip Dysplasia can be mild or severe. My Pug, Mai-Lingaling, has Hip Dysplasia. She was diagnosed with it when she was 6 years old. She simply fell over and would stagger to get back up. She looked was walking around like a drunkard. She was immediatly taken in to the Vet and X-rayed. The rays confirmed the diagnosis. Fortunatly, hers was mild. As with most dogs who are born with mild Hip Dysplasia, you will not see many signs of this until age sets in and Athritis develops. Fortunatly, I only need to medicate Mai-Lingaling in the cold or rainy months when the Athritis bothers her.
A Pug with Hip Dysplasia should be coaxed into exercise. Exercise keeps the joints from getting stiffened. However, do not allow excessive jumping and do not force your Pug to exercise. Allow her to be in control of her excercise. You simply provide the means to the opportunity for her.
Swimming is the best exercise for Hip Dysplasia, but if your Pug is like my Pug, my Pug sinks instead of swimiming.
We go for long walks at the lake and her curiosity keeps her busy.
Keeping weight down is crucial. Any extra weight will be more of a burden to a Pug with Hip, back or joint problems as extra weight is extra stress. . Keep Your Pug on the slim side if he/she has any of these ailments.
There are products available that you can purchase that other Pug owners (and dog owners) use to keep their joints lubricated and to help inflammation stay at a minimum. Most of these products contain Glucosamine. I have Internet links and the name of these products for you to consider if your Pug is suffering from Hip problems. They are listed at the end of this chapter.
Your Vet will probally give you Rimadyl. A general dosage is 1 mg per pound of body weight. I give Rimadyl as needed, but if inflammation is very bad, you will give it twice daily as your vet instructs.
The only way to confirm the presence of Hip Dysplasia is through an X-ray of the Pugs hips. If your Pug is going to be used to breed, he or she should be examined by your Vet and X-rayed to completely rule out passing on Hip Dysplasia.
Intervertebral Disc Disease - Some breeds are more prone to this than others, the Dachsund for one. However, some Pugs acquire this. To put it in laymen terms, the Intervertebral discs absorb shock and make sure that pressure along the spinal cord is evenly distributed. As a dogs age, these disc go through changes and lose their elasticity and sometimes they become calcified. Because the material that covers the disc aslo goes through changes, this makes it more difficult to keep disc material where it is suppose to be. The material is somewhat fluid. At this point, the disc that is losing its strenght and effectivness will begin to protrude from its little space and put pressure on the spinal cord or on the nerves of the spinal cord. If this is in the Pugs neck area, he may hold his neck in a stiff position and hold his head low. If it is towards the rear, you may see your Pug not wanting to move or go up or downstairs. This may be only a mild case, however, if it is severe then coplete rear leg paralysis and loss of bladder and bowel control may occur. If your Pug begins to show signs of Intervertebral disease, it is imperitive that you restrict his exercise and activity for 2-4 weeks. If you administer pain relief, this may make Your Pug feel so good, that he runs around to much and does permanent damage and causing stress to the protruding disc.
If the disc herniates or pain persists with leg weakness or lameness, seeking immediate Vet care is needed. Your Pug may need surgery if the disc protrusion is severe enough that medical intervention can not and does not help. If your Pug does not recovery and is paralyzed in his rear legs, you can provide him with a walking cart that will support his rear legs. These carts are relatively inexpensive ranging about $250.00.