pugs owners HELP!!!!

Hi Norma,

I haven't had Pugs, but I have had Boston Terriers and they can be prone to weight problems like Pugs are.

Your Pug is still a puppy, is he/she starting to develop a weight problem? I'd suggest that you check with your vet before trying a "diet". Your little guy/girl is still growing and needs proper nutrition.
 
I have two black pugs. Our older pug, Sophie, is 3 years old and quite svelt. But, her parents were on the smaller side, too. Our other black pug, Sadie, is 1 1/2 years. She is larger and pudgier ( although not to extreme). Her parents were larger also and tended to be heavier. So, some of it just depends on what the parents were like. Try not to let them have table scraps. Only feed them what the vet recommends. And try to make sure they get exercise. Although, with ours they pretty much take care of that themselves. They love to wrestle and run around chasing each other. Each night about 10PM is "Kitty" time. The cats come out looking for my teenage daughter to go to bed and the dogs bark and run after them. It is quite comical! We also have a miniature peibald colored dachshound. I use the Iams weight control dog food, it is in the blue bag. But, that is only for after they are a year old. Hope that helps!
 
i have a black pug that is almost 13. he had weight problems all his life, and i have tried every low calorie science diet dog food there is. only one dog food has ever worked and i get it at my vets office. it is called prescription, i believe. they have different types. there is r/d which is a weight reduction food and then once they get to the correct weight it is w/d which is maintenance. it is a very bland food that is higher in fiber i believe. gomez has weighed as much as 34 pounds when he was younger. since i started feeding him that food, which was about 6 years ago, he dropped down to 26. now, he has a thyroid problem and has to take a pill just to keep weight on. he has dropped down to 21 lbs. it is so sad to watch him get so old, but he still has that pug spirit, and i know the lower weight makes it easier on his hind legs.
 
Pudgy pug owner here too. He's 5 & he gets a half cup of Neuro dry food twice a day, which was the vet's recommendation. And the little guy is so active--he's bouncing off the walls constantly when I'm home.

Maybe it's a genetic thing & pugs are prone to be overweight?
 
i think pugs are prone to being overweight. pudgy is actually cute, cause they kind of look like a lunch box with legs. but my pug was 33 lbs when he was at his biggest which was way more than pudgy. he just likes to eat more than any dog i have ever seen. he used to look like a potbellied pig and snort like one too. i think as long as they are active and eating what the vet recommends, they are probably ok. i was just always worried about gomez' back caving like an old horse's does when they get old. fortunately that hasn't happened.
 
My pug is only 1 so is still in the thin-puppy stage although he has lots of extra rolls that are just skin at this point, so I think the weight gain is genetic. He actually looks quite healthy. My SO goes crazy when I give him table food (but he looks at me with so much concern as I throw the leftovers in the trash!!). :)

I'd talk to the vet. It's really important for puppies to get appropriate nutrients which is in puppy food.

Good luck!
Marie
 
My Puppy pug is female and she is only 5 months,,, she eats Wellness for puppies and wellness soft food, this food has no byproducts,,, I give her a good meal after a little walk,,dry with soft all together and she just gabbles it, and then later I put a little dry food in he dish, I think I am in the right track,, no scraps from the table,,, and no food all day in her dish,, I think that'll do it, right? thanks for your comments all.
Someone mentioned the pug spirit,,, who can tell me about it?

Norma

http://www.geocities.com/norma123nyc/Mygreatjourney.html

http://www.lifetimetv.com/reallife/df/success/chavez.html
 
You can add veggies for bulk: green beans and carrots are two excellent veggies to add.

I have a friend with a border terrier who literally has to count kibble for his meals.

If you are putting a dog on a reduction in kibble, especially a small dog (note I wouldn't do this with a pup without vet rec.), what you do is add double the amount of vegges as kibble you take away.

Say for example you take away 1/4 cup of kibble. Then add 1/2 cup veggies.

Colleen
 
I've heard pugs called big dogs in small packages.

They really are great--I'd always had retrievers before I got Max so I was a little nervous about having a small dog. But he is such a little cartoon character. Very cute & cuddly, affectionate & loving, good natured--he's like a spoiled child, he thinks the world is his playground & no matter who walks through my door he's certain they will love him just as much as I do.

He's also very smart (or should I say devious? }( ) & would probably learn very quickly if I ever had the inclination to teach him anything. Unfortunately, like Marie pointed out, the perpetually concerned look on his face makes him completely impossible to discipline.

Anyway, I love the little guy to death & pugs are my dog of choice from here on out. There's a pug rescue less than a half hour from me, that's where I'll be getting Max's next playmate. :)

BTW, does anyone else's pug have a tongue issue? Max's tongue is too big to fit in his mouth (my vet in VA gasped the first time he saw it), so he's constantly sticking his tongue out at me. :p Just like that.
 
Laura, Leo is just like that!!! His tongue is about a foot long, I think. Very, very hilarious.

Do you know, we had to buy gates that are four feet high to keep him confined? We first had one of those kennel things that you can shape however, and he figured out how to jump over. Then we got an electric fence, and he had no problem running right through that thing (to the point where he had burn marks and I was like, no more! So that was $125 down the drain).

Next we tried regular baby gates and he actually CLIMBED over them. We'd be walking out that way and catch him red-handed with his feet in the rungs in the middle of the gate; it was really hilarious. However, by this time I was at the end of my rope! We finally ended up with the really tall gates with straight bars. So far, so good, but I'm not holding my breath. That is one determined dog.

:7

Marie
 
ahhhh, the pug spirit...now there's a loaded question. pugs are full of mischief and know you can never get mad at them. gomez is the most stubborn dog in the world, but he knows exactly what he is doing. he can be outside the door, and i will call him to come in, and he will just stand and stare at me forcing me to come get him. it is always on his terms...he used to be very good at alluding me by always keeping a piece of furniture between me and him when i was trying to catch him so i could go to work. they will keep you crying from laughing so hard....

lauramax, gomez' tongue fits in his mouth, however, i have always noticed how impressively large it is. he can put that tongue way down the neck of an empty bottle....his teeth are his breath taking feature....they are a mess....

i just love gomez.....
 
We have a dog that is part pug/part fox terrier. He has the pug appetite and pug torso. He was getting kind of pudgey and the vet had us reduce how much he eats. I would check with the vet though esp for a puppy that is still growing. We give our dog dry Nutro Lite - a half cup twice a day. We cut down on other treats. He does get and loves veggies for a treat. Little carrots, pieces of cucumbers, and celery are his favorites. He freaks out when I open the veggie drawer in the refrigerator. I have never seen a dog so crazy for veggies! Between the vet guidelines for eating and getting some exercise with the dog, you should have a not so pudgey little pug. Our dog has lost 6 pounds in the past year.

We can call his name and he will stare at us but if we say COOKIE, he comes running!
 
another pug owner. I too have a black one but she is rather small. She is a little over a year and weighs right under 11 pounds. She was the runt of the litter and only weighed 1 and a half pounds at six weeks when we got her ( her litter mates weighed 3 pounds). She eats Eukaneuba and I just leave the food out for her. But....she will eat anything else she can find...rocks, toys, stuffing and is obsessed with dryer sheets. She is a wonderful but rather goofy little girl. They do have a special spirit.
 
Hi Norma,

Wellness is excellent quality food. I feed that to my dogs. Are you feeding her twice a day, morning and night? Puppies do need to eat more throughout the day than older dogs.

The Pug club of America might have some good info for you about feeding and what a healthy Pug should look like:
http://www.pugs.org/
 
OMG Marie, I just had this visual of a pug clutching a baby gate....I am LMAO! :7

Carolyn, there's a pic of Max on my picture trail, although I don't think it shows the full comic effect of the tongue.......;-)
 
To the two Maries, I laughed so hard with the story of the gate,,, I did picture the dog determined to escape,,, I've just put that same door, by evenflo,, it works, because she is still tiny,,,, and the other marie,,, why you just dont name her Cookie,,, hahahha...
My Molie imitates all I do,,, if I am fixing the pot and pans in the lower cabinet,,, when I come back the pots are on the floor, she manages to open the door,,, if I am putting new bags in the kitchen trash,,, when I come back the can is on the floor too, hahahaha,
Thanks all for your input, loved them all.
Norma

http://www.geocities.com/norma123nyc/Mygreatjourney.html

http://www.lifetimetv.com/reallife/df/success/chavez.html
 
I have 2 pugs, a boy, Curly, and a girl, Maya. They are both 9 months old but very different. Since they were 6 mos, the vet has suggested adult Iams mini chunks, half cup twice a day. It seems to be working, they aren't getting too fat. Curly is the bigger pug and Maya is a tiny little thing, so cute and she makes this cute "rooing" sound almost with her mouth closed. Both of them are mischief makers, but you are all right.....you can't get mad at them!

BTW, they love mini carrots for snacks and when I need to bribe them to do something....

Donna :D
 
tongue issue

Okay, how is this for a tongue issue...recently Sadie is facinated by Sophie's tongue...she sits in front of her and paws at her mouth trying to get her to open so that she can bite it! TOO funny to watch!
 
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