Sunday 16 February 2014

"Pugs are dog versions of pigs. They breathe like pigs"


This was never meant to be serious, of course.  it is heartbreaking to hear a jokey commentary over pictures of dogs whose bodies are heaving with the effort of trying to suck in enough air to keep themselves conscious.

Check out the comments section. Carla Schodde deserves a medal for keeping her cool in the face of an idiotic response to her pointing out that these dogs are suffering.

One day.. one day... videos like the above will be considered as inappropriate as making a joke about a child struggling to breathe. 

And note well: in the video below, the features pointed out as indicators of this boy's acute respiratory distress - "the tug", and the indentation on the ribs - are exactly what you see in the pug video above.

57 comments:

  1. It is sad that people would find humor in the distress of an animal. It's even sadder that people would intentionally develop such a phenotype and call it a "breed" to begin with.

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    1. Hi...we have a pug boy who is approx. 6 months old. We got him from a 'reputable breeder' and we selected the breeder carefully. Our boy came with all the KC papers, vaccinations, food that he was eating etc. They are very good breeders compared to some.
      About a month ago our little one had to go to the vet because he was making strange 'honking' noises when he was trying to breath and was going blue in the gums and passing out when out on walks. The vet referred him to a specialist in brachycephalic obstructive airways syndrome. We had to go immediately to them and he was rushed into surgery there and then. He had his nostrils enlarged, his soft palette shortened, his tonsils removed and part of his larynx removed. We were told that he had a grade 2 partial laryngeal collapse. This could get worse and will cause problems in the future if it does. He does still make the strange 'honking noises' maybe 3 times a day for up to 5 minutes at a time. We are back at the specialist this week to see if he needs alittle bit more taking off his soft palette as the noises should of stopped and haven't. Please please if your pugs are making these noises don't just think its the noise a pug makes. This is a very serious condition and can kill your pets. Also get the best insurance you can. We are currently at £2,500 and still maybe more to come. Thank goodness we have the best insurance but I would of done anything for my little curley

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  2. It's impossible to get through to some people though. I happened to "offend" the owner of three Pugs last week when I pointed out how as a whole the breed is not healthy. Because this persons Pugs were healthy, I was in the wrong and was "slagging" them off. YOUR dogs might be in perfect health, but I would question their version of "healthy" to be honest if they think the Pugs in this video are healthy looking dogs. I just think people miss the point entirely.

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  3. LOL I believe that person was me and I was not offended I just pointed out you were wrong, not all Pugs struggle to breathe, there are plenty of fit and healthy Pugs around but you need to do your research and only buy from a breeder who breeds from fit and healthy dogs. Of course there are badly bred unhealthy Pugs around just as there are plenty of badly bred unhealthy dogs of most breeds around. I agree some people miss the point because you clearly have.

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    1. Anon 20:13 Do you understand that brachycephalic dogs are deformed and disabled by nature? Therefore, any Pug, by definition, is a freak of nature. There is nothing healthy about that whatsoever. But the sickest thing of all? The human mentality that continues to defend this without any evidence or compassion.

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    2. Every single pug is born through surgery, not natural birth. From start to finish this is a destroyed genetic trash dump of failure. Its the equal of having America breed a culture of fatness being the norm in average weight. They may be able to live in modern society do to medical advances, but its not the ideal, and should not be recommended or continued.

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    3. The issue here is that the extreme brachycephaly is sine qua non disorder for pugs. If you remove flat face, it won't be perceived as pug, because brachycephaly is written into breed standard. That's why when someone says "pugs should have muzzles, it's cruel to breed dogs like this" it's treated as call to "wipe out the breed". Flat face is perceived as the essence of pug, their trade mark.
      The bottom line is - if dog doesn't have an actual muzzle and wide nostrils, it'll never be entirely fit or healthy, even if its distress is less obvious than the dogs' that were shown in the video. And the fact that this video was meant to be funny and was defended by pugs owners/fans , proves how people became desensitized to the sight of suffering dogs, just because "it's normal for the breed", while forgetting that it's us, humans, who created this breed and this problem. If we really love our dogs and care about their well being, and not just their squashed faces, we don't have to accept this suffering, we can stop it.

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    4. SkyArk, it's untrue that all pugs are born by surgical means. The majority in fact are self-whelped. The biches sometimes need a little help with the cords, but that happens in other breeds too.

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    5. Yes, about three-quarters of pugs, at least in the UK, do whelp naturally.

      http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20136998

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    6. Yeah I'd like to retract that. It was a quick emotional reaction after seeing what several smaller breeds go through in birth, in rather disturbing videos that need human intervention. It didn't register in my mind at the time that it is still logically possible to do so, especially with so many other smaller mammals.

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    7. exactly the problem people her go to extremes .. it is either black or white.. i suggest that all of you you breed your own dogs and stop commenting to people about things that are none of your business or making off the cuff comments that are lies

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    8. Anonymous 08:41. If it causes suffering to an animal, it is the duty of us to comment. Brachy dogs can give birth, but it is well known fact if you actually know any thing about the process of giving birth, such as how oxytocin is released and how the unborn pup pushes against the cervix, that being brachy makes birth harder for the bitch. I in 4 pugs being born by c-section is a terrible statistic.
      Its not black and white but most would consider it is cruel to knowingly breed an exaggeration into a dog, that causes a bitch to have a harder labour and we know cause the dog a life predisposed to so many health problems. I am a breeder and of brachy dogs, I have opened my eyes and ears and now am trying to breed away from this manmade infliction on dogs which serves no purpose other than yours.

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    9. Suggesting that all of you to breed your own dogs is not an extreme comment then?
      It's definitely irresponsible and thoughtless. Another black and white viewed contributor strikes again!

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  4. Anon 20:13, can your pugs walk at least 10 miles on an 80F day without any distress? If not, I'd call them deformed. Any healthy adult dog (excluding the elderly) should be able to handle that amount of walking without any issues. I don't care if the dog is 5 pounds or 100 pounds. My 10-pound Papillon could gallop that distance and still have energy left to catch a few dozen frisbee throws.

    By comparison, I've met a single pug that does anything other than snort and struggle to breath. It competes in agility, and can only do one 40-second run in a day... after that, it basically collapses.

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    1. Hi Sky, I think maybe a bit extreme, because some forms of people/dogs could not manage 10 miles, 5 miles or even 1 mile. Paps are proportionally constructed so they are able to be much more active but Pugs, Mastiffs, Bulldogs etc are constructed disproportionate, their heads are too big, their bodies too short, shoulder placement is incorrect. They couldn't possibly be active over a 10 mile stretch. There is a little pug in the village here who does race up and down the hills and is a really sweet, lovely little dog, but it only underlines for me that within that body shape is a dog that wants to run and scent. The expected pathetic, panting, lump we are so familiar with is shameful and hopefully at some point the KC will stop registration until a more modified, acceptable form is attained for the benefit of the dogs.

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    2. Actually my Pugs do walk for two hours a day, every day although on hot days we would not walk in the heat of the day. I wouldn't walk any of my dogs in the heat of the day. I do know what a healthy dog is, I don't just have Pugs but my Pugs walk with my other dogs, Dobermanns, staffie and terrier and have no issues breathing while running around. As for all Pugs being bred by surgery that is complete nonsense, none of mine were born via c section and have not required any vet treatment since they came home. I do realise you all believe there is no such thing as a healthy Pug but you're wrong, they do exist, I have 3.

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    3. Exactly Anonymous10:02, your pugs walk for two hours, when mine run for two hours.
      Your Pugs maybe less extreme, if a pug fits the breed standard, it is impossible for them not to have breathing issues or issues in regulating their temperature. Your Pugs are just not so extreme, so not as compromised as the most extreme bred Pugs.
      The facial conformation means that it is impossible for the Pug to be healthy compared to the general dog population but if you are comparing your Pugs to others in the breed then your Pugs might be less deformed and suffer less.
      It helps to understand why a dog actually needs a certain length of nose and then you might be able to understand why unless the dog has a length to its muzzle it cannot be classified as healthy. It is generally excepted by all researching brachycephalic breeds that it is deterimental to their health and all Pugs that have been looked at in research have health issues to a degree from being brachcephalic with a flat face, none have been found yet that are not compromised in some way by these bred in deformities.
      Pherhaps you might like to put your dogs forward to be recorded for research, into the problems of being brachycephalic, you might have the only Pugs that are not compromised by their deformities, I presume you already have had them endescoped to check out their soft palate because you so confidently proclaim them healthy.

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    4. Anonymous 10:02 you saw your Pugs born ? Not all Pugs are born by c-section but the majority are and because a lack of nose and squareness of head it makes the birth more painful and harder for the bitch, one of the reasons humans births are more painful than other species is because of the roundness of the head, unlike other mammals where the head is slipstreamed with a longer nose which gradients into the cranium making birth far more easier.
      The science backs the fact that breeding dogs flat faced causes the birth to be harder and a much higher chance of c-section. Its like trying to pass a square peg trough a round hole, it can be done but its going to hurt a lot more.

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    5. It doesn't detract from the fact that you choose to own a disabled and deformed dog and keep on justifying your choices because you think your dog's are healthy! Based on what evidence? Your biased and unscientific opinion? Not only do you have 1, you have 3!?! Are we supposed to be impressed with that?

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    6. Anonymous 10:02 - Do your Pug's snort? That in itself is evidence your dogs can't breathe properly!

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    7. Seriously to be disabled wouldn't that stop them running around like a bunch of lunatics? If so someone needs to have a word with them, they spent 2 hours over the woods today running, jumping and splashing through muddy puddles, they had a great time, not one of them collapsed or keeled over, fainted or fitted. Not that I'm surprised we do it every day. I realise these days disabled seems to have many varied meanings but seriously none of my dogs are disabled in any way, they are fit for function. I really don't need to impress anyone because frankly I don't care what anyone else thinks of my dogs. Why do I persist in saying they are healthy, well probably because they are as fit as fleas and have no health issues, I have no need to justify my choices, I researched, found ethical breeders who go far beyond any health tests the kc or breed clubs recommend and bought healthy dogs from fit and active parents, from breeders who have fit and healthy pugs going back many generations. Is my opinion biased or based on research, living with healthy dogs and knowing breeders of healthy pugs. Unlike your opinion based on what, hearsay and a few chats on forums. I get it you don't like pugs that's fine with me, don't get one. Are you supposed to be impressed I have 3 Pugs? nope. Are you supposed to be impressed I have 3 healthy Pugs? Nope, not interested in impressing anyone with anything. Am I impressed with you and your views? Nope and I don't expect you to care either. I'm too busy having fun with my 7 fit and healthy dogs and I won't justify that to anyone LOL.

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    8. Anonymous 19:30. "The lady doth protest to much methinks"

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    9. Would be interesting to know what you actually think about the Pugs in the video attached Anonymous 19:30? Do you think that breathing is "normal" or acceptable in the breed? What about the Pug bred as a whole? Not talking about individuals, but in it's entirety. Do you see the problems within the breed? If I owned a healthy Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that wouldn't make me believe that the breed is indeed healthy and well just because of my one individual dog. I would still see that the breed is one that is pretty prone to some serious health conditions and I would still be letting every potential new owner know about the heart breaking diseases these little dogs can develop.

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    10. My past Malamute mix wouldn't be able to,now if it was 20 degrees instead no problem. Some dogs are just not made for heat and perhaps shouldn't be owned if you live in a very warm climate.

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  5. Anon 19:30, personally I think it is great that your Pugs are fit and healthy and the little one, Mimi, who lives in the village is also fit and healthy. Very amusing to watch because she gets so silly and "beside" herself with excitement, absolutely charming. And this for me proves that if the breed is "typey, i.e. stocky, flattish face, curly tail" but can breathe, it's eyes are not so large to pop out, and it's skin is smooth without excessive wrinkling, it can have a happy healthy long life. If you were able, it may be a good idea to video your dogs on their walks and send it to the Pug Club so that they can see happy healthy able Pugs and that the exaggerations they are inflicting on the breed for "show standard" are so disabling and cruel and UNECCESSARY. The video of your Pugs will prove the point. You possibly don't show so perhaps haven't seen the atrocities inflicted on all of the "braccy" breeds because the KC have set breed standards and the owners of those breeds have chosen to exaggerate the standards to really unacceptable levels resulting in truly disabled dogs. I have seen a healthy Pug, I know they exist, you know they exist, and it would be brilliant if others were able to see it too.

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  6. You're right I don't show but my Pugs did come from show breeders. I don't think all Pugs are fit for purpose, far from it. They are victims of their own popularity, too many breeders in it for the money with little thought for the health of the pups they are producing. I certainly don't think the answer is introducing another breed such as the beagle in to the mix. Buyers need to educate themselves and only buy from the most ethical breeders. Why anyone would part with around £1200 without ensuring they were getting the best pup possible is beyond my comprehension. Of course their are lots of Pugs with breathing issues but there needn't be and the only way to ensure yours isn't one of them is to do your research, be prepared to travel, check the health certificates, look very closely at the parents and previous generations, see how lively they are etc. Stay away from the small ads. All the breeders I visited after extensive research had lots of Pugs, mum, grandma, great grandma etc. dogs up to 16 years old still mugged me for attention when I visited, the oldies may have been grey and gnarly but they were still active for their age and full of life. What better advert is there than older generations still enjoying life to the full.
    As for the kc standards I don't believe they say any dog should struggle to breathe and isn't it the breed clubs that set the standards anyway? The problem with the kc and the breed club is they are too slow to recommend specific health tests. Jeez they've only just got around to suggesting HV where as really good breeders have been doing that for years, along with PDE, hips, luxating patella's etc. Both the kc and the breed club could do with being far more proactive imo. I do believe I try to steer potential pug owners towards ethical breeders, however I would never suggest a cross would be healthier but if someone had their heart set on a Puggle then I would point out the potential pitfalls just as I would point out the potential issues with buying any pedigree from breeders who do not health test. Don't encourage unethical breeding as it's you and your dog that ultimately pay the price.

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    1. The KC have the last say on the breed standard and no dog should be bred with no or little muzzle. They are victims of breeding for exaggerration for the show ring.
      The fact Pugs have no or little muzzle and you still argue it is healthy, shows that you do not understand structure of the skull and the cranium-facial functions because if you did you would understand that just from skull conformation you cannot even begin to argue that a Pug is healthy.You can have as many health tests as you like (they also need to be understood, as a pass to breed often does not mean healthy) until you breed Pugs with a lot longer noses they are born to be compromised, I'm not talking a couple cm. Cavaliers have 3.5 cm noses and suffer, so we are talking over 3.5 cm of nose. Unfortunately your research should of focussed on being bracycephalic and Pugs like Cavaliers should also be CM/SM MRI scanned but unfortunately hardly any Pug breeders do this because its not recommended but CM/SM is a small dog problem in mostly brachy breeds but you don't mention anything along testing for problems that are connected to being brachy.

      Your Pugs may be healthy for Pugs I do not doubt.

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    2. Fair enough anon, but how on earth do you regard unethical breeding? To some people, animal welfare organisations and some progressive and sensible vets - unethical breeding includes brachycephalic dogs. Period. It's all a little blurry isn't it? It would seem to me that as long as people are declaring that their dogs are healthy then 'everything is OK'. Where is the logic?

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  7. You might find this of interest about the brachycephalic syndrome by Dr Goran Bodegord.
    http://www.skk.se/Global/Dokument/Utstallning/The%20Brachycephalic-Syndrome-Hedhammar-and-Bodegard.pdf
    Pleae not when he says, "Brachycephalic animals are all, to at least some degree, affected by lifelong breathing problems."
    This article begs the question, " If you breed flat faced dogs can you really call yourself an ethical breeder ?"

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    1. Thanks for the link. If you breed flat faced dogs, you're not an ethical breeder. You are knowingly creating suffering.

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  8. Little Mimi does have a longer nose and no role of skin on top of it, her ears are more forward than usually expected so the purists would poo poo her. 15:47 and 16:09 are absolutely correct and it should never be undermined that there is a lot of real suffering for braccy breeds. The people's previous Pug, Jess, was black and could barely move, she tried, goodness she tried, but she would fall over, her eyes wouldn't close and she would just lie gasping, that was horrible to see. She spent most of her life (12 years) either in an armchair or her crate by choice. When she wanted to greet her Labrador friend she would try and squeal, run, wag her tail but quickly fell over. When she finally died I begged her owner not to buy another one, particularly from Jess's breeder, but they have always had Pugs and Labs and she just couldn't be without one. Little Mimi is absolutely delightful, I can't tell you how much and it is a travesty that there are more Jess's out there than there are Mimi's. The KC have an absolute responsibility to stop the breeding of braccy's by non registration and start to be a lot more responsible towards them and their owners.

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  9. I'm not a breeder, never have been and never will be. According to you lot all brachy breeds suffer, well I disagree having owned a Boxer who lived to be 13 and was as fit as a flea his entire life. We used to run 10 miles a day together every day, so something tells me he had no problem breathing.
    The kc is a registry and if they refused to register all brachy breeds until they had longer muzzles (cos that's the only bit that seems to register with you all) then the brachy breeds would simply start up their own registry. If it's all about muzzle length which it isn't why can some breathe easily and others can't? It's far more complex than muzzle length. I'll leave you to your own views because that's all they are, you won't bring about change, that will only be brought about by ethical breeders and it would need the public to acknowledge they are the ones causing their dogs to suffer by purchasing pups from unethical breeders. That's never going to happen.

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    1. Its not just views, I am actually pro actively breeding a brachy breed away from being brachy. I'm putting my money where my mouth is.

      Because a dog lives a long life does not mean it has not lived a compromised life.

      It is not just breathing, its not just muzzle length, its not just dental alignment, its not just CM, its not just SM, its not just BAOS, its not just PDE and its not just the numerous eye problems, I could go on but I hope you're getting the drift, caused by being Brachy.
      You are right, its a lot of problems caused by being brachy and you just admitted by saying," its more complex than muzzle length", that you know they have problems but because for what ever reason you want a flat faced dog, which serves no purpose to them than predispose them to numerous health issues, you are going to have them. Did you read the link to the article by Dr Goran Bodegord or have you read up about the RVA Brachycephalc conference in November 2013, which they all state the problem is complex and the RVA says that dogs should be breed away from being Brachy and advise cross breeding in some breeds now, if you want to save them.

      Slowly people are learning that it is not good for a dog to have a flat face, its not just our view it has science behind it, unfortunately like you their will always be ones who will justify buying them because they can wave a few health tests around.

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  10. Because you had one Boxer that lived until 13, you then can dispel all research evidence that all Brachy dogs suffer to some extent. A dog living a long life does not mean it is not compromised and the size and structure of a Boxer, it could be mildly compromised and could still cope with a lot of exercise. A dog this size and with no compromise should easily track twenty miles a day or more, so doing 10 miles a day would be well within its limits for this size dog, so if your dog had some compromise to its airways and little ability to cool down, you running with it over 10 miles would probably of been well within its limits. If your dog had been put on a tread mill and had his heart rate monitered and breathing rate I suspect it would of shown it as more elevated than a dog of similar size but not brachy.
    Lots of brachy breeds suffer with heart problems and I actually think that this is also connected to being brachy because its the rapidness of onset which is interesting because in most brachy breeds when they get a heart problem it then is rapid onset and this may be partly because of compromise to the airways because every thing works that bit harder in a brachy dog to get the body oxygenated.

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    1. I know at least one breed of short muzzled dog has a different heart structure to cope with less oxygen.
      however heart problems are more likely to be related to the genes causing short noses. various illnesses have a common genetic link. cataracts and elbow displasia for instance

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    2. I know heart disease is genetic in most cases but when it onsets, if a dog cannot breath well it means every thing has to work harder and this may be some of the reason in brachy breeds often once a heart disease is diagnosed its onset is often quicker than in a none brachy.
      dogs. I'm not saying the heart problem is caused by being brachy but that being brachy may be one reason the onset is quicker .
      Is it possible to tell us the breed that it has a different heart structure to cope with less oxygen ?

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    3. "Is it possible to tell us the breed that it has a different heart structure to cope with less oxygen ?" I think perhaps this person above was confused when they said this. There is no such thing as a different heart structure to cope with less oxygen, unless you are talking about severe heart conditions that can lead to death such as cardiac hypertrophy (thickening of cardiac muscle) or cardiomegaly (an enlarged heart).
      As was mentioned by the OP breeds that are larger with less 'compressed' muzzles would perhaps be considered to be a brachy breed that shows less problems than say the smaller/more flat muzzled breeds, and this may be what the other Anon was thinking of, as there is certainly no such thing as a different heart structure to cope with less O2.

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  11. The KC is the breed clubs Mummy and at the end of the day, they want Mummy to love them. The breed clubs will stomp around a bit but the love of crufts and the lime light will draw them inline, its known as the KC kudos effect, or are you saying, "The KC should just register any thing incase they upset the breed clubs."
    Let the brachy breeds start up their own club and we will then have no problem in knowing where the unethical breeders are.
    Brachy breeds are on the road to extinction because of poor breeding ethics but as they lumber on with only rhetoric and little action, should we just stand back knowing it will come to an end or try and stop the suffering now.

    Change will come, either way.

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  12. Of course a dog that runs 10 miles a day and lives to be 13 years old, far longer than the breed average at that time which was 8, never visited the vet except for routine stuff was clearly unhealthy in your minds and all your dogs are so healthy by comparison lol. He never had any heart problems at all, he'd hardly be up for running in his old age if he did. He was pts age 13 after several quick succession strokes from which there was no possible recovery. If only all dogs lived the life he did, fit and healthy till the last day of his life and never a days illness. Lucky boy.

    As for acknowledging some brachy dogs have problems I have never said they don't. I clearly stated time and time again many do but it's not necessary, Well bred Pugs should be able to breathe without issue, they should be able to run and jump and not faint, keel over or suffer fits etc. In my experience well bred Pugs can and do.

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    1. Unless they don't express the extreme symptoms like can't breath, collapse or have fits, their okay. You funny. LOL

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    2. A stroke can be a sign of a heart condition.

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  13. Check out the fb page puppy rearing and handrearing support group, this is thekind of ropey bad breeding should practice, the majority on there are pets that they thought should have one litter and a high percentage are pugs and bulldogs. One bulldog was pregnant with that many she had a heart attack.

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  14. So all the pugs who are passing the BOAS breathing tests with flying colours actually can't breathe? The researchers must be happy to know their project is worthless. Our group of pugs who compete in Agility, at top speed over obstacles regardless of weather - they can't breathe either? And yet they still mange to compete 5 or 6 demanding courses in a day and also dash around in the excercise paddock in between competing? At recent pug parties and events with a good mix of show and pet pus there were very, very few with any sign of breathing difficulty, adn those ones were noticeablly overweight or real oldies. I am not in denial, some pugs do have porblems, but good breeders are not stuck in the dark ages and are breeding happy, healthy pug dogs who are very able in many spheres.

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    1. Passing a BOAS test does not mean a Pug is not compromised by being brachy. The cranalfacial ratio of all Pug's means they lack the ability to cool themself efficiently unlike dogs that are mesocephalic or dolicnocephalic. They are predisposed to many other issues due to being brachy, BOAS being but one of many.
      I have watched Pugs competing and its fun but running around for short spurts over a not that challenging obstacles (I have yet to see for small dogs a phsically challenging course) for a dog, should not be demanding for a dog, most courses are less or around 60 seconds depending on how trained the dog is, agility is more about the ablity to control the dog not how high it can jump or how far it can run. It would be interesting to take heart respiratory rates as they finish competing compared to dogs that are not brachy competing. A dog with a mild/medium compromised airway could compete at this but dogs on the higher scale of compromise would struggle.
      Listening to their breathing and snorting as they go around would suggest that their respiratory rate is higher than other dogs competing that are not brachy.A dog snorting or snoring is a sign that its soft palate is compromising its airway.
      Could you please let me know what research program your dogs are being recorded on and the process used to assess the dogs passing with flying colours ? The only one I know is the dogs are only tested at rest for 30 minutes in a chamber, really a study needs to be conducted when the dog is active as well, as the chamber will only pick up dogs that are very compromised but does not mean the dog does not have a compromised airway, not just that bad that at rest it effects it. Another problem with short noses is the kinking of the drainage of the eye that goes to the back of the throat, causing them to suffer with weeping eyes and the shortening of the face makes a dog more prone to chest infections due to the fact that air going to the lungs cannot be regulated in temperature very well and dirt in air breathed in filtered cannot be well due to lack of nasal chamber.
      Its good that your dogs are on the lower end spectrum of problems in this breed and lets hope the breeders you talk of are prepared to breed their dogs away from being brachy and lets hope in the future I won't have to listen to the heavy breathing and snorting when Pugs compete at agility.

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  15. "So all the pugs who are passing the BOAS breathing test with flying colours", Could you give a number to that ?, and what researchers have been testing these dogs ?, very interested in getting their stats.

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  16. The pugs I see doing agility with success are always puffing, panting and snorting more than little dogs that arn't brachy competing. You can see they have a higher respiratory rate when on the move. If pugs are what you're used to it might be hard for you to recognise a healthy respiratory rate for a dog at exercise and because the dog does not collapse does not mean it as not got some compromise breathing. Pugs I see competing pant far more than breeds that are not brachy, so shows that they cannot cool as efficiently as a non brachy dog.
    Good to see the ones doing agility at a good weight and being being made active as this is always a help for a brachy dog.

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  17. That opening video has all the eloquence of a playground bully! Pigs? Come on. I don't know anything about porcine physiology, but pigs aren't brachycephalic and they thrive in hot climates, often going feral. Watermelon eating. I thought that was a Labrador thing until the subject came up on Dogzonline forums . . . turns out that watermelon is loved by breeds ranging from whippets to standard poodles to great Danes. The ugly one, the bikini, ... what a wit. Was there any substance at all? Does the guy also do videos making fun of fat people and cripples?
    Pointing out health problems is one thing. Making fun and calling names is not constructive.

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  18. if that video wasn't bad enough, this one is another one trying to convince people to get pugs, it even says at the end they are "low maintenance" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgRWf1330CM&list=UUpko_-a4wgz2u_DgDgd9fqA&feature=c4-overview

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    1. The sad part is reading through all those comments in the video... such ignorance about the breed...

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  19. Pugs are one of the oldest breeds ...I rest my case

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    1. And your case I presume is, blind ignorance with a commet like that.

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    2. What the heck has oldest breed got to do with the price of fish!? Resting your case on a useless observation? I rest mine when it comes to Pug headed ignorance! There is no correlation with 'age' of breed and relation to good health. However,breeding within a paradigm of closed gene pools and selecting dogs with known physical deformities that cause suffering and health problems. Now that's a different situation. It's cruel. And it directly correlates with suffering and pain in brachycephalic dogs

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  20. There is actually a very nice video on breathing assessement in dogs.
    Every judge should do this on the show ring. But they don't or won't, because none of the brachy breeds would place... It's just sad.

    Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ_3f4bLkME

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  21. It seems that the current trend in having pugs is really coming with a price.

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  22. http://frenchbulldogclub.org/about-frenchies/understanding-frenchies/letter-to-my-vet Oh my god , i'd fully expect my vet to punch me if i gave him this letter !

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  23. You guys are a bunch of babies.

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  24. This reminds me of my meeting 2 women walking a pug. I asked them if their pug had any breathing problems? Did it go for walks okay? One of the women got real defensive and started telling me how athletic her pug was, and how it was never sick. I was surprised at how very robust she claimed her no-nose dog was, so I asked her if it had ever had surgery to correct the upper palate.

    One of the women claimed to have had the dog from puppyhood and said it never needed surgery. Then that woman walked away and her friend told me it wasn't their dog, they were holding the leash while their friend was in the store. I often ask people about the health of their dogs, so I felt this reaction was overdone, particularly when it wasn't even her dog.

    The owner came out of the store and the grouchy one talked to her. The owner was nice enough, said she had adopted the dog grown, and the women said the dog had had surgery before they got her.

    I asked surgery on what? The throat. I guess they weren't told the whole bit about why pugs often need surgery. I explained. But the encounter did show me how defensive people can get, even pet people who have not been breeding.

    It is possible the friend said that they had owned the dog since he was a puppy because he was adopted, and they feared that he might have once been my dog and got lost, and she didn't want her friend to loose he dog. But the pug was only able to breathe well because he had had surgery.

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