Having a pug for a pet not only involves the basic routine of pet care for them like feeding, grooming, and taking a walk, but it also includes taking into consideration their health. As a responsible owner, one should be familiar with the health condition and health issues of your pugs.
Dog health is one of the most important things a dog owner should be concerned with. For pug owners, this is very essential since pugs are prone to a number of diseases. It is also very useful to get acquainted with the diseases that pugs are genetically predisposed to such as Luxating Patella.
Like most breeds of dogs, pugs are prone to having some types of dog illness or condition. Most of these illnesses are genetic in nature and are only confined within the breed.
Luxating Patella is perhaps the most commonly experienced health condition in pugs, and is usually referred to as trick knees. It is described as the dislocation or improper alignment of the knee cap, called the Patella, from the femur.
As stated earlier, trick knees is an hereditary ailment. It is passed from parent pugs to their puppies. If one of the parent pugs, or other pugs in the earlier but same genetic line for that matter, has a case of trick knees, then there is a great possibility that the new generation will have the same problem too. So, it is very important to ask the breeders for the presence of this ailment in the line of pugs you are getting yours from.
Other than being hereditary, this particular condition can also be brought on by being overweight. This is a problem since pugs love food and have trouble keeping themselves from being obese.
Another reason why pugs are prone to this particular type of ailment is their small body build. Some other small dog breeds are also vulnerable to this condition.
There are common symptoms of Luxating Patella that you should watch for in your pugs. You can start to worry when you see them running or playing, then stop suddenly straightening their legs out, and when they favor one leg while walking or running. You may also observe them having difficulty in sitting down and getting up, as well as lifting both front legs at the same time when moving them forward while running.
There are various stages of severity of this condition. It has four levels. Grade One is less worrying. It involves those cases where the symptoms are observed only once in a while. Grade Two involves cases where you can see that the symptoms are more frequently occurring. During this time, you should also need to worry about dog arthritis, although it can occur in the dog knee without having the condition. Grade Three and Four involves cases where the symptoms are always observed. The only difference between the two is that in the last stage, the pug can’t put weight on the affected leg anymore.
It is usually in the last stage of Luxating Patella that a corrective surgery needs to be performed. The surgery involves putting the dislocated kneecap back in. It is advisable to maintain inactivity after the surgery for at least three to five months, the longer the better.
But of course, prevention is always better than cure. To ensure you have healthy dogs, it is best to keep your dogs from being overweight by giving them exercise and controlling their diet. You should give them delicious but healthy treats like fruits and vegetables, instead of sweets with no nutrition at all. On the occasion that they already manifest the symptoms of Luxating Patella, it is most important to strictly control their food intake.
Some would also suggest acupuncture, kinesiology, and food supplements, but it is far better to consult a professional vet. It would also be good to apply for pet insurance. Quite a number of insurance companies offer dog insurance which would cover this ailment.
