~Anne~

It appeared the dog was hyperventilating perhaps. He's obviously a very affectionate dog!

I can't see the link in the op? It seems to happen a lot these days when I'm on my iPad.

I'm no expert but it sounds like it's a high grade murmur if he is tiring easily, or that there is something else wrong with the heart. When my cat died of heart failure, the first sign was what appeared to be a murmur. Low grade murmurs that resolve on their own do not cause issues in humans or canines. I can't imagine this one will 'fix itself'.

Oh no. Sending loads of good health vibes for Mac and good wishes to you.

Raw garlic and or onion is the most toxic I believe. Cooked onion and garlic is ok but becomes a problem if fed in larger quantities. One of my pugs once ate a raw onion with no ill effects.

I believe the pug has several names on her both rescue and members of the public. The woman who found her wandering also is hoping to adopt her. If the shepherd was surrendered it may be because of a long held understanding that pounds euthanase for free. They used to be the place you took a dog to have it put to sleep. If she was owned by an elderly person they may have believed she would be kindly put to sleep and they may not realise they are actually kept for a week or more.

I'm sure it has already been said, but some dogs simply cannot manage raw meat. I have a pug that gets diarrhoea if he eats raw meat. I cook his meat and he's fine.

The difficulty with mast cell tumours is that there is no defined appearance. They can look anything from mole like to a sore and they can be very different in size. I'm not sure that you could claim with any certainty that they are mast cell tumours just by looking at them. In my personal experience with my dog, they've all been different looking, different in size and located in very different locations. Most on the outer dermis layer and one under. He has also had two other tumours that were not mast cell and he has a lipoma. I could have assumed all of them were mast cell but they obviously weren't. We only decided on an ultrasound after my vet became concerned about the progression of the mast cells. The scan showed a tumour on his spleen. We monitored it for sometime before opting to remove the spleen when the tumour grew quite large in a short space of time. We thought it would be a mast cell. It wasn't. If not for the scans he would be dead now from the splenic tumour. It must be hard living in a country where quality veterinary services are not easy to obtain. I know my vets aren't misleading me. I trust them and I value their knowledge and expertise.

Are the 7 'lumps' all mast cell tumours? Have they been graded?

I doubt these dogs were trained to attack. If they were trained dogs both would call off on command. Sorry, my wording was not great. I meant to guard, not 'attack'. Dogs should not be trained to act aggressively IMO.

He's free for now. I know this sounds negative but I'm not sure there are many dogs who only develop one tumour if it's a mast cell.

Dogs should never be trained to attack. Why we do this I will never know. There are plenty of other methods that can be used to protect property.

My two have been in the care of a friend for 4 weeks. I pick them up tomorrow. Normally my pet sitters stay in my home but this time they stayed at my friend's place due to her work commitments. I supplied all of their food and beds, bowls etc. I've bought her a beautiful Swarovski bracelet from Harrods as a thank you this time. It cost me the equivalent of around $120.

The second example is acceptable. I'm impressed. They're not fabulous, but they're certainly good. Is this natural or after surgery? I've inly ever seen them open like this after surgery to cut back the nares. I agree the first isn't acceptable at all though IMO.

I challenge anyone to post a picture here of a pug with good wide nostrils.

For many brachys BAOS doesn't become a serious problem until later in life. I'm not 100% certain but I believe not many dogs are shown past about 5. Happy to stand corrected on this though. This is perhaps one reason why you don't see a lot of breathing issues in the ring. The problem is exacerbated in older dogs as the years of forcing air through the airways weakens the trachea and larynx. Also, natural age deterioration means that fitness is lost and more pressure is put on the airways. What has always amazed me is that although the physical aspects of BAOS are largely not able to be visualised by a generalised look over, stenotic nares are and yet I see champion after champion with this very visible feature.

Oh, and if you haven't already and assuming your pug is a pedigree, you need to contact the breeder. They should be recording these issues and ensuring they breed away from them.

Hemivertebrae is a problem in the pug breed. It is linked to the tail curl which is a deformity of the natural canine tail. Sorry, but is personally have been luck enough not have owned a pug with his problem although I've seen a few with it and heard of several more. I'd suggest you join a couple of pug specific forums where you will be able to speak to other pug owners who have, or currently are, experiencing the same thing. Message me if you would like some recommendations.

Totally agree with everything you've said Steve.

Reading must be a dying skill these days. It clearly says: "dachshund named Leo, which ran over and bit the mastiff on the leg, sparking a fight between the animals" and "this distracted the mastiff that turned round and started fighting with the dachshund". As for girl being unhurt: "her left hand was all bitten" and "the child has been released from hospital and is now recovering at home". Clearly not unhurt. The story is actually true. They are going to erect a monument for this little dog. Yes, definitely a dying skill, as is writing and reporting on news. .Rubbish journalism. I still doubt the little dog did anything to save anyone intentionally, although that may have been the end result.

I'm not an expert on behaviour but I very much doubt the dog did anything to save the girl. Strange that the bullmastiff was allegedly dragging the girl down the street by her arm but she escaped unhurt? The story sounds like rubbish journalism written by someone who hasn't actually even considered what they've written.

Little gifts - the real crux of the matter is, you simply cannot breed a brachycephalic head and not have some degree of BAOS. Breeding brachy dogs and cats needs to be done by experts and sadly, breeders don't need to be experts, only registered.

Every flat faced dog has some degree of BAOS, RuralPug. I'm yet to ever see a Pug irl or an image that doesn't have slits for nostrils for a start. Stenotic nares are one condition of BAOS. Whilst there seems to me that pedigree pugs have lower incidences of the extremes of BAOS, there is still a lot of them out there. I have a prime example at home.

I was thinking more of the general public who might totally misunderstand the reasons you explained. They could form a poor misconception. oh, sorry I misunderstood you :) And I think I misunderstood the comment as well. I'll edit my post. :laugh:

The AVAs response, in particular this statement is very telling; Breed clubs hold the key to ensuring these breeds are not restricted through education and changing the culture. I've said for years that they need to start now before it's too late.