[PugsleyOtisMom]

I have 2 chubby pugs. The oldest is a fawn 5 year old and his weight ranges from 23lbs to 25lbs. The other is a black 1 year old and he was 19lbs at last weigh in. Believe it or not I got the big fawn guy down from his top weight which was 32lbs. These guys love to eat and eat. I am very careful with how much I feed them and I try to exercise them regularly but the weight is not coming off. I realize that by feeding them BENEFUL that may be the problem. I am also having a lot of problems with their anal glands leaking. It seems like no matter how many times I get their anal glands expressed they are still leaking(food cause as well??). Any suggestions on the best food for pugs would be great!

p.s. The pugs also have lots of trouble with allergies… Coughing, ears itching, scratching.. you name it. Normally I give them a half a Benadryl and it does the trick but I am wondering if this is also food related?

[theBCnut]

It all sounds food related. You need to try a higher quality grain free food. Do you know of any specific foods they have trouble with? If not, I would start with eliminating chicken, grains and white potato and see if you get any improvement. You could easily have a yeast problem too at this point. I would try Brothers Complete or Natures Variety Instinct. Anal glands producing so much fluid can be due to food intolerances, but the leaking is likely due to all the extra weight and not having a firm enough stool to cause the glands to empty when defecating.

[somebodysme]

I bet they will lose weight like crazy when they get off that Beneful junk! It’s no wonder they are having all those problems. They need a better quality food with lower carbs. Definitely, I second all of what Patty just said!

[pugmomsandy]

Hmmmm…I will say that a pug’s weight is not everything as mine are overweight but have good body condition. Pugs are a bit squatty! And they do tend to get overweight quickly. If you haven’t yet looked up a “body condition score” chart, please do. For me their body condition is more important than their weight.

Take a look at these two – one with poor body condition and the other could probably gain a pound.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/IMG_28831024x768_zps49daa9d5.jpg

This is my overweight pug at 23 lbs:

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/IMG_2697640x479_zpsbe52d943.jpg

but he definitely doesn’t need to lose weight. He has a 22 inch chest and 17 inch waist.

Also I wanted to mention that anal glands shouldn’t be expressed unless needed. Mine only had them done once because I didn’t know that groomers do it automatically!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA9SeHAEyQ4

A better diet should help with all their issues. If you can feed them a 5 star grain free kibble and wet food without white potatoes (food coloring and sugar), it should help with their ears/itching/yeast problems and hopefully anal glands. The anal glands might be damaged though from frequent expression. And normally the pugs only need 1 cup max per day of a good kibble. Mine eat 2/3 cup a day and that leaves room for treats (grain free also). And they also eat raw foods which gives them solid stool.

My pugs have been a good diet for a couple years now and they don’t have any issues and haven’t taken any kind of medication in years either nor do I take them to the groomers. They only get a bath about twice a year, maybe three times.

I would highly recommend changing their diet. It would save them so much misery and save you so much money on vet visits and medications.

pugvillage.com is another site for pug lovers too.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[InkedMarie]

I used Wellness Core reduced fat food to help a dog we adopted to lose weight.

[Anonymous]

My parents bred and raised Pugs my whole life. We had one stud who had champion lines and he was always heavier than the rest of our other dogs. When he was retired and neutered he really packed on the weight. I know these dogs love to eat, so I’d certainly recommend a higher quality food. We never did that; they always just ate Iams. But the information available about better quality food is so much more prevalent these days. Back during those times (10 – 15 years ago) we thought Iams actually was high quality food.

[PugsleyOtisMom]

I have switched the pugs food to Nature’s Variety Instinct. It is the Grain Free, Duck and Turkey Kibble. They have transitioned well and seem to really like it. I also got rid of their treats and switched them to the Nature’s Variety Treats as well. In the next couple of days I hope to take them completely off of their old food and see some real changes. Thank you for all of your comments and recommendations. Pugsley, my 5 year old fawn pug is just a big boned pug. When I got him from the breeder his father had the same body type so I knew what to expect. I just want the best for my pugs and I want them to by healthy and live long lives. If you have any other recommendations for treats or some homemade treats I can make for the pugs that would be great. The Natures Variety treats are a bit pricey.
I will keep you all updated on any changes that I see with the new food.

[InkedMarie]

cengleman: I’m not picking on your parents but while alot of dogs love to eat, some breeds are known more to be garbage disposals, I never understood the “they love to eat” comments. Not directed at you but in general, I read it alot on forums. Dogs can only eat what owners give them, it boggles my mind when someone says that. Same thing when someone says their dog is hungry. How do you know?

[pugmomsandy]

When my pugs eat Instinct, they still only get 2/3 cup total per day. I like using Instinct Boost Bites and Vital Essentials freeze dried nibbletts for treats and they only get a treat when they come inside from pp break.

[somebodysme]

My dog loves to eat too but only gets her allotted amount of food and out of that I use kibble for training treats. If I put down 50 cups of food, she would eat it all, get sick and be looking for more I do believe. You have to be their guardians and control that for them because some dogs just will eat and eat. My dog is definitely a garbage disposal, she will eat anything she gets hold of!

[theBCnut]

One day while I was out my 24 lb beagle ate a 25 lb box of dog biscuits. He ate until he vomited and then went back for more and did it again and again and again.

[lovemypets4life]

they could have food allergies. try switching to holistic health extension grain free. my maltipoo has bad allergies (always scratching himself, his ears, and hacks up flem) and this was the only way food that helped minimize his allergies

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