Preparing for your pug

Make sure you have chosen a vet. You should bring your new pug puppy to the vet within the first 10 days of purchase. Your vet will give your pup a full checkup in order to verify the breeders' certificate of health and your pup will receive another series of vaccinations. Pug puppies should be vaccinated at the ages of 8, 12 and 16 weeks old. Your breeder should have taken care of the first vaccination at 8 weeks. It is important for the health of your new pup to make sure that he or she is not exposed to other dogs before their last set of vaccinations. Taking your new pup to the dog run or park too early can expose him to illnesses that his little body is not yet ready to fend off.

Many pug puppies are born with worms or infected by mothers' milk. It is a common condition characterized by loose bowel movements. Your vet can test for this by doing a stool culture. If your pup is infected, an oral medication will clear it right up.

What a cutie!

One thing that I was unprepared for when I brought home my first pug puppy was something called 'Kennel Cough'. This is a bronchial infection that many, many puppies develop. It is akin to our common cold and is easily transmitted from pup to pup. My little pup was coughing at night and sounded just awful. He had been vaccinated against Kennel Cough, but developed it anyway. My vet assured me that this was perfectly normal and would resolve on its own. It took quite a few weeks, but finally resolved. My second pup, which I brought home 6 months later, quickly followed the same course.

Is a pug for you? | Pug breeders | Prepare for your pug | Pug care
Pug pitfalls | Pug likes/dislikes