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Special Food for Brachycephalic Dogs Like Pugs

Pug`

I’ve never met a pug I didn’t like. Than again I’ve never met a pug I didn’t feel a whee bit sorry for. It’s no big secret that I believe most breeders to be little more then greeders with very little regard for dogs themselves. I’m not saying they’re not nice people or they don’t love their breed and their dogs. I am saying that when they breed for “show” or fashion and not functionality as well they subject dogs to some pretty horrendous health issues and at the very least health risks. On the whole almost every breeder I’ve ever met is seriously wanting in knowledge that is essential to breeding a good dog.

A few do grasp the importance of genetics, socialization and other mandatory bits of knowledge required to breed a good dog. A good breeder would not involve themselves in producing the dog you see to the left. Cute yes but look past the cute to see how horribly mutilated the dog’s skull is and how that might impair normal living.

One (of many) of the victims of irresponsible breeding are the Brachycephalic dogs of which the Pug is an example. These are the breeds that have purposefully been deformed through selective breeding. The normal snout found on other breeds is gone or nearly gone resulting in dire health consequences. Susceptibility to over heating, breathing difficulty, dental problems to name a few.

When left to evolution animals bodies become tailored to suit survival in their environment. In this case breeders (greeders) have chosen through selective breeding to satisfy some inexplicable desire to produce dogs that can’t breath, exercise or eat normally. If one were to take a healthy dog and purposefully impair its ability to do those things there would be charges of cruelty.

How bad is it? Pretty bad when they actually have to design a food around a canine deformity. Pug Specific Food Made By Royal Canin

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2 thoughts on “Special Food for Brachycephalic Dogs Like Pugs”

  1. Laura Paquin

    John, I have a question I have 3 dogs all are brachycephalic breeds. Tank (Pug) 7 yrs, Mr. President (English Bulldog) 2yrs , Gunnar (Boston Terrier) 10 months. I am looking for a good food for all 3 of them. All at different active levels. Gunnar will be weaning off of Dr. Marty’s very soon. Just looking for 1 brand that will work best for all my smooshed face boys! Thank You

    1. Hi Laura,

      There are three groups (at least) that you should be very leery of seeking or accepting information regarding nutrition. Veterinarians, vet techs, and dog trainers. Unfortunately, you generally can’t get them (the average veterinarian) to shut up about this specialized area for which in the arena of vets, and vet techs they usually have no more education than 3 hours, that for multiple species (cats, dogs, livestock, etc.) as opposed to dogs alone. Dog trainers typically have none at all. There are of course exceptions to the rule.

      I have no problem with offering opinions, as everyone is entitled to one but when the word Dr. comes before your name or D.V.M. after it, it implies authority and as a result, special care (ethics) should be exercised when advising clients in any area (nutrition, behavior, etc.) they have no more than 3 hours of training, and when supplemented, it (nutrition) is usually supplemented by incentive providing pet food companies.

      I do have opinions on the topic (and have taken a few courses, and done some reading), but it isn’t really my area of expertise, so I’m not generally on top of things like which food company has been most recently purchased by a conglomerate more concerned about executive bonuses than slight changes in formulae.

      I do have a decent video with some tips on how to narrow the field somewhat (as opposed to recommending food A or B). Puppy Feeding Considerations and Decisions

      – John Wade (www.askthedogguy.com)

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