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Facing Up to a Pug's Personality

How to deal with the shedding and need for companionship

Denise Flaim | Animal House

January 14, 2003

Q. We have a 3-year-old Pug named Latke, because our son thinks her face looks like a potato pancake.

We have two problems: First, she sheds like mad - all year round. There is hair everywhere. Second, loneliness: We have to leave her alone many hours each day. She wants to be near us all the time. We are thinking of getting another dog to keep her company, but it could really double our guilt if we had to be away from two of them. Also, there is expense and care required, since we have a very busy life and travel with her often. -M & M

A. Pugs shed - period. Their short coats belie the fluffy undercoat beneath, and tumbleweeds are a fact of life.

That said, Shirley Thomas of Flushing, president of the Pug Dog Club of Greater New York, thinks the shedding you describe is excessive and likely results from a dry coat. Improving diet can help. Thomas suggests adding three drops of Polyvisol, a multivitamin supplement for human infants that is available in most drug stores, to Latke's meals every day.

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As to Latke's loneliness, I can't stress this enough: Before you consider any breed of dog, learn its history and what it was bred for. This isn't just an intellectual exercise: It will tell you what hard-wired personality characteristics to expect, whether you are talking about a Doberman or a Dachshund.

From the time they were first reared by Tibetan monks well before the birth of Christ, Pugs were bred specifically for companionship. While no dog is happy to be alone, the absence of human interaction violates the very raison d'etre of a Toy dog like the Pug.

As you intuit, adding a second dog will not solve the problem. What Latke needs is more time with you. Happily, her small size makes travel logistics easier: Bring her along. When you must be away, Thomas suggests leaving the TV on, tuned to Animal Planet.

Finally, while Latke's name is absolutely adorable, it underscores an important - and often problematic - feature of this breed. Pugs - like bulldogs, Boston terriers, Cavalier King Charles spaniels and French bulldogs- are brachycephalic, meaning they have pushed-in faces, and are prone to breathing problems. (Pugs' bulging eyes also leave them very susceptible to ophthalmologic problems - all the more reason to buy from a reputable breeder who knows her dogs' genetic background.) Even with healthy Pugs, care should be taken to keep them cool during hot weather and avoid overexertion.

Feline vaccines redux: In response to last week's column about cat vaccinations, veterinarian Alan M. Coren of West Hills Animal Hospital in Huntington wrote to illuminate the dilemma that cat owners face in deciding what course to take with rabies vaccines, which are mandated by law.

The choice: Give a one-year vaccine that does not contain adjuvants, which have been linked with sarcomas at the site of injection, or give a three-year vaccine, which is not available without adjuvants.

"We do share your concerns about over- vaccinating and yet we find ourselves in a true dilemma in this situation," says Coren. "Vaccinate annually with what may be a safer product used more frequently or triennially with a product associated with a higher incidence of sarcomas.

"We typically allow our clients to decide after a thorough explanation, however, our current lean is clearly to nonadjuvanted vaccines."

Coren also points out that not all leukemia vaccines are nonadjuvanted, so always inquire. And expect to pay more: Nonadjuvanted rabies and leukemia vaccines are more expensive.

Previous Animal House columns are available at www.newsday.com/animalhouse.

Write to Denise Flaim c/o Newsday, 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville, NY 11747 or dflaim@newsday.com.