Let's Talk about Pug Weight!

[blanche]

This is a touchy subject for us--not only regarding our own weight, but the weight of our dogs.  And after the winter, we all have a bit of excess "luggage" that we need to lose.  This is particularly true of our pugs.

Now I'm not perfect and I let Tank's weight creep up to a whopping 27 lbs that we've had to work on reducing.  He's down to 24.5 lbs and I'd like to see him at between 23 and 24 lbs.  My fault that he got that heavy.

And I've heard all the excuses and used a few myself:
"they are meant to be cobby and blocky dogs"
"he's big boned"
"Pugs always look fat"
"He always seems to be hungry"
"He's on a weight control formula"

The bottom line is that a fat pug is really a sick pug.  You may not see the signs, but it's true.  A fat pug puts stress on heart, joints, back and hips.  You shorten the life of your pug SIGNIFICANTLY by letting them get fat.

Now I know that not every pug will fit in the "breed standard" 14 to 18 lbs.  Some just ARE bigger dogs.  Cooper is a good example.  Cooper will NEVER be 14 to 18 lbs, but he could be 26 to 27 lbs and be healthy and his adopters are working hard to get there.

Here are some important things to consider about weight management with pugs:
If your dog is insured, you may get a claim denied if the dog is overweight.
If your dog has been diagnosed with any kind of breathing, disc, hip, knee, or other spinal/joint issue, weight reduction is the first and most important step.
Weight Control foods (and this is my personal opinion) are not particularly good foods.  They generally have alot of fillers and not alot of nutrition.  Weight control is about portions and exercise.  People often over feed their dogs in any case and over feeding a weight control food is still overfeeding.  I'd bet a third of our morbidly obese pugs in rescue came in on weight control food.

Here are some general guidelines on feeding your pugs for a healthy weight:
First--ignore what the bag tells you to feed.  It's always WAY more than a dog needs in my experience.
Most pugs don't need more than 1/4 to 1/3 a cup of food per meal--if you are feeding a high quality, no grain kibble.  If you are feeding raw--3 to 4 ounces is usually sufficient.  Obviously puppies and highly active dogs may need more, but most adults pugs will do fine on the limited portions I suggest.
Ignore the barking, pleading, the soulful eyes, the "I'm starving to death" drama that pugs perform
DON'T free feed.
Generally feeding once a day is not sufficient.  And often doesn't result in weight loss that is healthy.  Just as with people, more and smaller is better than once and huge when it comes to meals
Treats should be doled out somewhat sparingly.  Or use low cal options like carrots, green beans, etc.
KNOW your dog and his/her energy levels.  And don't think that 10 minutes in the yard to excrete is sufficient exercise.  Pugs NEED to exercise.  Exercise helps with all manner of issues besides weight.  A dog with arthritis should not be allowed to just lay around and not use those joints--obviously you want to exercise appropriately to age and health, but it isn't good for any dog to just lie around and get chubby and flabby.

And I won't kid you or myself--losing weight and keeping it off is HARD WORK for everyone.  But it can be done and MUST be done for the health of your pug.

I'm putting a weight chart in the next post that will help you judge your pugs weight and give you an idea of whether they are too heavy or not.

One of our very early rescues was a group of pugs from Waterloo--a mom, the dad and three of their offspring.  All were grotesquely, morbidly obese.  The mother of the group died within 48 hours of being in foster care due to stress, being in heat and HER WEIGHT.  Fat is a killer.

[blanche]

Here's a chart for comparing your dog's look and weight:

http://www.placervillevet.com/canine%20body%20condition.htm

[Pug-Mummy]

I couldn't agree with you more Blanche. 

Having spoken to my fair share of pet owners regarding weight issues through the years, I can certainly attest to it being a sensitive topic.  Especially when the owner shares the same problem as their pet.    By no means being a runway model myself, I have taken to passing on this pearl of wisdom to the families of chubby pets.

Your dog doesn't subscribe to the theory of 'will power'.  There isn't a bag of potato chips in the cupboard just calling to him while he is sitting on the couch watching a 'Friends' marathon on television, nor do the chocolate chip cookies say his name while he is grocery shopping.  Simply put; our pets eat only what we feed them.  Clearly you love your pet.  So instead of giving him a cookie, give him an extra snuggle, take a few minutes to play with him or take him for an extra walk.  No dog has ever torn his cruciate ligament from too much affection, nor has there been a documented case of affection being the contributing factor in congestive heart failure.  However, over feeding can and will contribute to your dog's poor health.

We are guilty for substituting food/treats for love.  Our dog's certainly do not interpret the gesture this way.  A treat is a treat is a treat.  But a soft touch, a kind word and a feeling of safety and security speak volumes to a dog.  Show your love for them this way; shelve the treats and control their portions!

I on the other hand, will continue to hear the potato chips calling to me, and the chocolate at the grocery store will still remember my name the next time I visit.  If only I was lucky enough to have the option to eat only when someone places a well researched, properly balanced, portion controlled plate of food infront of me 2-3 times a day.  Heidi Klum - move over!!

PS:  I once had an owner tell me their lab had not put onweight; he was merely 'buff'!

[Candace]

Well put, by both of you!
"Your dog doesn't subscribe to the theory of 'will power'." I love this and agree. I have often said that I wish someone would control what I eat as well as we can control what our dogs eat.
Vicki, the pug version of "My dog is buff" is "fluffy"! 

[blanche]

Yes, the fluffy pug.  I occasionally hear that "muscle weighs more than fat".  Which is only marginally true.

And I know that it can be hard to get the resistant pug to exercise.  I live with one--Tank would happily sleep in his dog bed all day, but I drag him out to the park--sometimes his exercise is just following me around hoping food will drop out of my hand, but it's still exercise.  30 minutes to an hour of following me around is a fair bit of exercise.

Leila is at the other extreme of the size chart--if she ever hit the breed standard of 14 to 18 lbs, she's be a porker!  Okay--maybe 14 lbs would be okay, but 18 lbs would have her looking like a pot bellied pig.  All pugs are different and there is no one optimum weight.  It's up to you as the owner to keep your pug healthy--and that means not fat.

Tank's a MUCH happier and busier dog without the extra pounds.  The difference in his energy is noticeable.

[clummy]

I also wish someone was here to only feed me good, healthy food in the right portions but left to my own devices I am weak .

The one thing I had to watch for with Maude is activity level. She lost a kilo when she was first here because she was so hyperactive. It took me a while to notice she is slowing down and that means she needs less food.

[rslanca]

Great Tips Blanche! 

We feed a good grain free kibble to Cash & Rosie and have them almost exclusively on vegetables for treats.  The "I'm starving" looks and desperate eyes are a challenge though, and Rosie is an expert.  They're both looking slim and trim these days.  Our biggest problem is when I checked out you chart, I think I'm an 8!  So I may move to kibble myself.....

[keep on pugging]

Our two are on different diets, because they have to be. I let others know, so noone else feeds them what they shouldn't have.

[Jane aka 71337]

Thanks for posting the chart Blanche.  I think the chart is much more useful than weight since like you say the ideal weight from one pug to the next can vary so much. 

I really struggled with my DH over-feeding our dogs but when I really put my foot down and managed to get a few pounds off George the difference was astounding!  Once my husband saw George was playing again, and realized he had virtually stopped playing with the others when he was heavy, and he wasn't struggling with stairs any more, or having trouble getting in and out of the van or getting up on the couch and his breathing was so much better...well needless to say he was finally convinced.     

[Candace]

Great Tips Blanche! 

We feed a good grain free kibble to Cash & Rosie and have them almost exclusively on vegetables for treats.  The "I'm starving" looks and desperate eyes are a challenge though, and Rosie is an expert.  They're both looking slim and trim these days.  Our biggest problem is when I checked out you chart, I think I'm an 8!  So I may move to kibble myself.....

Ross, you and Chris are doing a fantastic job of managing Rosie's weight. It's hard to believe she was allowed to get up to 43 pounds, in her previous life! She was 29 pounds when she came to my house and between being here and with you, she has dropped to an ideal size. Rosie is a prime example of how this affected her health and put her in a borderline hypothyroid position. Now, she is doing well and just has to be monitored.

[Gerk]

Yep Cooper is a big boy, so is Bugsy ... we have a pair of monster sized pugs!  Breed standard * 1.5 at least   Coop is doing great though, slowly dropping the weight.  Bugsy goes up and down a pound or two but all-in-all is doing well at keeping trim.  He did put on about a pound over the winter but now that the weather is nicer I'm sure he'll be back down to fighting weight in no time.

[RockysMom]

Believe it or not, Rocky eats 1 1/2 cups of Wellness Core a day, but very few treats other than the odd chunk of veggie or fruit.  Sounds like a lot, but he is tall and slim and the vet says he is at his ideal weight at 16.5 lbs.  I know I'll have to monitor this closely if/when he starts to be less active and cut back his daily rations. 

[blanche]

Believe it or not, Rocky eats 1 1/2 cups of Wellness Core a day, but very few treats other than the odd chunk of veggie or fruit.  Sounds like a lot, but he is tall and slim and the vet says he is at his ideal weight at 16.5 lbs.  I know I'll have to monitor this closely if/when he starts to be less active and cut back his daily rations. 

Absolutely, Angela.  It really varies with the dog.  My crew who are mostly raw fed get a measley 2.5 to 3 ounces of raw a meal and that way I don't have to skrimp on treats.  Pippin gets, like Rocky, a cup and a half of kibble (or thereabouts).  I vary everyone's amounts based on age, activity level and time of year. 
And it is easy for their weight to creep up on you.  I was horrified when I weighed Tank and he was 27 lbs and I got the stink eye from my vet.

[Pug-Mummy]

Despite Leila's diminutive size, she eats the same volume of food per day as my big guy Reilly.  Rei is a BIG boy (Blanche can attest to this!) but his weight is only 21lbs; he's a skinny dude.  At his heaviest he was almost 23lbs, but once his personal trainer (aka Leila) moved in, the extra pounds melted away.  Rosie is smaller in stature to Leila, but has the typical dense, compact pug body.  She is the most prone to weight gain of my three (it my have something to do with her inherent laziness!) and she weighs in at just over 15lbs.  I admit this is a tad too much for her.  Now that spring has sprung, she needs a bit of extra activity to drop a pound.

Leila Bean... her current weight is 11.6lbs!  She happily indulges in 1/2 a cup of food twice a day and remains ready for bikini season.  I couldn't imagine her being anything over 12lbs; with the way she moves it's unlikely it will ever happen!

[blanche]

I'm not at all surprised that Leila eats as much as Reilly.  Her activity level is way up there......