#PugLife

It was my freshman year of college and after 25 year of marriage my parents decided it was best to go their separate ways. To soften the blow of his new foray into singlehood my dad decided it was time to welcome a new furry member into the family. And so we welcomed Joe Mug the Pug, a tiny little ball of fur and wrinkles just small enough to fit inside a stocking. Thus began my irreconcilable love for pugs. I soon usurped Joe as my own dog and, as my previous blog post discussed, began down a path of pug addiction.

Joe Pug in his Christmas Stocking

However, I was woefully unaware of all of the health problems often associated with pugs. Their adorable squished faces come with several drawbacks including breathing problems, eye problems, and wrinkle issues. In the 5^th year of Joe Mug the Pug’s life he experienced the scariest of all three, breathing problems. It began like many pup illnesses do, with lots of vomit. At the time I was working on my master’s of anthropology, hitting the books from home with a pug at my side. Luckily this enabled me to monitor his condition. After a day of continuous vomiting we made our first of many trips to the emergency vet. We were given several medicines to calm his stomach and sent home with hopes that this was just a passing virus. However, the weekend progressed and Joe still couldn't keep any food down. On our walks, he refused to go more than a few steps, the exertion of the effort forcing him to spit up what little he had in his system. With no end in sight, Joe pug was admitted to the vet for further testing and analysis.

Joe pug was the first dog who was all my own. I raised him from a puppy, slept with him under the covers every night, and listened to his snores as I worked. I could not imagine my life without him. That first night when he was at the vet I found myself struggling to comprehend the pain and strength of parents who have sick children. Who wait hopefully by the phone for a treatable diagnosis. Who pray for more time with their kids.

Finally, the next day, the call came. Joe pug had Megaesophagus. His esophagus, the tube that feeds food from the mouth to the stomach, had grown so weak that food was sitting inside and festering until Joe would throw it back up. The prognosis was not good. Most dogs suffer from malnutrition or aspiration pneumonia and have to be laid to rest within months. However, the staff at Bayleaf Veterinary Hospital were wonderful. With their support and guidance Joe was put on a new feeding regimen- he now had to eat upright like a human and was given only soft meatballs of food 5 times a day- and referred to the Veterinary Specialty Hospital (VSH) here in Raleigh, NC. The goal was to identify to root cause of the Megaesophagus and eliminate it completely. Furthermore, throughout this ordeal, Joe’s breathing continued to deteriorate. At a routine check-up for the Megaesophagus a week later, the vet feared that eventually Joe’s congestion would prevent him from breathing at all. We went to the Veterinary Specialty Hospital the same day.

I had heard the horror stories. Pug owner’s waking up in the morning to find that their pug had suffocated in the night. Already, I would awake with a start if I did not hear Joe’s snores throughout the night. I was terrified and helpless. Though I continued to feed him 5 times a day, Joe had lost a lot of weight. He still did not enjoy his walks. His quality of life was fading.

However, hope was not lost. Doctor Rae Hutchins at VSH came to Joe pug’s rescue. She determined that the extra tissue in Joe’s nose was exacerbating his breathing problems. Joe was working so hard to breathe that the pressure this effort put on his esophagus caused it to fail. As such, Joe would undergo a puppy facelift. Our hope was that after removing the extra tissue in his nose and widening his nostril openings, Joe’s breathing would improve and his esophagus would return to normal. And so Joe pug went under the knife.

After the surgery and another night spent at the hospital Joe pug returned home to a strict regimen of medicines and feedings. Every four hours, day or night, he would get a pill to help keep his food down. He was on a steroid to help quell the inflammation of his nose tissues, an antibiotic, a pain killer, and Prilosec. Caring for Joe was like caring for a new born baby, and through the stress and terror my love only grew.

Yet, a week later we hadn't seen any improvement. We returned to emergency vet, Joe exhausted and me fearing what the next step might hold. While Dr. Hutchins took Joe back to examine him, I cried in the lobby alone with my grief with no one but the receptionist of offer kind words and tissues. Even Dr. Hutchins was unsure about what this meant for little Joe pug.

It had now been a month of stress and illness and sorrow. My simple wish was for Joe to get better. I wanted my pug back.

With bated breath I waited for the vet to return. I was beginning to lose hope. However, with a calm confidence the vets determined that Joe needed a second surgery to go back in and clear out more tissue from his nose. Joe was readmitted for round two of a puggy facelift and a piece of hope returned. This time, Joe was an old hospital pro. The nurses said throughout the night Joe refused to be left in his crate. He was passed from lap to lap, soaking up healing snuggles and waiting for his mom to come and pick him up.  This was pug I knew and loved.

After two surgeries, several more months of medicines, and a nice chunk of change, Joe pug was back! I had never felt more like a mom. I was covered daily in wet dog food, pug fur, and love and the end result was more than I could have imagined. Joe’s Megaesophagus cleared. He was able to eat anything and everything he saw. Our bond had grown to whole new levels.

Currently, through All Breed Care I am pet sitting for an adorable 16 year old pug. Her old age has left her toothless and her tiny pink tongue hangs lazily from her mouth, but her health and spirits abound. She gives me hope for another wonderful 10 years with my Joe and increases my thankfulness that I never gave up on getting him well. For all those out there waiting anxiously in your vet’s waiting room, holding on to hope for a healthy pup, keep holding on. Amazing recoveries do happen. I have a new respect for the vets who brought Joe back to me, and a new respect for myself and for Joe, for our strength and resilience during months of trial and uncertainty. Now, over a year later Joe is healthier than ever. Ferociously guarding our house, playing with his brother, and stealing my heart on a daily basis. Here in the Dyer household it is and will always be a pug life. 

By Chelsey Dyer