How Long Do Pugs Live? (How To Improve Pug’s Life And Prolong It)

If you’ve ever wondered how many birthdays you can expect to celebrate with your future Pug (if you get a Pug) and how long Pugs live, I’ve wondered the same. Here are the related answers…

Pugs normally live up to 15 years with an average lifespan of 13.2 years. The quality of life owners provides, such as nutrition and physical activity, impacts their lives remarkably.

As a Pug owner or future owner, you undoubtedly wish to spend as many years with your dog as possible.

Here’s everything associated with this matter and Pug’s longer and better life…

How Long Do Pugs Live?

According to owners and their Pugs’ individual lifespans’, Pugs live anywhere from 12 to 15 years long.

If you were thinking about how long Pugs live for on average, the answer is—a little bit over thirteen years.

With dogs being pampered and having better quality lives as time goes by, more and more owners post on social media their dogs being over fifteen years old, and even twenty and more.

Truth be told, a hundred percent accurate answer on the “How long Pugs live” question would be possible to find out only if every Pug owner who passed away gives the info of their individual dog’s living years.

How Do Pugs Live Longer?

There are numerous things owners can do to help their Pugs live longer and healthier lives.

With everything available today, starting with balanced and high-quality dog food to the amazing veterinarians and medical equipment to dog enrichment toys and games, it’s not strange these small dogs live longer and longer lives in general.

To help your Pug live longer, these are the recommendations from dog experts and owners:

1. Give your Pug love and attention
2. Spend quality time with your Pug daily
3. Make a dog’s life least stressful as possible
4. Train your Pug
5. Feeding a healthy, balanced diet is a must
6. Routine visits to a vet are essential
7. Learn signs that indicate the dog’s potential illnesses
8. Stimulate your Pug’s mental health through play
9. Provide your Pug with at least the minimum required physical activity
10. Groom your Pug as per breed and individual Pug requirements

Even though nobody can promise your individual Pug will live to be over fifteen years old, there are still many actions owners can do to improve their dogs’ lives.

It’s easy to make mistakes unconsciously and shorten your Pug’s life.

These 10 tips will give you an insight into how every owner can make Pug’s life better, and therefore longer.

1.Give Your Pug Love And Attention

Which dog doesn’t love the owner’s attention? Well, some of the Pugs don’t, but most of them do anyway…

Pugs whose owners give them lots of love and affection live happier—important for their lengthier lifespan.

According to the New York Post, dogs release oxytocin just like humans do when they feel loved.

Petting, kissing and hugging your Pug certainly makes the dog feel happy.

Dogs know when they are loved, they can feel it, and they will undoubtedly show you their happy emotional state.

The happy Pug’s body language shows wagging their tails and the whole body wiggling, keeping their posture relaxed, and their ears laid back.

2.Spend Quality Time With Your Pug Daily

Many owners will tell you they spend quality time with their Pugs, but just sitting next to your dog or watching it plays doesn’t really mean quality spent time.

Spending at least two hours each day socializing is what your dog needs, says Dr. Vint Virga, a board-certified Veterinary Behaviorist.

The quality time can certainly be broken into smaller chunks during the day but is necessary for a dog’s health.

Include your Pug in everyday activities when possible; take him for a car ride, for a walk, or to visit your friend.

Playing fetch with your healthy Pug is a great yet simple bonding activity and quality time spent.

3.Make A Pug’s Life As Least Stressful As Possible

Even though a little bit of stress in Pug’s life can be healthy, specific stresses that last too long are unhealthy and lead to health problems.

If your Pug is chronically stressed, this condition weakens its immunity system and can lead to many health issues such as heart problems and diabetes.

Stressed Pugs can start being aggressive and misbehave. It can suddenly start chewing objects around the house.

What can make your Pug stressed?

• vet visits
• moving to a different location
• car ride
• getting a new pet and not introducing it properly
• thunderstorms
• fireworks and constant loud noises
• negative house environment, such as constant owner’s fighting
• separation
• living your Pug alone too often and for too long

If you find your Pug is stressed, try to find the cause and reduce it as much as possible.

4.Train Your Pug

By training your Pug, you’re stimulating its brain development, and a healthy brain means a healthy and happy dog.

This is also an opportunity to bond with your Pug and make a living in a humane world easier.

Involve your children into training to make your Pug even happier and build a stronger connection with them.

A trained dog behaves better in every situation and makes its life less stressful.

Every Pug should go through at least basic obedience and socialization classes.

No matter what age your Pug is, training always makes a dog’s life better.

Trained dog behaves better around other dogs, other pets, in different environments, and feels safe.

Vet visits are easier and less stressful for the dog and owner when the dog is trained.

With a little effort put into your Pug’s training, paying for actual classes won’t be necessary as many free training videos are available online.

If you don’t have time or energy to train the Pug personally, enroll your dog into training classes, these are affordable and will help you in the long run.

5.Feeding a healthy, balanced diet is a must

Being picky about your Pug’s food is not a bad thing; it will help you choose the best quality dog food for your individual dog.

Ingredients in your dog’s food are essential as they make your dog healthy and prolong its life.

Pugs diet consists of meats and vegetables and grains, but whether it’s in the form of kibble or raw will be the personal choice.

Some owners prefer to cook meals for their Pugs while others find it easier to buy them already prepared.

Keep in mind that Pugs love food and live to eat. This breed is prone to obesity, so too much food and treats will result in health problems.

If unsure of what your individual Pug’s diet should consist of, seek a bit of advice from a veterinarian or dog nutritionist.

6.Routine Visits To A Vet Are Essential

Hopefully, your Pug is the healthiest little dog, but still taking it for a routine vet check will give you peace of mind.

Many times dogs end up being ill without any visible signs.

For this reason, it’s crucial to do regular health exams, just in case.

An illness that is identified early can, in most cases, be healed with medications and treatment.

If the illness progresses undiscovered, it can be too late and even deadly for your Pug.

7.Learn Signs That Indicate The Dog’s Possible Illnesses

Knowing what Pug’s common health conditions and their possible symptoms can save your pet’s life.

The sooner you recognize symptoms and realize that something is wrong, the faster you can react and slow or stop a certain disease’s progression.

Dogs can live with illnesses, but responding on time and handling it instantly is better for your Pug’s life.

8.Stimulate Your Pug’s Mental Health Through Play

Owners often think that only physical activity is important for their Pugs’ health.

As a matter of fact, every dog also needs mental activity to stay healthy and live longer.

It is hard for some Pug owners to think of ways to stimulate their brains, consequently neglecting this part of the dog’s needs.

Using mealtime as mind time with food games a few times a week will improve your dog’s mental health since Pug’s love to eat.

Some of the games to enrich Pug’s mental health include:

• an empty plastic bottle with cut small holes and filled with kibble or treats
• hiding dog biscuits or favorite toy under the cover and let the dog find it
• hiding treats around the house
• stuffing the kong toy with the food your Pug loves
• sniffing pads—place the food in the pad while the dog uses its brain and nose to sniff and take the food out
• interactive puzzle bowls—perfect for keeping your’s Pug’s brain stimulated while figuring out how to get the food out
• interactive feeder bowls—promotes mental stimulation and prevents obesity as it slows down Pug from overeating
• interactive food puzzle toys of different difficulty levels to keep your dog busy

Keeping your Pug’s mind active according to their individual personality is important for their health.

9.Provide Your Pug With At Least The Minimum Required Physical Activity

Every dog needs daily psychical activity, but depending on your individual Pug’s age and health will depend on how much activity it will require.

Pugs require 30-60 minutes of light activity per day.

Pugs enjoy many activities, so owners don’t have to think hard to entertain them and keep them active.

Take your Pug for a walk, or play with it in your yard. Playing with small balls, playing tug-a-war, swimming in the family pool are all the activities Pugs love.

Keep in mind that Pugs are a brachycephalic breed, so over-exercising, especially when it is too warm outside, can negatively impact their health due to breathing problems.

10.Groom Your Pug As Per Breed Needs

How is grooming your Pug connected to Pug’s longer and healthier life, you may be wondering.

Grooming includes brushing, bathing, cleaning your Pug’s ears, eyes, clipping its nails, and brushing the teeth, and are all important parts of keeping Pugs healthy.

Brushing your Pug will stimulate the production of oils to make its skin and coat healthy, but you will also be able to detect any parasites and fleas that may cause allergies and further health problems.

Cleaning Pug’s eyes is essential as this breed has wrinkles around eyes; some have deeper ones than others.

This area will often keep moisture and debris suitable for fungi and bacterial development, consequently, cause health issues.

Ears can be a breeding ground for bacteria and yeast-causing infections, and it’s equally important to keep them clean.

Dental disease can shorten your pet’s life for 3 years, according to the Winter Park Veterinary Hospital.

Pug’s dental care is important to prevent dental diseases as bacteria, saliva, and food debris can form plaque that eventually leads to built-up tartar.

As the tartar builds up on Pug’s teeth and under the gums, the bacteria cause inflammation to further advance into gingivitis.

Why Do Pugs Die Early?

Study shows that smaller dogs, like Pugs, live longer than bigger dogs. Still, even Pugs die early because of poor care and hygiene that further causes chronic diseases.

What Do Pugs Usually Die From?

There are several health problems that could be fatal for Pugs.

Health Issue or Disease	Explanation	Possible symptoms
PDE—Pug Dog Encephalitis	Inflammatory brain disease	seizures, circling, blindness, coma, and death
Canine Diabetes Mellitus	A disease that influences the amount of glucose in a dog’s blood. Dog’s body either produces too little insulin, too much or not at all Diabetes is a risk for certain types of cancers in Pugs	Excessive water intake, increased urination, increased or decreased appetite, weight loss, urinary infection, skin infection, and cloudy eyes being the most common ones
Cancers	Pugs are prone to many cancers, but cell tumors and mouth cancer are the most common types	Lumps and bumps on the dog’s body, weight loss, diarrhea, vomiting, problem urinating or defecating, difficulty eating, and lethargy.
Obesity	The Pug is considered obese when it weights 20% more than its ideal weight Obesity can further cause arthritis, heart disease, and some type of cancers	Visible weight gain, an excessive amount of fat, difficulty walking, running, and breathing

Many diseases have the same or similar symptoms. If you notice any of the symptoms in your Pug, take it to the vet as soon as possible.

Even though the symptoms could mean nothing, a visit to a vet’s office can save your Pug’s life in many cases.

To get useful information on Pug’s specific diseases, please visit wpvet.com.

How Long Do Pugs Live With PDE?

Pugs who experience Pug Dog Encephalitis (PDE) usually experience it while the dog is still young. The disease can be fatal in a matter of days for up to a few weeks.

According to Pug Dog Club Of America, researchers didn’t determine why this specific Pug health problem occurs, even though researchers are currently working on it.

Unfortunately, there is also no accurate testing to determine whether your dog has PDE.

How Long Do Pugs Live With Diabetes?

Pugs are one dog breed predisposed to Diabetes and can live with it from a few months to two years. Diabetes, in most cases, affects dogs five years and older.

How long an individual Pug will live with diabetes depends on how early the disease was identified, the treatment, as well the diet.

How Do I know If My Pug’s Dying?

It’s not always easy to know when your Pug is dying, especially if the dog suffers from certain chronic diseases.

However, some common symptoms of a dying Pug generally manifest in these behaviors:

1. disinterest to do anything
2. social separation
3. Pug stops eating
4. Pug stops drinking
5. constant coordination loss
6. shallow (labored) breathing

What Is The Oldest Living Pug?

According to Guinness World Records, the oldest recorded Pug named Snookie lived for almost 28 years. That’s a long life for a dog.

The more important question is what factors influenced this Pug to live this long.

The answer may be the great care owners given, or maybe the dog was just fortunate, and nature designed it to live nearly thirty years.

Unfortunately, the info on Snookie’s owners and what type of care they provided is not available, but they must be taken good care of to stay in shape for this long.

How Long Do Pugs Live In Human Years?

Why some people think that one Pug’s year equals seven humans is actually incorrect.

Here are Pug’s approximate years in human years, from 1 to 15 since most Pugs live to 15 years of age.

Pugs years = “Human years”

1-year-old Pug = 15 human years 2-year-old Pug = 24 human years 3-year-old Pug = 28 human years 4-year-old Pug = 32 human years 5-year-old Pug = 36 human years 6-year-old Pug = 40 human years 7-year-old Pug = 44 human years 8-year-old Pug = 48 human years 9-year-old Pug = 52 human years 10-year-old Pug = 56 human years 11-year-old Pug = 60 human years 12-year-old Pug = 64 human years 13-year-old Pug = 68 human years 14-year-old Pug = 72 human years 15-year-old Pug = 76 human years