Pugs Acne: Symptoms, Causes, Prevention, Treatment!

More and more sources state that Pugs, due to the fact that they are a short coated dog breed, they are more prone to experience acne than other long coated dog breeds.

Their cute faces full of wrinkles can develop acne as well, if they aren`t cleaned and maintained properly in order to prevent the occurrence of bacteria.

What Is Canine Acne?

Dog acne represents an inflammatory condition which generally develops around the face, lips, muzzle as well as other various areas of the dog`s skin.

Canines that experience mild cases will most of the time develop red pustules on the skin. Scabs on their face, swelling of their lips or bleeding might also appear when most serious cases occur.

With the right treatment, Pug acne can disappear rather fast, although it might also lead to some discomfort up to a certain extent.

If proper treatment isn`t applied as soon as the disorder is noticed, your dog might be left with permanent scars.

Can My Pug Experience Acne?

A lot of Pug owners most of the time focus on their dog`s coat as is quite dense and tends to shed more than usual. Still, they need to pay the same amount of attention to their dog`s skin as well.

It`s common for a dog of this breed to experience acne, more of the time around the chin region.

Some dog owners mistake them for warts, which are nothing more than skin growths, while acne are small bumps (most of the time full of pus).

Symptoms

It`s essential to have knowledge of Pug acne to make certain you are aware when to look for professional help from your veterinarian. The most common ones are:

• Might occur as whiteheads, bumps or blackheads.
• Lumps may become inflamed or swell.
• Lumps might become painful when touched.
• You may notice your Pug scratching his little face against various things (e.g. furniture, carpets) as the lumps could become itchy.

Note: Don`t take any of these symptoms lightly as this might make your Pug feel even more discomfort.

Causes

• Improper Facial Hygiene – It`s essential to your dog`s wipe thoroughly whenever as soon as a meal is finished. Food particles can be an important factor when it comes to acne. This could be performed with dog facial wipes, unscented baby wipes or a simple damp washcloth.
• Hormonal Fluctuation – A puppy of this breed going through puberty might develop acne around their chin and genital region. This can occur regardless of the gender. This type of pimples will disappear little by little as the dog matures.
• Irritation from Bowls –Stainless stain bowls are recommended as plastic bowls can lead to allergies, while porous bowls can host bacteria.

Types of Pug Acne

• Superficial Acne – This type of acne occurs when pimples or bumps develop on the muzzle or face of the dog.
• Nasal Acne – It occurs when your Pug enjoys digging a little too much or is sticking his little nose in the most unsuitable places possible.
• Hyperkeratosis – This happens when your Pug produces large amounts of keratin, resulting in the occurrence of calluses on their small bodies. The medical condition is represented by skin`s thickening.
• Juvenile Acne – It begins when your Pug is around 6 months old and will stick with him until the little one becomes an adult canine.
• Furunculosis – This develops between your Pug`s paws. It most of the time caused by overgrown hair follicles and forced to appear into your dog`s skin when walking.

How to Prevent Pug Acne?

Proper hygiene is the best practice to prevent canine acne. It`s advisable to clean your Pug`s little face daily if possible, especially his wrinkles around the mouth where the little fella` is more predisposed to develop acne.

You could take measures of precaution to decrease any trauma to your Pug`s skin by making things harder for him when he feels the need to scratch. Among the most efficient methods is to use a canine cone, practically placing a physical obstacle.

Obviously, the most efficient technique to reduce any allergies that relate with acne is to find out what type of allergy is and get rid of it.

It could be environmental related (e.g. pollen), but most dog allergic reactions are related to their diet.

You could conduct some testing at your nearest veterinarian clinic, but these tests can be very expensive. Besides, you have no guarantee that your vet will be able to pinpoint the exact allergen.

And even he`s able to find it, there`s also the false positive results that you need to consider.

Veterinarian Diagnosis

If the areas where acne spreads are increasing or if the case simply seems to get worse, it`s probably best to visit your veterinarian. Most of the time, he`ll be able to put a diagnosis right away.

The lesions on your Pug`s skin spread around the muzzle and lips are often quite particular to this medical condition.

However, in most serious cases your vet might need to confirm the initial diagnosis with some further investigations. He could advise for a skin biopsy in order to rule out any other possible disorders.

In addition, he can also advise for a bacterial culture to properly identify what bacteria is responsible for your canine`s infection and, therefore, be able to recommend roper antibiotic treatment.

Acne is an disorder that surprisingly is quite normal in a dog`s life, especially with adolescent dogs when mild cases tend to occur.

However, if a dog owner should notice a larger outbreak or any bleeding being involved, this is the moment when things might get more serious and vet help is recommended.

Treatment

• The first step of treatment is trying to maintain the involved areas dry and clean.
• Some chlorhexidine on a wipe will work quite nicely for most Pugs. However, this is only an over-the-counter medicated wipe. A better option will be Sogeval Douxo Chlorhexidine pads.
• Veterinarian prescribed medicated rinses might be required for moderate to serious situations.
• Chronic cases might require treatment with antibiotics.

Does Pug Acne Go Away?

Most of the time, your Pug`s acne isn`t really a big medical problem. It`s just part of your dog`s life. Just like in humans, this medical condition generally disappears on its own.

If you notice your teenage Pug experiencing this disorder, there are good chances for this health issue to go away on its own until he becomes an adult.

Obviously, if this shouldn`t happen, it`s recommended to get your Pug to the nearest vet clinic for further investigation.

Overall Conclusion

As you may have noticed already, Pug acne is a completely normal stage in the list of most dogs of this breed. Your dog is perfectly fine and there`s no need to worry unless his symptoms worsen.