It's one thing when you hear the average Joe say "I prefer a pug with a blonde face", but when you start hearing this from AKC judges and experts who influence the breed's future, perhaps it is time to remind ourselves that it is not a matter of opinion but the breed standard to which we are all accountable. The headpiece and facial markings of a pug is a hallmark of the breed. Beyond facial markings, it is important to remember that pugs are not a working breed, they are a toy breed. Pugs are also not terriers. Pugs should be square and cobby .... not long legged. Pugs need "moderate bend of stifle" ... over angulation is undesirable. Pugs should not be  long, lean, and leggy. I made a little video and composed a catchy song so folks could quickly refresh themselves on the breed standard requirements.

First time as a special in the breed ring, Cindy, (CH Pickwick's Oh, the Places You'll Go) won "select bitch" each of the 4 days at the Crossroads Cluster in Perry, Georgia this past weekend. She also won Best of Breed Owner Handled the last day, Most importantly, she and her sister had a fabulous time playing in the camping cabin, sleeping with  mom, running in dog parks and more seeing all the sights of the dog show. Here she is helping with a practice session and enjoying her adventures.

Lola had the honor of winning Best of Opposite Sex and winners dog a couple of days. Alas, McNabb photography did not do a good job with her win photo so I pieced together my own "moving photo" :) Thank you to esteemed judge, James Moses, for recognizing her excellence and your compliments.

Since the fairgrounds are such a fun place, Lola posed for a few fun photos:

Note: The table in this blog post really only displays well on a pc, not smart phone.

This blogpost is simply to explain why we settled upon PawTree at Pickwick Pugs. The table below compares several brands of dry dog food:
1) Pawtree (chicken, though we really love the duck, turkey, lamb, salmon, trout, or whitefish)
2) Purina ProPlan
3) Nutrish
4) Origen Original
5) Royal Canin - Pug
6) Victor Select
7) Diamond Naturals

There are many other brands of dog food which are good and owners need to make their own decisions on what is best for their own dog. For us, with pugs, we avoid ingredients which could be allergy triggering or cause too much weight gain. We also like variety and limited ingredients. At Pickwick Pugs we do include the dry food but we mix it with the PawTree Freeze-Dried Raw (so the protein and ingredients are even better than what is listed in this table). But for the sake of comparison, this post just addresses the dry food.

How do we evaluate dog food? Why did we settle on Pawtree (switching from Origen a few years ago)?

What we are looking for (or avoiding) in a dog food?

• No corn, wheat, soy, artificial colors or flavors, sugar.
• Meat as #1 ingredient
• (For us at Pickwick Pugs, we have one pug sensitive to egg so we avoid egg in ingredients)
• Protein % (between 25-30%)
• No Recalls
• Variety of Flavors yet still Limited Ingredients (if a dog had sensitivity to beef, or chicken, we don't want all the proteins combined together)
• Do the dogs like it?
• Kibble size (pug bite friendly ... not too big, not too small ;)
• Freshness (shelf life - small batches) - Does food have mold ever?
• Cost - We want a good quality but not necessarily the most expensive
• Ease - we prefer foods we can order online and setup ez ships with. For example, many years ago we fed Fromm but Chewy (where we often order supplies) discontinued selling it. We switched at that time to Farmina.

When you see the ingredients for Royal Canin in the following table, you might understand why this brand so often causes ear infections. High sugar intake in dog food can contribute to ear infections. Sugar feeds the yeast naturally present in a dog's body, and excessive sugar can lead to yeast overgrowth, particularly in the ear canals and folds, potentially causing infection. Not only are pugs often predisposed to ear infections, bu, as a breed, they are also predisposed to diabetes and a high-sugar diet, especially combined with a lack of exercise, can worsen the condition. 

We still believe Origen is a good food however, despite the recalls, but it caused loose stools and we prefer the limited ingredients of Pawtree so that we can custom a diet if a pug develops a sensitivity to a particular protein. Plus - and the biggest reason -- there is egg and lentils in Origen. Costwise it is comparable. We included some other popular brands found in pet stores and grocery stores as well to compare quality of ingredients. It is interesting that the food with the absolute worst ingredients (for our needs, or for pugs) is the most expensive and it is unfortunate that it is advertised as appropriate for pugs.

Comparisons of:
1) Cost Per Ounce
2) Variety of Flavors/Limited Ingredients
3) Protein % (AAFCO recommends that the daily requirements for dog diets should contain at least 22% DM for growth and 18% DM for maintenance. Current research states that there is no added benefit to excess protein in the diet. The maximum amount for any life stage should not exceed 30% DM)
4) Bad Ingredients?
5) Ingredients
6) Recalls

Pawtree - Chicken and Oatmeal:
1) Cost Per Ounce - $0.29
2) Variety of Flavors/Limited Ingredients/Misc - Yes - you have turkey or lamb, or duck, or trout, salmon, or whitefish - the kibble size is nice and appropriate for pugs - fresh, made in small batches so doesn't sit on store shelves a long period getting moldy
3) Protein % - 28%
4) Bad Ingredients? - No bad ingredients
5) Ingredients Pros - Meat #1 ingredient; Carrots, Spinach, Apples, Cranberries, Blueberries, Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Broccoli, Parsley Taurine, Chicken, Chicken Meal, Oatmeal, Brown Rice, Pearled Barly,  Millet, Flaxseed, Sea
6) Recalls - No recalls 

Victor Select Chicken Meal & Rice
1) Cost Per Ounce - $0.19
2) Variety of Flavors/Limited Ingredients - Yes
3) Protein % - 33% (but from meal and beans etc)
4) Bad Ingredients? - Meat is not #1 ingredient, Peas are #2 ingredient; lots of fillers
5) Ingredients - Meat is not #1 ingredient (it is Chicken Meal), 2nd ingredient is Peas (it is best to have legumes further down the list and not within top 10 ingredients), #3 ingredient Chicken Fat, then Garbanzo Beans, Sweet Potato, Then lots of things too hard to spell, no real superfoods in ingredients  
6) Recalls - Yes - most recently 2024 (Mid America Pet Food, the manufacturer of Victor, voluntarily recalled all Victor pet food products with a best by date before October 31, 2024, due to potential Salmonella contamination.)

Diamond Naturals Small Breed Chicken
1) Cost Per Ounce - $0.19
2) Variety of Flavors/Limited Ingredients - 2 (chicken and lamb)
3) Protein % -27%
4) Bad Ingredients? - egg (but it does contain meat as 1st ingredient and several super foods - it is not a bad dog food for lower end price and the small kibble size is nice for pugs - it is also the supplier for Costco Kirkland brand dog foods. It is a LARGE company.) If the product ingredients is true.
5) Ingredients - Chicken, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, ground white rice, grain sorghum, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), egg product, dried plain beet pulp, natural flavor, flaxseed, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, L-Carnitine, kale, chia seed, pumpkin, blueberries, oranges, quinoa, dried kelp, coconut, spinach, carrots, papaya, yucca schidigera extract, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product, vitamin E supplement, beta carotene, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid.
6) Recalls - Yes several. 2012 some of Diamond Naturals’ products tested positive for Salmonella contamination. These products included Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice dry dog food, Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food, and Taste of the Wild. There were multiple reports of dogs getting sick with the Salmonella bacteria. Additionally, several dog owners became ill with Salmonella after coming into contact with the contaminated dog food and failing to wash their hands thoroughly afterward.
In dogs, Salmonella infection leads to symptoms such as diarrhea, loss of appetite, fever, lethargy, and vomiting. In severe cases, Salmonella can cause death in dogs. Due to the magnitude of this Salmonella outbreak, Diamond Naturals faced a massive lawsuit that saw the brand suffer significant financial consequences.