When you are reading the ingredients listing in your dog's food -- make sure to avoid sugars.

Sugars can be listed in the ingredients as corn syrup, sucrose, glycerine, caramel, dextrose, fructose, glucose, beet pulp, maltodextrin and molasses. Dogs simply don't need any of these added sugars in their diet.

A high sugar diet can contribute to dog ear infections, as sugar feeds the yeast naturally present in a dog's body, leading to potential overgrowth and infection within the ear canal, particularly if the dog has a pre-existing sensitivity to certain foods or allergies.

Key points about sugar and dog ear infections:

• Yeast overgrowth:
  Sugar acts as a food source for yeast, which can thrive in the warm, moist environment of a dog's ear, causing a yeast infection if there is an overgrowth. 
  
• Food allergies:
  If a dog has a food allergy, even moderate amounts of sugar can trigger an immune response that contributes to ear infections. 
  
• Importance of diet management:
  To prevent ear infections, consider feeding your dog a diet low in added sugars and focus on high-quality ingredients. 
  
• Ear cleaning routine:
  Regularly clean your dog's ears with a veterinarian-recommended ear cleaner to remove debris and excess moisture. 
  
• Treatment options:
  Depending on the cause of the infection, your vet may prescribe topical ear drops containing antibiotics or antifungals.
  

Ear infections can also be caused by other things such as mildew, mold, household chemicals etc. allergies, excessive heat and humidity, an under-active or overreactive immune system.

Read more here.

FYI: One reason we feed PawTree is because there are no added sugars. No corn, soy, wheat, added preservatives. It was designed by vets and nutritionists specifically for dogs with allergies. With limited ingredients (choose duck, OR chicken, OR beeef, OR trout etc. etc.) the food is made in small batches and is always fresh. There have never been any recalls!

DEAR PUG LOVERS!! URGENT!! If you have a chance, please contact your local senators and representative to ask them to oppose some dangerous bills being proposed that would prevent breeders for breeding purebred dogs. If this is passed, of course unethical puppy mills and backyard breeders who do not operate above board will continue despite the legislation, and we all know what that means!

Here is the information from AKC. Please read and contact your Senators!
November 19, 2024

https://www.akc.org/legislative-alerts/u-s-congress-new-senate-farm-bill-includes-dangerous-anti-breeder-proposals-take-action-now/

Congress is back in Washington for the lame-duck session and working to quickly move major legislation, such as the Farm Bill, not completed before the election.

Yesterday, the Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Stabenow (D-MI) released the Senate version of the federal farm bill, The Rural Prosperity and Security Act of 2024, for immediate consideration. Unlike its House counterpart, this bill contains harmful proposals from the Better CARE for Animals Act (H.R.5041/ Senate Bill 2555). Lobbyists for animal rights groups are actively pushing to advance these anti-breeder proposals.

Please respectfully call, email, or even leave a voice message for your U.S. Senators TODAY. 
Ask them to OPPOSE problematic proposals in Senate Farm Bill section 12508.

Instead, ask them to  SUPPORT the Committee-passed version of the House Farm Bill (HR  8467) with NO additional amendments related to dogs.

Thank you for making your voice heard today.  Your action can help protect responsible breeders and purebred dogs.

Easy steps to contact your Senators:

1. Visit AKC’s Legislative Action Center legislator contact page at https://akcgr.org/officials and type in your address/ state to find the names and contact information for your U.S. Senators.    
2. Explain you are a constituent. Respectfully share your experience and concerns as a dog owner/breeder/expert.

Ask them to OPPOSE problematic proposals in Senate Farm Bill section 12508. Instead, ask them to support the House Agriculture Committee-passed version of the House Farm Bill (HR 8467) with NO additional amendments related to dogs.

OPTIONAL: If you wish to be more specific, add the following details:

Ask your Senators to OPPOSE problematic proposals in Senate Farm Bill section 12508 including: 

• Expanding the jurisdiction of the Attorney General (AG) to enforce the Federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Section 20 of this measure gives the AG (DOJ) enforcement authority even beyond what is currently possessed by the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA). This memorializes animal rights/protection groups’ false narrative that conflates dog breeding with animal cruelty.
• The Animal Welfare Act establishes licensing and regulation of breeders and other animal entities: It belongs under the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) with its extensive experience in animal matters. Violations of licensing laws where no crime is committed is a matter for the USDA, not the Department of Justice. Current law, and a recent Memorandum of Understanding between the USDA and DOJ clarify that the Department of Agriculture can and does already work cooperatively with the DOJ in cases where a crime has been committed.   
• Sense of Congress that Federal Courts have authority over violations of the AWA. If Congress had intended the Dept of Justice to have this authority, it would have given it to them when the AWA was first written.
• Allowing the Attorney General to seize any animal for any violation of the AWA or its existing or future regulations and standards–including paperwork violations—irrespective of any harm to the anima
• Allowing penalties of $10,000, each day, per violation, for any violation of the AWA or its existing or future regulations and standards –including paperwork violations.
• Rewards and incentive pay for any person (including unregulated entities)) caring for seized animals. This incentivizes seizure of animals from regulated entities with potential minor violations to be then placed in unregulated facilities. This not only compromises the welfare of the animals; in a case where a crime is suspected, lack of proper documentation, training and record keeping undermines the evidentiary chain of custody.    

Ask them to oppose any added language from Better CARE for Animals Act and the Puppy Protection Act. These measures do nothing to improve the wellbeing of dogs, will create confusion in enforcing the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), and undermine prioritizing proper care and conditions for dogs.

• Remind your lawmakers that the House Agriculture Committee-passed version of the Farm Bill already contains:   
  • Additional resources for USDA to better enforce the Animal Welfare Act (AWA)
  • Requires USDA to report to Congress on existing enforcement with recommendations on improving enforcement and enhancing educational programs and outreach.
  • Improves enforcement of the AWA by requiring any inspector finding unrelieved suffering by animals to report that immediately to local authorities who have jurisdiction over animal welfare in their communities.
  • Language from the Healthy Dog Importation Act, which addresses public health threats related to the import of unhealthy dogs into the U.S., without requiring that all dogs imported into the U.S. be a minimum of 6 months old.

Background

Learn more about the House - Committee passed version of the Farm Bill, HR 8467
Summary of ‘Better CARE for Animals Act’ (H.R.5041/ Senate Bill 2555)

• Circumvents enforcement of dog breeder licensing under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and shifts authority to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). This shift would move oversight authority from an agency staffed by animal experts that focuses on improving animal husbandry; and instead place it with one with little or no animal expertise that focuses on violations as potential federal crimes.   
• Empowers the DOJ to file charges, seize animals and impose penalties regardless of whether USDA has determined or even alleged that there has been a violation of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). (See Senate Farm Bill specifics in bullets above.)
• Could potentially undermine or remove current exemptions from licensing for small hobby breeders, thereby requiring them to be licensed and comply with USDA standards for high volume commercial breeders that are not appropriate for hobbyists.

To learn more, visit www.akcgr.org.

The Truth About Corn in Dog FoodBy Mike Sagman (Dog Food Advisor.com)

Myths About Corn
Promoted by the IndustryMakers and sellers of corn-based foods insist the negative stories about corn are simply unsubstantiated myths and rumors spread around the Internet by uninformed consumers.
The truth is, most of the exaggerated claims extolling the virtues of corn actually originate within the pet food industry itself and are unwittingly propagated by naive and well-meaning pet owners.
Here are some of the most enduring myths about corn promoted by makers and sellers of corn-based dog foods.

Myth #1
Corn Has a Low Glycemic Index

The glycemic index is a way of measuring the tendency of a specific food to raise the blood sugar level of an animal. The higher the index, the greater the risk of an unhealthy rise in blood sugar.
Here are the actual glycemic index figures1 for a few common dog food ingredients…2

• Corn meal (69)
• Brown rice (55)
• Corn (53)
• Oatmeal (49)
• Wheat (41)
• Barley (25)
• Chicken (0)
• Beef (0)

Compared to most other ingredients used in making dog food, corn does not have a lower glycemic index.
Myth #2
Corn Does Not Cause Allergies
Supporters of corn-based products like to point out that corn is one of the least allergenic ingredients in dog food.
And according to some studies, that is probably true.
One report3 found the incidence of corn allergy to be only 14% while another4 places corn at just 3% of all allergies.
Yet to be fair, other reports caution readers not to place excessive value on the accuracy of these studies due to the notable difficulty in confirming the precise incidence of food allergies in dogs.5
In any case, although it may not be a common food allergen, corn still cannot be completely excused as a potential cause.
While searching the Internet for these studies, it’s hard not to notice the thousands of legitimate reports by owners, breeders, forums and veterinary sites reporting corn and other cereal grains as a likely cause of their dogs’ allergies.
And then there’s the (very real) issue of cereal grain quality.
In many cases, problems aren’t so much a matter of allergies to the corn itself but rather to undetected contaminants within that grain.
It’s not unusual to find storage mites, their droppings and expired carcasses in bulk lots of feed grains6. And all of these are known to be notable canine allergens.
So, for these reasons, corn must still be considered a reasonable suspect when investigating the cause of any food-related canine allergy.

Myth #3
Corn Is Highly Digestible

As a whole grain, corn is not easily digestible.
That’s because unless the kernel is first refined into a meal or a flour and then cooked, corn would be very difficult for a dog to digest.
As a matter of fact, corn (and other grains) are only digestible to the extent to which they’re processed.
That’s why even though the grain may be listed as “whole” on a pet food label, it’s nearly always first ground before being cooked into kibble.
And the finer it’s ground, the more digestible corn will be. But also, the higher its glycemic index.
In any case, the industry’s claim that corn is “99% digestible” can be misleading. It’s easy for consumers to interpret that statement to mean corn has a high nutritional value, too.
Unfortunately, that is simply not the case.

Myth #4
Corn Has a High Biological Value

There’s certainly nothing unique enough about corn’s content that makes it a nutritional standout — nothing that can’t be found in — or converted from — some other ingredient.

Not even protein.

When it comes to its protein usability, corn has a measurably lower biological value.

Myth #5
Corn Is Rich in Vitamins and Minerals

Fans of corn also like to claim the grain is high in anti-oxidants and minerals.
High in anti-oxidants and minerals? Compared to what?
Aside from its energy content, corn’s nutritional completeness is certainly not exceptional.
The Nutrient Balance Completeness Score is a measure of how complete a food is with respect to vitamin, mineral and dietary fiber content. The higher the score of a food, the more complete its nutrients.
According to information gathered by NutritionData.com8 from the USDA’s National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, the Completeness Score for corn and a number of other common ingredients are listed here in increasing nutritional value…

• Brown rice (33)
• Corn (34)
• Barley (36)
• Oats (43)
• Quinoa (45)
• Wheat (48)
• Potato (51)
• Peas (53)
• Sweet potato (55)
• Spinach (91)

So, when it comes to judging its vitamin and mineral content, corn is mostly unremarkable.
Myth #6
Corn Is a Superior Source of EnergySome pet food manufacturers like to point out that corn is a better source of energy – especially for working animals – than meat.
However, science proves this to be yet another myth.
Consumers shouldn’t favor a dog food because “protein” is the first ingredient. They should choose a dog food because meat is the first ingredient.
That’s because meat doesn’t just contain protein – it also contains fat.
Corn is mostly fat free. It’s a carbohydrate.
Ounce-for-ounce, science proves meat contains significantly more energy than corn.

The Truth About Corn

So, why is corn used so abundantly in the manufacture of today’s commercial dog foods?
Well, as you’ve just seen, surely not because it could be considered more nutritious.
Then, could corn be “more natural”?
When you study a dog’s natural ancestral history, you won’t find any mention of corn. That is, until the year 1956. For that was the year indelibly marked by the invention of kibble.
So, why did the introduction of kibble bring with it such a dramatic rise in the use of corn in making dog food?
What suddenly made carbohydrates — like corn, grains and potatoes — so popular with the pet food industry?
The truth is…

• Carbohydrates are cheap
• Carbohydrates are vital to the kibbling process

You won’t find corn in commercial dog food because it contributes some unique nutritional property. No, it’s there simply because it supplies cheap calories to the product.
And starchy carbohydrates play a critical role in a process known as gelatinization — a process which is absolutely crucial to the workings of kibble machinery.
Think about it.
How often do you find corn or other cereal grains in a raw or canned dog food?

The Bottom Line
In a nutshell, corn makes any pet food you find it in less expensive to produce. And it does this by diluting a recipe’s more costly meat ingredients.
And that’s OK.
Because corn doesn’t just save money for manufacturers — it also makes dog food more affordable for pet owners, too.
However, to advertise that corn is included in commercial dog food mainly because of its nutritional benefits is misleading — and a gross misrepresentation of the facts.

We feed and only recommend Pawtree. If you'd like to learn more, or order, click here. Click here to learn how to get a discount, free shipping and accumulate Paw Points to use toward free products.

A friend just posted this video of the Pug Dog Club of America's National Specialty in 2000. How fun to look at pugs from the past! Just magnificent pugs.

After the recent and tragic loss of Winston due to diabetes caused by drugs administered to control an ear infection, I felt this post was critically important right now. One of the factors that started this ultimately fatal and tragic end of life, at only 5 years of age, was diet. The owner is not at fault as the food he was fed was what is recommended by many to be a quality food. Royal Canin and Science Diet. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THESE BRANDS, however. As we look at the ingredients listing on each bran in this video (below) you will learn why.

But before you watch the video, here are some quick tips to summarize:

LOOK ON THE BACK OF THE DOG FOOD BAGS. STUDY THE INGREDIENTS LIST.
1) Avoid foods with wheat, corn, soy, artificial preservatives, molds (any box store food that you find at a pet store is made to stay on shelves for extended time periods -- you're going to encounter mold eventually).
2) Look for foods with #1 ingredient as meat. (Not byproduct or meal, but actual meat).
We advise alternating proteins to avoid developing food allergies -- if you got chicken, next time get lamb, or duck, or beef, or turkey etc. That's why you need a brand that provides lots of LIMITED INGREDIENT options.
3) Administer a daily vitamin. We recommend NuVet. We like the powder version and we sprinkle it over each pugs' breakfast.
4) Administer fish oil daily. We give one squirt for each pug over their breakfast.
5) Bath your pug weekly or biweekly.
6) Clean your pug's ears regularly (check daily, and clean as needed).

Pawtree fits all these requirements. Pawtree was recommended to us by a holistic vet when we were dealing with allergies with a pug, and subsequent ear infections. It took about 4 months to see the difference. The food is always fresh -- made in small batches -- and they have never had a recall.

Even with the perfect diet, it is true that there will indeed be some pugs who tend to be "yeastier". While some pugs never seem to need their nose or ears cleaned, there will be others whose nose folds and ears will need cleaning almost daily (with unscented baby wipe -- gently; for ears, we recommend pawTree ear cleaner or one your vet recommends.) These pugs are more prone to developing allergies. Often, if you do the allergy test, these pugs are allergic to something like dirt (yes!) or grass or pollens which, quite honestly, are too hard to prevent. In these situations, we recommend a cytopoint shot which your vet can administer. They don't always work, but we have had 100% positive results with the 2 pugs we've owned over the years who have needed it. We try to stretch it out over several months but sometimes, (seasonal allergies in Fall especially) it really would be more effective if administered monthly. (No meds, though, that can harm them and cause diabetes and damaged liver! Plus the hassle of administering the pills themselves.)

If you're lucky, you can rule out a food allergy with, a) allergy blood work test your vet conducts or b) process of elimination. Again, this is where pawtree is invaluable because they offer so many varieties of limited ingredient choices -- beef, duck, trout, chicken, lamb, turkey etc.

PawTree was actually developed by vets specifically with allergies in mind.

The pug breed, as a breed, is prone to allergies. So, make life simple and just use pawtree. But, if you want to make your own decisions, read the labels as this video explains further.

I will update this post as I get more specific information but I wanted everyone to be aware of something that happened -- so you can prevent this with your dog.

The owner of a pug from the Lemaitre litter (he is 5 now) contacted us recently because her life situation as a widow now, and with health issues of her own, prevented her from being able to give her pugs enough attention. We of course welcomed the pug back, along with his 'brother', another pug a year older they purchased from another breeder.

The Pickwick pug they owned had been healthy all 5 years of his life. The very next day after we were contacted, she noticed he was not feeling well. A vet she consulted then sent him to MS State University and he was admitted into the ER. He was in ICU for a time while they figured out what was wrong.

The final diagnosis was diabetes ketoacidocis and pancreatitis CAUSED BY THE COMBINATIONS OF STEROIDS AND ANTIBIOTICS (more specifics on this soon) prescribed by her vet in Florida for an ear infection. There is also possible liver damage.

The poor pug will now need to be on insulin for the rest of his life, according to the vets at the University along with some other meds. 

We will be getting welcoming him tomorrow and get him settled into his room (which will be our bedroom ... sorry Buttercup, you will have to go back into the main dog bedroom at night now!) This pug was such a sweetheart and I can still remember him as a neonate being scared in the whelping box by one of the robot toys I showed them. The girls and his other male sibling were like "whatever" but it started him. After the 7.5 week temperament tests, the evaluator/behaviorist we paid gave us "homework" with him and we took him everywhere -- the bank drive through, restaurants, church, etc. on solo trips to build his confidence before his "gotcha day" at 12 weeks.

We can't wait to see him, but we know we won't be able to afford to keep him forever so we will begin a search for a forever home who will be willing to monitor his condition. In the meantime, we will be doing a co-ownership with his owner who will be covering the medical expenses. We might also consult the holistic vet we have used on occasions as we have heard wonderful things about her success with diabetic dogs. Who knows? Maybe she will be able to offer a way to wean off the insulin?

For fun, here are a few photos of this sweet boy as a puppy, before gotcha day . . . .

He grew into such a handsome boy! The owner said he is a true lover boy and just wants to be by your side and cuddle all the time.

Here he is in his last training session before gotcha day:

Here he was just born!

Here he is during his 1st week of life!

And here he is 75 days old with his littermates!

Here he is on their first trip to Home Depot!

Here he is with all his aunts when he turned 7 weeks of age:

And here he is with his littermates going to church for the first time -- watching his dad play organ and conduct the choir.

And his first "barrier challenge" at 5 weeks of age!