Your pug is not okay.
It's hard to overstate just how messed up pugs are.
Case in point, researchers from the UK's Royal Veterinary College published findings on pug health yesterday in the journalfinding that the unfortunate critters' squished brains that are too big for their skulls, their spines are messed up, they can barely breathe, and are predisposed toward almost every possible illness.
Worst of all, it's entirely our fault, because humans bred them into this grotesque form for, well, their cuteness. "We now know that that several severe health issues are linked to the extreme body shape of Pugs that many humans find so cute," Dr Dan O’Neill, associate professor at the RVC and lead study author,
. "It is time now that we focus on the health of the dog rather than the whims of the owner when we are choosing what type of dog to own."The news about pug health — or the lack thereof — may shock some, but plenty of folks in the dog breeding and rescue communities have long voiced concerns.