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Good news from me too. Our two are back home and full of energy! Was very hard to try to keep them quiet and settled last night after being cooped up at the vets. Both had nostrils and palate reduction in the end and definately breathe quieter now. Just have to try to keep them from going mental for the next week or so. The e-collars are hilarious! Thanks for everyone's advice and assurance.

Vet called yesterday afternoon to tell me Herbie had been neutered, they were about to do his nostrils, but it looked like his soft palate was alright - they were going to take another look while he was under the GA. Unfortunately an emergency case had come in and they could not do my girl yesterday arvo so they were doing her this morning which means an extra night at the vets - grrr! Will let you know how they ended up when I hear.

Thanks redandwhite, makes me feel better! And thanks to everyone else for advice and comments! Will let you know what they end up doing (let us know how your guy goes redandwhite).

After a bit of googling I have found that low packed cell volume in humans can be related to strong growth spurts by children, where there is not enough iron to keep up with the growth. Both the dogs have been growing very quickly of late which I guess explains it. When the clinic called they had consulted both the anaesthetist and (I think the term was) "medicine advisor". The anaesthetist said it was nothing to worry about and was not concerned, the other person advised full blood test. I agreed to a full blood test to be sure, but am expecting nothing to come of it.

Hi redandwhite - yep think it was the same vet. It was my gf and her brother who dropped them off and they mentioned another pug there with the same diagnosis who had to come back the next day. The dogs got dropped off again this morning, I just hope this vet will use best judgement, and isn't like the vet puggy puggy described! Actually vet has just called to inform me basic blood tests have shown 5 points lower than normal packed cell volume and advised full blood tests for them both before surgery this arvo. Very strange that BOTH dogs showed exactly the same low packed cell volume. Anyway, I just have to trust the vet at this stage, but concerned that a simple desexing has turned into this.

Thanks guys, Just to be clear, they did not get desexed today - they are now going in tomorrow, so if anything happens with their airways/palate, it will be while they are under GA for the desexing anyway. I initially thought it was some sort of "just in case", but now understand that the vet can only check for problems while they are under GA, and if a problem is found it is safer to fix it then and there rather than another surgery later. I agree with Pug Rescue that the vet will not do it unless they think it absolutely necessary. Hopefully it won't be necessary... Also, I think the vet was specifically talking about "Stenotic Nares", not long soft palate, but will find out in the morning when we take them in again.

Thanks for the advice guys. We have not noticed any probs with excessive panting/foaming nose/fainting etc. that I read are symptoms of a problem. They seem very fit and healthy to me, but we have not gone through a hot summer with them yet. As far as I can tell, since they are going under GA the vet wanted to check while she had the chance and correct if necessary. Apparently the vet said since they do snore and sniffle, there is a good chance that a correction will potentially prevent problems down the track. I think I will take the advice of the vet and let her go ahead if she thinks it necessary.

Hi folks, Our two little pugs are getting on fine, and as expected snort, sniffle and snore as pugs are supposed to. They are 5 and a half months old and my girlfriend took them into the vets this morning to get desexed. The vet who examined them told my gf that we should consider getting their airways cleared while they are under anaesthetic for the desexing. This was unexpected. I know brachycephalic dogs who have problems can get surgery done but did not know that they do it as a matter of course - "just in case". The extra expense is not an issue, however I don't want to have invasive surgery done without very good reason. On the other hand I don't want to not do it only to find in a year's time that the dogs are having troubles. Can anyone give me some advice on this? Thanks, Ben PS The vet could not do the "extra" surgery today, so they have gone home but are being taken in tomorrow morning so we only have today to decide. EDIT: After another chat with my gf, apparently the vet says they examine the airways while under anaesthetic and make a decision then as to whether or not to go ahead with the procedure, based on how severe the blockage may or may not be - but obviously have to ask the owners first before the surgery.

Thanks for the advice everyone. We are well aware of the issues of having litter mates, and having to spend one on one and separate time from each other. We will be walking them separately when the time comes and they are spending some days apart from each other already. We will also be getting them desexed as soon as possible. We have both had experience with puppies before (me with a Staffie actually BigDaz), just not two at the same time! Thanks again everyone.

Hi Everyone, Have been reading these forums for a few weeks now as my fiancée and I have just become parents to two little Pug puppies. They are just on 9 weeks old and we have had them for a week. They are brother and sister litter mates. My question is about their playing/squabbling. We have started training them not to play fight/nip/mouth when they are sitting in our lap or on the lounge with us. We correct them and if they continue they get put back down on the floor and they seem to be learning not to squabble when they are with us. When they are on the floor they play a lot, and some of it looks very rough. Occasionally one or the other will let out a yip, and occasionally they will growl at each other. My question is should I let them play fight like this while they are sorting out dominance, or should I try to stop them when they are rough housing? I understand puppies will play fight and nip and bite each other, but it's hard to tell the difference between playing and actual fighting. If I clap my hands and yell at them they generally stop for a moment or two, but then get back into it again fairly quickly. What do you think? Thanks, Ben