360 pugs rescued since October, 2005
Little Miss Nacho has been a welcome addition to our home. Since moving in, she has been exploring & finding many new fun and exciting places to sniff out, especially in the backyard. She remains very much glued at the hip and loves to cuddle, particularly at night in the big bed. Early to rise, Nacho does her business in the backyard and comes back in for a quick cuddle before looking forward to breakfast.
She loves her food especially trying new fruits & veggies! Nacho also loves to help out in the kitchen, often waiting for something exciting to fall onto the ground.
Nacho enjoys her daily walks in the neighbourhood and we're working on smiling at the neighbourhood dogs instead of yelling at them. She's slowly learning how to stay calm & to mind her business on the streets.
Little Miss Nacho is such a happy girl & eager to please. She is very food motivated and so smart. Her energy level is impressive, it's hard to believe that this little lady is going to be 9yrs old in July!
Such a delight, it has been a pleasure having Nacho join the family. Thank you to Pugalug for all that you've done to help keep this little lady safe & healthy.
Nacho was returned to rescue after a 4-month adoption period. She would resource guard food and her humans. Her reaction was only at the other dogs and she is fine with people. This didn't happen in her 3-month stay in foster care where her foster parent reported that she got along very well with the resident pugs and other dogs in the park. She didn't play with them but sniffed, then casually waited for her foster dad to move on. To set Nacho up for success in the future, we feel she needs to be in a home with no other animals. We believe she would do well as an only dog in a home with someone who will make her feel safe and loved.
Nacho very affectionate with her humans. She loves cuddles and human companionship. She will snuggle up on the couch next to you but also settle into a comfy bed when she's left on her own. After a long walk in the morning, she is fine with sleeping through the day. She will greet you with a little bum wiggle and bark, and stand up on her hind legs to give you a lick. She loved greeting the children in the park. She would go up, get petted and then wait for a treat. She would occasionally bark at a stranger if they passed by closely or at loud trucks and buses on the busy street. Foster dad worked on keeping her focused and not barking.
Everyone who meets her falls in love with her. In her recent adoptive home she was such good friends with the neighbours that the 8-year old girl actually came to say goodbye when Nacho left to come back into rescue. The girl's dad and the adoptive family were heartbroken. They all feel Nacho is a great dog with people.
When Nacho first came into rescue at the end of May, she had infections due to allergic reactions. She was on t-shirt therapy for the first little while in foster care -- i.e. wearing a t-shirt when she went out for a walk to reduce the risk of allergy to trees, grasses and pollen. However, she soon didn't need this. Nothing in foster care (a cat free environment), including various foods, triggered any allergy symptoms. She did have a temporary setback in her adoptive home when she started stealing her canine siblings' food. Nacho is now on a special diet from the Rayne company - kangaroo formula - and needs to be kept on it.
Nacho is a smart girl. In foster care she learned to walk well on the lead rather than pulling ahead. In the morning, if she needs to pee, she comes up to your face and wakes you to let you know. She behaved well at her vet visits, being patient and allowing the vet and techs to make their examinations.
Nacho will be a loving addition to a home with no other pets, and a family that will give her the human attention she loves.
Nacho has been amazing since she arrived! We had a very rough start with allergies as Nacho is a bit of a piggy and was eating her new brother and sister's food, causing an instant allergic reaction. After a trip to her new vet (who has fallen madly in love with her) and adding an ongoing medication, she has returned to being happy, smiley and goofy! We also began her fur siblings on the same food as her so there is no chance of her ever eating the wrong food again.
She gets along with her new sister and brother for the most part. Occasionally there is a bit of a competition between her and her brother. However, since we began separating them while they eat, that has calmed right down and they are actually starting to enjoy each other. Her sister loves everyone and seems to enjoy having another dog around that is her size. Nacho has also taught her siblings a great deal, which is just awesome!! For instance, they were afraid to jump up onto our bay window and now all of them will get up there and bark at the world!! It is great to see them all enjoying life!
Nacho is a great snuggler and very affectionate. I love my little shadow and I love all the kisses and rubs that she gives. She has been an amazing addition to our home and has made us laugh every day since she came home!! Thank you so much for selecting us to be her adopted family! She feels like she has always been here and that she was made just for us!!
Nacho came into rescue with infections as a result of allergic reactions. During her foster care she was monitored closely for reactions to different allergens. Nothing has caused an allergic reaction. Her infections cleared and she is now off her medications.
Nacho was put on a special diet from the Rayne company. However, she has tried out different foods while in foster care -- poultry, beef, fish, various fruit and vegetables and no-grain kibble. There has been no allergic reaction to these foods.
She was on a t-shirt therapy -- wearing a t-shirt when she went out for a walk in order to reduce the risk of allergy to trees, grasses and pollen. In the past month she has been going out each day without a t-shirt. We have walked through various parks and environments and there have been no allergic reactions.
Nacho is a very affectionate pug. She will snuggle up on the couch next to me but also settle into a comfy bed when I go to work. She gets a long walk in the morning and then is fine with sleeping through the day until I get home. She greets me with a little bum wiggle, bark and up on her hind legs to give me a lick.
Nacho walks well on the lead. When she first came into foster care, she tended to pull ahead. Maybe it was the new environment, but we worked at having her walk beside me and she quickly caught on to the speed.
She behaved well at her vet visits, being patient and allowing the vet and techs to make their examinations. She loves greeting the children in the park. She goes up, gets petted and then waits for a treat. She will occasionally bark at a stranger if they pass by closely. We have been working on keeping her focused and not to bark. She is not used to a busy street and will get scared with big loud trucks and buses.
In the morning, if she needs to pee, she will come up to my face and wake me to let me know. Nacho is a very smart pug. She gets along very well with the resident pugs and other dogs in the park. She does not play with them but sniffs, then casually waits for me to move on.
Nacho will make a welcome pug addition to any family.
As expected Nacho's follow-up test results were good news. She has been off her ear medication for 2 weeks and the vet says they look fantastic. They're all clear with no sign of infection. Her urine test was also normal and the stim test was negative for Addison's disease. She will go in for her dental in 2 weeks. In the meantime, I've begun to try different foods and there has been no allergic reaction. I'll continue to monitor her over the coming weeks just to be sure.
Nacho has been doing quite well behaviourally too. She has been making great strides on our walks. She was especially happy when she received a new harness - as you can see in the picture. In the past, she had used an over-the-head harness and thus was not pleased with the step-in type that we'd been using. As an extra bonus, the clip is on the side which helps greatly with training her to walk by my side. We've also been working on Nacho's behaviour when strangers pass-by. She has been getting more comfortable with those experiences and only gives a warning bark when startled or if they approach too quickly. Overall, she is quite used to getting lots of attention on the street and thoroughly enjoys all of it!
In the morning, Nacho likes to wake me up to let me know that she needs a pee break. If I do happen to get up first, she goes right to the door and waits. She seems full of energy and inquisitive on the morning walks. She likes to explore, but is never far away from my side. She is also the first to greet me at the door when I come home from work; accepting a head scratch, giving a little welcoming bark, then heading into the kitchen for a treat.
We went up to a farm one day and Nacho could not quite get over all the strange, new animals and smells. When the pony came up to the fence, Nacho sat and stared, but preferred to stay by my side instead of taking a closer look.
All in all, things are going well. Keep an eye out for the next update after her dental work is done.
Very good news for Nacho after her vet visits. Her skin condition has greatly improved. She is no longer itching and no new signs of allergic reaction. At Nacho's first vet visit, she had full anal glands which were expressed. She also had yeast infections in her ears, anal area and vulva. On her second visit, her back end was clean of infection and her ears were greatly improved - only the canal area was still plugged. I'm continuing her ear medication and will take Nacho for a recheck in July, but I'm confident her ears will be all sorted out by then.
Nacho's tear production is within the normal range but, because of the PK in her right eye, she is getting eye lube 3 times a day. She does have tartar build up on her teeth so a dental is scheduled for her in July.
The vet also tested Nacho's blood and the results were generally great! Some of her cortisol readings were a bit off though so we are going to do a urine test and a stim test to rule out any potential problems.
For Father's Day we took Nacho to explore Toronto's Harbourfront. She had a great time and enjoyed the cool breeze from the water. She has started to bark from time to time at strangers. I don't know what is triggering this new behaviour because at other times, she completely ignores people as they pass by. Maybe she is still adjusting to her new environment. I have been using a distracting technique that seems to help, but I will continue to monitor things to try and determine a specific trigger. Regardless of this new barking behaviour, when Nacho meets people, she is happy and goes up to them for a pet, wagging her tail. And she especially likes meeting the kids, which is so cute to watch!
After the day along the harbour, Nacho was tuckered and fell into a deep sleep on the bed until her next big adventure!
Nacho is a delightful 7 year old female pug. She is an owner surrender and is currently being assessed for allergy issues. She is a small pug, weighing about 15 lbs., but loves her food. I'm sure if she had any say in it, she would gain another 10 lbs!
Nacho reportedly has both food and environment allergies. Prior to coming to Pugalug, she had seen a dermatologist to determine specific allergies and possible solutions. She was put on allergy injections and wore a t-shirt when going outdoors near grasses and trees. At the moment, it's unclear if the injections were working or if other options should be explored. Her belly and arm pit colour is blackened from allergic reaction. She has also been using an ear medication for when they flare up. For now, I'm assessing her reaction to everything and keeping a journal on both her behaviour and health.
As a first step to manage her food allergies, Nacho has been transitioned to Rayne's Low Fat Kangaroo-Maint and seems to be doing well on it. Although it is still early, I have not noticed any outbreaks of scratching or itching. I did notice some pigmentary keratitis on her eyes and this may or may not be due to the allergies. Nacho will also need a dental at some point, but it's not an urgent issue at the moment. All of these concerns will be addressed when Nacho visits the vet on June 14th for a general check-up.
In the meantime, Nacho has settled nicely into our household, having started to play with her stuffy toy and greeting me when I come home from work. She is also full of boundless love and energy. She enjoys cuddling up next to me either on the couch in the evening or when sleeping in the big bed. When she wants to show some love, she will walk onto my belly, put her paws on my chest, stare into my eyes and give little licks to my chin. It's incredibly sweet and adorable.
Nacho also gets along great with the resident pugs and I've seen no signs of food or toy guarding. Although she was a little wary on walks for the first couple of days, she seems much better now that she is more familiar with everything in her new 'hood. Today, when some kids came up to say hi, Nacho gave a boy a little kiss on the cheek.
Please be sure to think good thoughts as we navigate Nacho's allergies and we will keep everyone updated as we go along.
