Why is my senior pug barking, breathing heavy, and struggling to walk?

I am so sorry your older dog Miss Mattie is experiencing breathing issues and also seem uncomfortable. These symptoms are very worrisome and b/c of the breathing problems alone, I highly recommend having her seen by your vet right away. She could have a number of things going on including: heart disease, an infection, bronchitis, or even just pain from an internal organ issue. We need more information and testing to determine what the underlying problem is so that we can best help her moving forward. I do hope that you can take Miss Mattie in to the vet soon for proper testing and treatment and hope that she can feel well soon! Best of luck moving forward. Take care.

Unfortunately pugs are extremely brachycephalic dogs and it is not rare that they cannot breathe properly and fall unconscious due to lack of oxygen. You will need to take your dog to a veterinarian for assessment and an exam. The extremely flat face and nose causes two problems: the opening of the nose is often obstructed and can be surgically enlarged to help with breathing. Also the soft palate is often way to big as there is no snout, and often obstructs the larynx, cutting off the air flow. This can be surgically adjusted. Both these conditions can also cause heart failure. Please take your dog to a veterinarian or veterinary surgeon for an exam soon.

No, it's not her age, she is suffering from respiratory distress and it could be caused by various conditions such as heart failure, heartworm or lung infection, you need to take her to the vet ASAP in order to get it checked and treated.

I am so sorry that your elderly pug is so ill. Her symptoms are highly suggestive of underlying heart disease or even pneumonia. I would highly recommend taking her to your vet for an exam and some diagnostic testing (i.e. bloodwork or x-rays) and to discuss quality of life. : ( Poor Luxy. I hope that she ultimately is able to pull through this and recover. Best wishes and take care.

Unfortunately brachycephalic dogs like pugs (flat nosed dogs) often have breathing problems due to the shape of their head. This can also cause congestive heart failure which aggravates the condition. I suggest you take Neffer to your vet to rule out a heart problem. Your vet will be able to assess why your pug has problems breathing and problems with exercise and will discuss improving air intake by surgical means (e.g. opening the nostrils further, or reducing the size of the soft palate). Panting may also be a sign of Cushing;s disease, which should also be ruled out. This can be done with a blood test.

It is probably seizure activity. Not all seizures are grand mal where they fall over and start paddling. If nothing is found on testing then it is probably idiopathic epilepsy and I would try anti-seizure medications. ( https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951440 )

I’m so sorry Chibbu is sick. It sounds like the cough and limping are better but now the concern is vomiting, diarrhea, and not wanting to move much. The vomiting and diarrhea could be due to antibiotics If he is still on them, it could be due to the diet change (milk can cause upset stomach as most dogs can’t digest it well), or it could be due to whatever is going on. I am particularly worried for organ disease or failure (liver and kidney) and possible cancer. With his age and signs, I would definitely get into a vet if possible. Blood work and X-rays/ultrasound would be a good place to start to find out what’s going on.