The Beauty Regime of a Pampered Pug

Pete's spa days usually include an oatmeal scrub,
full body message, and time to lounge in his
terry cloth robe.

Skin Fold Cleaning
There have been too many times to mention when, while chatting with a fellow pug caregiver, I ask how often she/he cleans their pug's skin folds. The response I get is often riddled with confusion and coupled with disgust (which I totally get).


When I had first read about the cleaning of the skin folds it was enough to turn me away from the idea of getting a pug.  What the hell did it mean to clean a skin fold? What is a skin fold? What is in a skin fold? In the end, it meant nothing but a few wipes now and then, but if it goes overlooked your poor little pug could be in a world of discomfort. 


The skin folds I'm referring are what makes pugs so damn adorable in the first place.  I keep telling Pete, sometimes there is a cost to being beautiful and, for him, that cost is sitting still while I stick my finger in his skin folds (sounds a little odd, I know). Dirt, food, and all sortsa bits of stuff can accumulate in these folds and, if they aren't cleaned, can cause infection, redness, soreness, etc.


It was evident when we adopted Pete that his previous family overlooked this regime due to the redness spilling over onto his poor little face.  I simply went to my vet and purchased some wipes specifically for the job (and you can use them for ears, paws, etc.). It takes two seconds and Pete is happier for it.


Nose Moisturizing
Just like the sub-title suggests, a pug's nose can get very dry (probably due to the fact they can really reach it with their tongue...poor little guys).  While there are many store-bought remedies for this (and some organic, natural, and healthy) I tend to use Coconut Oil.  I use it as a make up remover at night and while I'm spreading it on my face, I dab a little on his nose to keep it moisturized. 


The challenge for Pete is seeing if he can stretch his tongue out far enough to lick it off (as he has a passion for coconut oil) but most of it stays there and when he awakes the next morning, his nose is as fresh and as moisturized as the day he was born!