Protein-Losing Enteropathy in Pugs: What UK Vet Records Show
Of 51 UK Pugs diagnosed with protein-losing gut disease, 43% died of it, more than half within three months. Diarrhoea was the most common sign.
Written by thecanineledger
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If your Pug has diarrhoea that lasts more than a few days, or a swollen belly, swollen legs, weight loss or vomiting with diarrhoea, see your vet within a day or two. If your Pug is weak, struggling to breathe or collapses, go now.
Our note: This advice is ours. The study reports these signs but gives no owner advice.
Protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) is a gut disease in which protein leaks out through the bowel wall. In UK vet records, 51 Pugs were diagnosed with it between 2017 and 2024. Of these, 22 (43.1%) died of the disease, and 12 of those 22 died within three months of diagnosis (Kathrani et al., Journal of Small Animal Practice 2026).
While PLE is uncommon, the authors cite earlier studies at specialist hospitals in which Pugs did worse with it than other breeds. We haven’t read those. This study looked at the wider picture in ordinary practices.
→ Vomiting and Diarrhoea: When It Can Wait and When It Can’t
1. The study
The dogs. Researchers used VetCompass, a database of anonymised UK primary-care records. They searched the notes of 40,509 Pugs for the term “protein-losing enteropathy”. A specialist in internal medicine then reviewed each possible case.
Funding. The authors received no financial support for the work and declare no conflicts of interest.
2. The signs at diagnosis
| Sign | Pugs with PLE (51) |
|---|---|
| Diarrhoea of some kind | 72.5% |
| Vomiting | 33.3% |
| Poor appetite | 31.4% |
| Swollen belly, fluid in the belly or swollen limbs | 31.4% |
| Drinking more | 25.5% |
| Weight loss | 17.6% |
Age. The median age at diagnosis was 96 months, or 8 years.
Delay. A quarter of the dogs (25.5%) had signs for more than three weeks before diagnosis.
Our note: Asking your vet about a blood protein test for a Pug with ongoing diarrhoea is our suggestion, not the study’s.
3. What happened to the dogs
Deaths. Of the 22 deaths from PLE, 14 dogs were put to sleep and 8 died on their own.
Referral. 41.2% were also seen at a specialist hospital. There was no significant difference in survival between referred dogs and those treated only in general practice. However, the authors warn that with only 51 cases, the study may have been too small to detect a difference. Milder cases may also have stayed in general practice.
Treatment. Dogs alive at three months were more often treated with a steroid and with a medicine that reduces blood clotting. The authors say these treatments “may increase short-term survival; however, prospective studies are needed to confirm this.”
Our note: We name drug classes, not drugs, and give no doses.
4. What the study can’t tell you
Missing details. The records weren’t written for research, so some signs may have gone unrecorded.
The cause. For 82.4% of the dogs, the underlying cause of the PLE wasn’t determined.
Hypothesis only. The authors say their statistical results “should be considered as hypothesis generating rather than confirmatory.”
How common it is. The study set out to collect cases, not to measure how common PLE is in Pugs.
5. If you have a Pug
- Don’t wait on diarrhoea that keeps coming back or won’t settle.
- Watch for a swollen belly or swollen legs, and report them.
- Ask about referral, while knowing this study found no clear survival difference.
Our note: These points are ours, not the study’s.
→ Pug Health: What Australian Vet Records Show About How Pugs Die · → Does Diarrhoea Need Antibiotics? What the Evidence Says
6. What we could not verify
| Commonly said | What we found |
|---|---|
| “PLE is always fatal” | No. 43.1% died of it in this study. Seven dogs lived two years or more. |
| “Referral always improves survival” | Not shown here. The study may have been too small to tell. |
| “Pugs are especially prone to PLE” | Not measured here. The study didn’t compare Pugs with other breeds. |
Sources
- Kathrani A, Brodbelt DC, Church DB, O’Neill DG. Clinical management and outcomes for 51 Pugs reportedly diagnosed with protein-losing enteropathy using VetCompass primary care veterinary data. J Small Anim Pract 2026: VetCompass case series, 51 Pugs, 2017 to 2024. No financial support
Always confirm with your vet before acting on anything on this page.