My Pug Has Started To Drag and Knuckle Their Back Paws. What Should I Do?

You might have noticed your pug wobble and walk unsteadily, and if you look closely, it might be because your pug's back paws have started to curl or they are dragging one or both of their back paws. This means their nails can get shorter and the top of their paw skin can get damaged and starts to bleed as they graze their paws along the floor.

As a result, your pug might not get as much exercise as normal and they can begin to put on weight. This is likely to be a medical condition called Paw Knuckling. 

Does Your Pug Paw Knuckle?

You might have noticed your pug’s paw curling over - knuckling - and your dog can no longer walk flat on their paw pad. They will likely step on the top of their paw rather than the paw pad, and as a result, the skin on the paw can get scraped and bleed while the nails can get much shorter. Your dog might weave, look unsteady, limp, or drag this knuckling paw. This is all dog knuckling.

If you think your pug is paw knuckling, read more here:

Paw Knuckling: The Causes, Prevention and Treatments

Commonly paw knuckling is a sign of an underlying medical condition, very often for pugs this a medical condition is Pug Myelopathy. It could be another medical condition for your Pug, so get your dog checked out by your vet, however we see Pug Myelopathy all the time, so we will go into this medical condition further below.

Story of Summer, the pug

In January we noticed Summer our pug was showing weakness in her back legs, it was harder for her to get out of bed and she was struggling on her walks. We took her to the vets where she was X-rays and we were told she had Pug Myelopathy. We were given the option to have spinal surgery but due to Summers age, how restricted the recovery would be and the fact the surgery may not even be successful we chose against it.

Read Summer's full story here

Pug Myelopathy

Pug Myelopathy is becoming increasingly common in pugs, and it starts presenting often with paw knuckling in the rear paws.

Pressure on the spinal cord causes neurological symptoms of paralysis. The paralysis can start in the rear paws, and the rear paws will start to curl or the paw will drag. If you would like paw protection like boots to stop bleeding and the nails getting shorter. Find dog knuckling boots here.

Read more here:

Pug Myelopathy: Causes, Treatments and How to Help at Home.

If your dog does have Pug Myelopathy, it's very common for a dog owner to get their dog a wheelchair so they can exercise again. See how they have helped other pugs and their owners. Read more about pug wheelchairs here. 

Excellent Facebook Group

There is an excellent Facebook group called Wheelie Pugs which you can join to learn more about how other pug owners have helped their pugs through this condition. We highly recommend you take a look if you have time.

Find Wheelie Pugs Facebook Group here