Treatment can improve pugs’ PLE survival, study finds
Forty-three per cent of pugs died from causes presumed to be due to PLE.
A new study has explored how treatment can improve the short-term survival of pugs with protein-losing enteropathy (PLE).
Pugs with PLE have previously been linked with higher proportional mortality rates when compared to all other breeds in referral care.
In this latest study, from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), researchers examined the clinical management and outcomes of 51 pugs diagnosed with PLE in UK primary care. The data was collected from the VetCompass programme.
Statistics reveal that 43 per cent of the pugs died presumed due to PLE, with over half of these deaths occurred within three months of the dog’s diagnosis. Sixty-four per cent of these pugs were euthanased, while the remainder had an unassisted death.
For most of the pugs in the study, the cause of their PLE diagnosis was unidentified.
Among the clinical signs for PLE were diarrhoea, vomiting, inappetence, lethargy, weight loss and increased drinking. At the time of death, other signs included pale mucous membranes, seizures and anaemia.
Treatments for PLE are variable, and have included dietary therapy, prednisolone, clopidogrel, cyclosporin and cobalamin supplementation.
The pugs which were prescribed prednisolone or clopidogrel were most likely to be alive three months after their diagnosis. Researchers say this could mean that such treatments can improve pugs’ short-term outcomes.
However, the benefits of the treatments did not persist beyond one or two years after the diagnosis, meaning that further research would be needed for longer-term therapies.
The pugs which were diagnosed with PLE in primary care practice had similar outcomes to those in referral practices. Researchers suggest this could mean a poor prognosis regardless of treatment setting, although this could be due to more severe cases being referred to referral practices.
Aarti Kathrani, lead author of the study, said: “The results of our study will help to increase awareness and highlight the outcome and various causes of death in Pugs with protein-losing enteropathy.
“We hope the results will also help drive much-needed further research into the mechanism, pathophysiology and consequence of this disease, which is needed to help discover effective therapeutic targets that could help improve the prognosis of this guarded condition.”
The full study can be found in the Journal of Small Animal Practice.
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Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
