The Elder Goblin: Caring for Your Senior Pug Without Losing Your Marbles
One day you blink and your zooming chaos bean is now a slow-moving loaf with a noble beard and selective hearing (which was selective before but now comes with a vet’s note). Welcome to the age of the distinguished gremlin.
Senior pugs are adorable. They’re also needy, creaky, and will still absolutely refuse help while slipping off the sofa like a potato on wheels.
When Is a Pug “Senior”?
Most pugs enter their golden snorting years around age 7 or 8, depending on health, genetics, and snack consumption.
They may not admit it, but the signs start stacking up like unwanted vet appointments.
Common Senior Pug Struggles (Besides Spite)
Joint stiffness/arthritis: The loaf doesn’t bend like it used to.
Hearing loss: Which explains why “come here” gets blank stares… maybe.
Vision problems: Bumping into things or misjudging the leap to bed-level glory.
Dental drama: Teeth may loosen, disappear, or wage full-scale war.
Slower digestion: What once passed like lightning now gurgles in protest.
Cognitive decline: Wandering, confusion, barking at walls—or maybe ghosts?
Weight changes: Either dramatic pudge or the sad shrinky-dink effect.
They are no longer chaos-fueled rockets... they are chaos-fueled teapots on a wobbly shelf.
How to Love & Care for Your Elder Goblin
Vet Visits: Now Featuring Subplots
Biannual checkups are a must.
Ask about bloodwork, mobility checks, and suspicious lumps (they collect them like weird badges).
Keep an eye on breathing—BOAS doesn’t retire, it reinvents itself.
Home Adjustments for Maximum Snoot Support
Orthopedic bed for those weary bones
Ramps or stairs to beloved furniture perches
Non-slip rugs to avoid “floor swimming”
Easy-access water bowls (and frequent, dramatic trips to them)
Keep Them Moving… Gently
Walks stay short and sassy
Let them sniff everything—it’s senior pug therapy
Indoor movement counts (toddling from fridge to sofa still burns a crumb of calories)
And don’t forget gentle stretches or even vet-approved physio. Yes. Gremlin yoga is real.
Feeding the Aged Bean
Senior-specific food—lower calories, softer texture, anti-ageing vibes
Keep portions measured: their metabolism has joined a union and gone part-time
Add omega-3s for joints, probiotics for digestion, and maybe a drop of magic (or salmon oil)
Still watch out for forbidden snacks. They will absolutely still try to eat a bee.
Keep the Brain Busy (It’s Still Got Gremlin Thoughts)
New toys
Low-level puzzle feeders
Trick refreshers (yes, old dogs can learn… if treats are involved)
Snuggle + talk time—they still want to hear about your day, even if they’re pretending to sleep
Final Thought: Chaos, But Make It Wiser
Senior pugs may not leap across the room anymore (unless a rogue sausage falls), but they’ll still fill your heart—and your laundry pile—with love. They’ll nap harder, snore louder, and weirdly insist on staring at the corner for five minutes straight.
Give them patience, dignity, and orthopaedic support. They’ve earned it—with every snort, flop, and chaotic sneeze.
When my eldest, Frankie, started losing mobility in her back legs, I spent countless hours researching dog wheel chair options, and came to conclusion the best option was Walkin Wheels.
The build quality on these wheels was second to none, and options for adjustments are huge. This meant I could tweak the height, width and length to be perfect to her.
In the picture, you’ll see I also bought the extension for front wheels as she would get tired front legs in her old age.
Note, a dog in wheels rules the road, and everyone gets out of the way or gets run over!
If you pug is unfortunate enough to have lost control at the back end, then consider these diapers.
When Frankie lost her movement in her back legs, she also lost a fair bit of feeling a bit further up too. This meant at times, she didn’t alert me to her toilet needs until it was to late.
Initially I tried the disposable diapers, but it proved to be pretty expensive, so I bought a few different reusable ones. Of the ones I purchases, these were by far the best in terms of fit and how they looked after a few washes.
I still believe Frankie enjoyed wearing these, purely for the extra padding around her bottom!
Molly has never been one for a long walk, and when she’s done, she just stops! As a single father, I didn’t want to be pushing a pram as well as having two dogs on leads, so I researched alternative.
Here’s Molly in her Ownpets Pet Sling Carrier! For reference, she’s 7.5kg, and a pretty standard pug size and shape. She fits in this sling with a little room to spare. As you can see, she was quite content in there.
The sling does claim it’ll support dogs up top 9kg, however after 20 minutes of Molly in there, I could certainly tell it was on my shoulder! Brilliant sling though, I always feel she is safe in there.
