At 22 years old, Winston is the oldest pug in history!
There are some websites online that state (and regurgitate) that a 27-year old pug named Snookie is the oldest pug to ever live – but there are no sources, no records, nor are there any photos.
I’m the pug owner behind this blog, but I’m also a professional photographer in Las Vegas, and on an outing for group headshots for a law firm, I met the company dog – Winston!
There are many accounts of 17 or 18-year-old pugs on reddit and other social media, and even a few stories about 19-year-old pugs, but Winston is the first pug to ever reach the big two-oh with photos to prove it!
In this article, we’ll dive into Winston’s story a little bit more, cover how pugs normally live to be, and talk about how you can help your golden live a long happy life.
Let’s go!
On February 24, 2000, Winston (aka as Winnie) was born.
How Long Do Pugs Normally Live?
Winston is a very special pug, and he’s definitely not the norm.
We’ve covered, “How Long Does a Pug Live?“, 12-15 years is a good benchmark with a recent study citing 13.2 years old for a female and 12.8 years for a male pug. So for Winston the pug to nearly double that mark is certainly impressive!
With all the talk about organizations wanting to ban the breeding of pugs, Winston (and his hooman parents) show that with good training, a healthy diet and under good care – your pug can have a long and healthy life.
Just look at Doug the Pug, not just one of the most popular pugs on Instagram – but one of the most popular dogs, period. He’s also getting up there in age at 12 years old but he’s as healthy as can be whilst touring!
Pssst. Thinking of a gift for the upcoming holidays? Consider supporting this blog with one of my Notorious PUG Shirts.
Winston, now partially blind and deaf, is always with his hooman and spends his days at the law office as a pugalegal 🙃
The 23-Year-Old Pug
So how does a 23-year-old pug celebrate his record-setting birthday? With an allergen-free dog-friendly carrot cake and some quality time with his golden retriever office mate.
Her owner, Jessica, says he’s surprisingly healthy considering his age.
He can’t hear much but he can still move around well (although she’s a bit wobbly when he first gets up) and enjoys daily walks around the yard and/or downtown area (where the office is located).
Since she was diagnosed with some health issues when he was 15, she now eats a Hill’s Prescription Diet mixed with a little freshly prepared chicken scrap, and takes some supplements for her kidneys and joints. Other than a little typical pug shedding and allergies, he’s relatively healthy for his age!
He also gets SQ fluids once a week, which has helped him perk up quite a bit.
We’ve covered a lot of tips in our aforementioned Pug Lifespan: How Long Does a Pug Live Article, but to summarize, here are a few tips to help your pug live a long and healthy life like Winston.
1. Listen to your veterinarian.
This is probably the most important tip. Find a vet you can trust early on, because your vet will know best. You can always get a second opinion as well.
Your vet will know your pug, and have the best recommendations and action plan to keep them healthy for the long run.
This includes various medications such as flea, tick, and heartworm medicines, food and exercise advice, and much more.
2. Listen to your pug.
When my first pug, Benji was a puppy, we spent countless hours researching what the best food for pug puppies was.
Well, guess what?
After a few weeks of us feeding him the “best food for pugs”, he started itching because it had allergens that his body did not agree with.
After a lot of research, we listened to what he was trying to tell us, we talked with our vet about it, whom recommended to removing chicken and turkey at first, and we decided to switch foods.
Right away he loved the new food (salmon), started eating more, and started getting his normal, crazy energy back – with a lot less allergy symptoms!
Just because something is popular for most pugs out there, doesn’t necessarily mean that it’ll be good for your pug, so pay attention to them and how they’re feeling so you can work with your vet to keep them healthy and happy for hopefully 20+ years!
3. Groom your pug regularly.
Keeping their nails, paws, coat, teeth, and ears clean will not only keep them looking their absolute best, but it will also keep them healthy.
Grooming them on a regular basis can also prevent ear infections, gum or teeth issues, or skin issues – which could turn into something worse if not taken care of!
4. Feed your dog a quality dog food.
With Benji, whom I got in college, I was flat broke. I remember buying him the cheapest dog food per pound at Walmart – I think it was Kibbles n Bits. It was one of the only foods he didn’t really like to finish (and we know pugs like food)! And his coat started to look ashy and he started to itch. That was a mistake.
Yes, the cheapest food at Walmart might sound like a good idea at first, but you’ll probably end up paying more in vet bills in the long run.
Not to mention, with a quality dog food, your dog will might be able to live a long and healthy life like Winston!
Talk to your vet, do your research, listed to your pugs body, and feed your pug a good quality food.
5. Exercise your pug regularly.
We know that most pugs are inclined to become obese, so regular exercise can prevent that, as well as keep their heart and body strong.
Even Winston gets regular exercise, and as Jessica says, “Motion is lotion!” for those old bones.
Most people don’t want to adopt an older pug, fearing that their time here could be limited, but Winston goes to show that even if you adopt a 10 year old pug, he could have another 10 years of life still in him!
Pug puppies are tough, they require a lot of things, and a lot of time – do you have the time to potty train your pug? House train? Behavior train? A lot of people think pugs are lazy, but puppies tend to have manic energy and love to chew things around the house if you’re not looking!
There are many sweet pugs out there just like Winston that need good, loving homes and a hooman companion. Don’t know if you’re ready to adopt? You can always foster a senior pug – and who knows! You may end up adopting 🙂
15 is on the high end of the 12-15 year life expectancy for a pug. The average is 13.2 years old for a female and 12.8 years for a male. So if your pug has reached 15 I’d say you’re doing pretty good!
With all the talk of “Will pugs be banned or go extinct?“, it all seems a little silly considering the life expectancy of a pug is higher than your average dog.
Conclusion
Huge congratulations to Winston for being the world’s oldest pug!
At 23 years old, he’s just about doubled the expected lifespan for pugs and he’s still trotting along.
Hhe’s lived so long largely because he’s got great genetics, but also his hooman owner and caretaker, Jessica, has done a great job of taking care of him through the years!
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