Pug owners are fortunate to have a national breed club (the Pug Dog Club of America, or PDCA) that's dedicated to supporting research into the breed's health problems. Assisting the PDCA in this goal are the AKC Canine Health Foundation and the Morris Animal Foundation.

Along with the AKC Canine Health Foundation, the PDCA is cosponsoring a study to type the DNA of normal pugs. By piecing together the genetic sequence of a normal pug, researchers hope to develop genetic tests to determine which pugs are carriers of, affected with, or free from certain genetic diseases. The PDCA is also sponsoring two research projects on pug-dog encephalitis (PDE).

The AKC Canine Health Foundation, founded in 1995, helps bring together grants from individuals, breed clubs, and corporate sponsors to fund research projects. One of the pug-related research projects funded by AKC Canine Health Foundation will study new molecular procedures to identify a viral basis for PDE. Another hopes to discover the cause of PDE, focusing on the possibilities of genetic transmission of the disease, viral, or autoimmune causes.

The mission of the Morris Animal Foundation is to improve the health and well-being of companion animals and wildlife by funding humane health studies and disseminating information about the results of those studies. An MAF study is currently evaluating a new anti-epilepsy drug that researchers hope will offer advantages over current medications — potential good news for owners of pugs with epilepsy.