As a veterinarian, I have a soft spot for the Pekingese. They are dignified, brave little dogs with enormous personalities packed into a small body. But that distinctive look, the flat face, the rolling gait, the lion-like coat, comes with a set of health challenges that every owner should understand before and during their time together.
I am not writing this to frighten you. Most of the conditions I see in Pekingese are manageable, and many are preventable with the right care and a vet who knows the breed. My goal here is simple: help you recognize trouble early, because in this breed, early action often makes the difference between a quick fix and a serious problem.
What Are Common Health Problems in Pekingese?
Most Pekingese health issues trace back to three physical features: the flat face, the long back, and the dense coat. These are part of what makes the breed charming, but they also create predictable medical patterns I see again and again in practice.
The Pekingese is a brachycephalic (short-skulled) breed with a long spine relative to its leg length and a heavy double coat. Understanding these three traits explains nearly every health risk on this list, which is why knowing your individual dog’s anatomy helps you watch the right things.
The most frequent concerns I counsel owners about are brachycephalic airway syndrome (breathing difficulty), eye injuries and disease, intervertebral disc disease (back and spine problems), heat intolerance, and skin fold dermatitis. Dental crowding and obesity round out the list, and both make the other problems worse. None of these are guaranteed, but awareness lets you catch issues while they are still small.
Symptoms to Watch For
Because Pekingese are stoic, they often hide discomfort until a problem is advanced. Learning your dog’s normal baseline, how they breathe at rest, how they move, how their eyes look, makes changes much easier to spot.
If you see several of these together, or any single severe sign such as collapse, a closed painful eye, or sudden back-leg weakness, treat it as urgent rather than waiting to see if it passes.
What Causes It
Each condition has its own root, but most come back to the breed’s anatomy combined with everyday factors like weight, environment, and routine care. Here is how the common problems group together.
Airway and Breathing
- Narrow nostrils (stenotic nares)
- Elongated soft palate
- Excess weight crowding the chest
- Heat and humidity
Eyes
- Large eyes in shallow sockets
- Reduced corneal protection
- Hair or folds rubbing the surface
- Dry eye (reduced tear production)
Spine and Joints
- Long back, short legs
- Jumping on and off furniture
- Disc degeneration over time
- Carrying extra weight
Skin and Mouth
- Deep facial folds trapping moisture
- Dense coat over warm skin
- Crowded teeth in a small jaw
- Plaque and tartar buildup
Genetics set the stage, but day-to-day choices either protect your dog or add strain. Weight control, in particular, influences almost every category on this chart.
Treatment and Recovery
Treatment depends entirely on the specific problem, so the single most useful thing you can do is get an accurate diagnosis early. Here is the general path I walk owners through when a concern comes up.
Note the changes
Write down what you see, when it started, and what makes it better or worse. Short phone videos of breathing or movement help your vet enormously.
Book a focused exam
Tell the clinic the main concern so they can plan. Eye and back issues in this breed are often time-sensitive and may warrant a same-day visit.
Allow proper diagnostics
This may include an eye stain test, airway exam, X-rays for the spine, or bloodwork. Accurate diagnosis prevents treating the wrong thing.
Follow the tailored plan
Options range from eye drops and pain relief to weight management or, for severe airway or disc cases, surgery. Give every medication exactly as directed.
Rest and recheck
Many conditions, especially back disease, need strict rest and follow-up visits. Do not stop treatment early just because your dog seems better.
Recovery outcomes are generally good when problems are caught early. The Pekingese tendency to push through discomfort is exactly why your observation matters so much.
Prevention and Home Care
You cannot change your dog’s genetics, but you can reduce the impact of nearly every condition on this list with consistent, sensible care. This checklist covers the habits I recommend to every Pekingese owner.
- Keep your dog lean, since extra weight worsens breathing, joints, and the back.
- Wipe and dry the facial folds regularly to prevent skin infections.
- Avoid exercise in heat and humidity, and never leave your dog in a warm car.
- Use a harness instead of a neck collar to protect the airway and spine.
- Provide ramps or steps so your dog does not jump on and off furniture.
- Brush the teeth and keep up dental checks to manage crowded teeth.
- Watch the eyes daily for redness, squinting, or cloudiness.
- Schedule regular vet checkups, with twice-yearly visits for seniors.
These small daily steps add up. In my experience, the Pekingese who do best are the ones whose owners treat prevention as part of the routine rather than waiting for symptoms to appear.
Safety note: Any sudden breathing distress, a painful or closed eye, or back-leg weakness in a Pekingese should be treated as an emergency, so contact your veterinarian or an emergency clinic right away.
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What you need to know
The Pekingese carries a flat face and a long body, and both features shape its health. As a brachycephalic breed, it can struggle to breathe efficiently, especially in heat or after exertion, so noisy breathing and rapid tiring need attention. The prominent eyes are also exposed and prone to ulcers, dryness, and injury, making any squinting or discharge worth a closer look.
The breed’s long back and short legs place strain on the spine, and disc problems can lead to back pain or weakness in the hind legs. Skin folds around the face trap moisture and may become sore if not kept clean and dry. Keep your Pekingese cool, avoid over-exercise in warm weather, and consult a vet quickly for breathing distress or any sudden eye change.