Welcoming a new member of the research team!

Please help us welcome a new member of the pigmentary keratopathy research team: Dr. Kate Myrna.

Dr. Myrna has a BA from Vassar College and received her DVM from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 2004.  She completed a 1-year internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan and went on to complete a 1-year specialty internship under the mentorship of Dr. Nancy Cottrill in Small Animal Ophthalmology at Angell Animal Medical Center – Western New England. Dr. Myrna then completed a Residency in Comparative Ophthalmology and obtained a Master of Science in Comparative Biomedical Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  She has been an Assistant Professor in Ophthalmology at the University of Georgia since 2010 and has been known to perform interpretive ophthalmic dance for her students.  Kate had the pleasure of living with a spunky blind pug by the name of Wilma and plans to eradicate pigmentary keratopathy in her lifetime.

Previously, Dr. Amber Labelle and Dr. Kate Myrna collaborated on the first study examining the genetic basis of pigmentary keratopathy, which excluded the PAX-6 gene as a contributor to the disease.  Drs. Labelle and Myrna will be moving forward this year on another exciting collaboration to identify the genes associated with pigmentary keratopathy.  

Welcome, Dr. Myrna!  

Thank you!

The Pug Eye Research Team gratefully acknowledges the generous donation made by the Northern California Pug Club to our ongoing research into pigmentary keratopathy.

The Northern California Pug Club's objective is "...to make available the opportunity for people in Northern California to learn more about the Pug breed and to keep them informed of current happenings in the dog world."

We appreciate the NCPC's generosity in supporting our research.  

Happy New Year!

The pug eye research team has exciting news to share with all pug lovers!  You may notice that some changes have occurred on the blog.  First, the blog has a new address (www.pugeyes.com).  Second, you'll notice that we're not using the term "pigmentary keratitis" any longer.  Why is that, you ask?

We are please to announced that the results of our first research study are going to be published in the prestigious veterinary journal, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.  The study, entitled "Pigmentary keratopathy in pugs: prevalence, characterization and risk factors" was accepted for publication this week.  The manuscript will likely be published in 2013.  In this manuscript, we propose changing the name of the syndrome of corneal pigmentation in pugs from "pigmentary keratitis" to "pigmentary keratopathy".  Why is this change important?

The word "keratitis" means "inflammation of the cornea".  To date, there is no scientific evidence to support that corneal pigmentation in pugs is a primarily inflammatory disease.  The word "keratopathy" means "disease of the cornea".  We propose that corneal pigmentation in pugs be described as a pigmentary keratopathy, or PK for short, until the disease can be further characterized.  

In the next few days, we will be updating about the next steps in our research into pigmentary keratopathy in pugs, including some exciting new collaborations, acknowledgement of donations to support our research and more information about what we learned in the first study.

Thank you again to all the pug owners who have graciously allowed their pugs to participate in our project thus far.  Together, we will improve pug eye health!

Pug Eye Research Results

We are please to share that the preliminary results of the study entitled "Prevalence and risk factors associated with the development of pigmentary keratopathy in the pug".

These results were first shared at the Pug Dog Club of America 2012 National Specialty Show in San Jose, California.

Dr. Amber Labelle at the Pug National Specialty Show in San Jose, California.

Dr. Amber Labelle, principal investigator of the project, spoke to an audience of breeders and exhibitors and shared that the total estimated prevalence of pigmentary keratopathy in the pug population is approximately 80%.  She discussed the various risk factors that were and were not associated with the presence of pigmentary keratopathy and the future areas of research that she is planning.

Quilt tag of the beautiful pug-themed quilt presented to Dr. Amber Labelle

Dr. Labelle was grateful to receive a beautiful quilt, handmade by Sharon Zilli and Linda Sekerak recognizing her work.

Dr. Amber Labelle receives a beautiful quilt from the Pug Dog Club of America recognizing her research on pigmentary keratopathy in the pug.

A close-up of the quilt made by Sharon Zilli and quilted by Linda Sekerak presented by the Pug Dog Club of America to Dr. Amber Labelle for her research on pigmentary keratopathy in pugs.

Dr. Amber Labelle then traveled to the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists annual meeting in Portland, Oregon where she presented the formal scientific abstract.  The abstract is now available through the veterinary journal, Veterinary Ophthalmology.  You can click here to read the abstract (Abstract #73: Prevalence and risk factors for the development of pigmentary keratitis in the pug).


We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the Spirit of St. Louis Pug Fanciers Association, the Pug Dog Club of America, the Milwaukee Pug Fest and the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for their support of this important research.

Thank you...data collection is finished!

We are thrilled to announce that we are finished collecting data on the project entitled "Prevalence and risk factors for the development of pigmentary keratopathy in pugs".

This project involved performing eye exams on approximately 280 pugs.  Both AKC-registered pugs at a national dog show and pet pugs were enrolled in the study.  The goal of the study is to document the prevalence of pigmentary keratopathy in the pug population and to report risk factors (such as facial conformation or tear production) that are thought to be associated with pigmentary keratopathy.  The data collected in this study will be used as a basis for future investigations into the cause of pigmentary keratopathy.  The results of this project will be available in Fall 2012.

Thank you to the pug owners who allowed us to examine their pugs this past Saturday, May 26th.  The final group of pugs that contributed to our project really brought smiles to our faces!  Many thanks to the veterinary students that donated their time to assist with the project.  Special thanks to ophthalmology technicians Shari Poruba and Lorri Zoch for their tireless efforts in keeping our supplies organized and keeping Dr. Labelle on track.

Our deepest gratitude is extended to the St. Louis Pug Fanciers Association for their generous donation and support of our research.  Thanks also to the Pug Dog Club of America and the Milwaukee Pug Fest for donating space and allowing us to examine puts at their events.


Stay tuned for the announcement of our next project!

Chubby (left) and Ruby (right) pose with Dr. Amber Labelle, ophthalmology technician Lorri Zoch and three veterinary students on the final day of data collection.  Thank you to all the pug owners who allowed their pugs to participate in this landmark study!  We are looking forward to sharing the results this fall.

Thank you to Milwaukee Pug Fest!

Our deepest gratitude to the organizers of the 8th Annual Milwaukee Pug Fest for allowing us to attend this fantastic event!  Through their generous donation of space, we were able to examine 77 pugs over two days.  This brings us within just a few pugs of our goal of collecting data on 300 pugs for the study "Prevalence and Risk Factors for the Development of Pigmentary Keratopathy in the Pug".

We would like to acknowledge Rick and Debbie Kopaczewski, Pug Hugs, Inc., and the Milwaukee Pug Fest for their generosity in supporting our research.

A special thanks to two veterinarians who donated their time in assisting with data collection this weekend: Dr. Kara Escutia and Dr. Phil Labelle.  We couldn't have done this without you!

As always, thank you to all the pug owners who graciously permitted us to examine their pugs.  You are helping to improve eye health for pugs of all ages and sizes!

Phil Labelle, Amber Labelle and Kara Escutia (left to right) at the 8th Annual Milwaukee Pug Fest.

Thank you to Dr. Phil Labelle and Dr. Kara Escutia for generously donating their time, assistance and expertise.  Also pictured are Dexter (left) and Sheldon (right), the beloved pugs of Phil and Amber Labelle.

Dr. Amber Labelle examining the left eye of a pug at the 8th Annual Milwaukee Pug Fest.  Thank you to all the pug owners who allowed us to examine their pugs!

Pug Fest Day 1: A Success!

Thank you to all the pug owners who graciously allowed us to examine their pugs today as part of our ongoing study on pigmentary keratopathy!  We completed exams on 36 pugs in one day--a new record!

We are looking forward to providing free eye exams for pugs attending the Milwaukee Pug Fest main event tomorrow.

Thank you to all the pug lovers who have supported our goal of improving pug eye health through research on pigmentary keratopathy.