The pug who 'spins in circles' due to rare disease

Penny the pug struggles to walk in a straight line

A pug diagnosed with a rare disease struggles to walk in a straight line and frequently spins around.

Penny the pug, from Ipswich, has lissencephaly and often spins in circles when moving.

The condition affects the brain and can cause issues with movement and co-ordination.

Penny's owner, Clare Friel, said despite the condition, the pug was very "chilled" and "happy in her own little bubble".

Clare Friel was referred to specialists who diagnosed Penny with the rare condition

"She can't walk straight, so she just spins in circles and she can only spin one way," Mrs Friel said.

"Unlike other dogs, who get really excited when their owners come home and they jump up, Penny couldn't care less.

"She'll run into things, like when she gets out of her bed, she will have to circle around the kitchen a few times.

"When she's out, the dog leads will have been spun so much they are a little bit worse for wear."

She added: "But she's so chilled, I've barely ever heard her bark and she's happy in her own little bubble."

The seven-year-old pug was taken to the vet by Mrs Friel a few years ago and then referred to a specialist in Newmarket.

Penny was diagnosed with lissencephaly, which is very rare in dogs.

Suffolk vet Brian Faulkner said: "Lissencephaly is a disease of the cerebellum - one part of the brain, just behind the back of your head.

"The cerebellum is particularly involved in coordination and movement.

"This disease causes a malformation in the white and grey matter of this area and therefore, that causes abnormalities in movement, and you can get a range of symptoms from circling, in-coordination, even seizures."

Mr Faulkner added that the condition is believed to be genetic, due to its prevalence in pugs.

The family have recently bought another dog, but said Penny is not too fussed about it

Mrs Friel added: "When she was diagnosed the vets said she could carry on normally because it's not impacting her life as that is all she knows.

"When she passes away they can do research if they want to - I just thought if it helps then that would be great."

Penny lives a completely normal happy life along with the family's new pug, Priscilla.

Since getting a second dog, Mrs Friel said the family had realised even more how special Penny is.

"She's so different and calm - I thought this was what a normal puppy was like initially and now I have a normal puppy who is wild," Mrs Friel said.

"Priscillia is a mad ball of energy - she doesn't stop and wants to play all the time while Penny is quite content and wants to sit in her bed all the time.

"She's not really fussed [about other dogs].

"With Priscila, she'll just spin out of her way - Penny isn't stupid."