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Available Danes
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ZEUS The Beginning
They also
followed advice to change his diet to a higher quality and
read information provided about HOD in giant breeds.
"Z" is now in a
quiet foster home and is able to get up on his feet and walk. Every day
he seems to get a little better. He rests a lot but the swelling in his
legs and joints is much less than 2 weeks prior, though his joints are
still huge and his feet are still very flat.
Comment: "Rescue is seeing more puppies with this problem lately and we would like to comment that diet and care are especially important for Great Dane puppies. Many times puppies are bought with thoughts that they are just like other dogs. They are not! Giant breeds have growing rate problems and other medical considerations. Many times they are taken home without any advice on the special care needed for this special breed and grave consequences can happen similar to the case for this innocent puppy. Feeding cheap, less than quality food (and puppy food is a no no!), over feeding, too many vaccinations, and shots given too young, reactions to inappropriate antibiotics and chemicals, or infection from cropping or undetected wounds are many of the things that can cause these horrific symptoms. Please be informed before getting a Great Dane puppy. And be aware that without proper nutrition and care, these puppies are the ones that suffer gravely, some of whom are not as lucky as Zeus and do not survive! Please contact us for any information we can provide to help you make an informed decision before buying that cute irresistible puppy. We are happy to share our educational materials with anyone interested in the best welfare of our breed." Midge Kelly, President/Founder, Great Dane Angel Network Enterprises, Inc. **These are pictures of Zeus 10 days after the other images of him, being down and in terrible pain. Here he is improving by being able to walk now but he is not walking with energy and his feet are very flat. His body is a skeleton but he is on a quality diet with immune boosting supplements and should start to gain weight soon and slowly.**
Foster Update Sept 29, 2003
Zeus has been in rescue for two months. In that time, he
has gone 'down' 3 times with the same symptoms as with his former
owners; fever, loss of appetite, would not drink and could not get up to
his feet or walk. The last episode, on Sept 1, he was rushed to the
Emergency Vet and was administered Morphine for pain and given
Dexamethasone for the inflammation of his joints and legs. The dosage
of Dexamethasone before each 'down' time was being diminished on the
advice of our vets but must have been done too fast for his body to take
over. This week we again began reducing his dosage of this steroid but
at a much slower rate and are expectant that his age and his obvious
current good health will get him clear of this debilitation that befalls
Dane puppies under the age of 7 months.
His back legs are straightening now and the joints are
less swollen. His front legs still look crooked and his joints are huge
but he exhibits no pain and is in fact acting like a happy, healthy
puppy. His calloused elbows and heels are now soft and he has mended
the wounds in numerous places over his body. His hair is growing back
in and is now slick and shiny black. He is putting on weight, doing it
slowly as we would like for him. Zeus is now running, jumping up on the
couch, and trying to trot along with the big dogs! He is learning LOTS
and generally charming the sox off everyone that meets him. His flat
duck feet that used to slap the floor like a seal's feet, are looking
much more like dog feet and are nicely coming up on his toes. His bones
are filling in and it is hoped he is finally on his way to recovery!
He is still on a reduced quantity diet of high quality
food with necessary supplements to help his immune system, to allow him
to absorb the most nutrients, and also to help inhibit accelerated
growth. He is still getting the Dexamethasone which is being slowly
phased out each week until he doesn't take it anymore. His exercise is
not forced and is limited to following his foster mom EVERYWHERE in the
house and outside in the yard so that his joints are not stressed.
He is a very affectionate puppy and learns quickly. He's
great with the resident cat and good with the other dogs. He sits on
command, does a 'howdy' handshake on command, goes into his crate like a
rocket when asked, and comes when called, without exception! He has
just learned to 'speak' when asked. His foster mom is considering that
she might have created a monster of sorts since he now goes around the
house doing impromptu 'howdies' and 'speaking' when he feels like it!
Of course, he is proud of what he has learned. :-)
He is not an obnoxious puppy in anyway. He is beautiful
and sweet and loves affection. He smiles and wags when you look at him
from across the room. He is nicely crate trained and has exceptional
house manners, though he requires being let out often during the day as
many puppies do. At night he calls quietly with one little woof to come
and let him out to tinkle. Yes, that can be at 4am or 5am. But he
never lies about needing to tinkle and he is respected whenEVER he asks
to be let out. He will go willingly back to his bed after that and be
quiet for a (little) while longer. :0)
He is an amazingly resilient puppy and to know him is to
love him very much. It is with highest hope and faith that he is
finally on his way to recovery from a very tough and life threatening
experience. He will be available for adoption at that time.
As can be seen in his pictures, Zeus is filling out and growing like a normal puppy now. He is off all medications and is running and playing and acting like he never was so sick. Now that he is no longer taking the Dexamethasone, he is not drinking as much water and is therefore sleeping the whole night through! Yea! He has continued to have great house manners and is always trusted to be loose in the home while his foster mom is home. He is crated when no one is home and is a happy camper about it. He is learning constantly and quickly. His flapping flat feet are now normal up-on-the-toes lovely Dane feet. :-) And, although still clumsy like a puppy, his gate is much smoother and he now walks with no stiffness. Simply, he is looking good! His body has filled out naturally as he has gotten healthier and his hair has a nice black sheen now.
He is trying to play with the big Danes but is still too puppyish and could get hurt, so supervision is a must. He is very good with the resident cat, never chasing her, never nibbling her. They occasionally touch noses. He is a very quick student and has a good basic vocabulary. He knows the following:
At dinner time, he will go to his dish, sit, and watch the dish be put onto his table. He will watch and sit until he gets the word, "ok", and then he knows he can dive into his food dish and eat! He learned that in only two tries. Not two days. Two tries and he knew it perfectly. He is very responsive and very much wants to please. He will look at you while you are talking and cock his head to the side, waiting for the familiar word he might know. That is very sweet. He is affectionate and loves to be touched and stroked. He plays with certain favorite toys and will happily accept a substitute toy for the occasional inappropriate item that might be discovered in his alligator mouth. He is very easy to live with, except that he does puppy harrassment to the older dogs when they feel like they are finished with the games, and he's not. Supervision required there too. Foster mom thinks he is the brightest, sweetest, handsomest, most wonderful of puppies, with not much predudice. :-) Update Sept 29th 2003 New pictures of him on the road to recovery !! Group Singing !!
Just see the impressive difference in this young man
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WorldWyldWeb.Com |
Zeus
was born on 3-1-03. He is now 5 months old. 10 days before these
pictures were taken, he was down with severely swollen joints and legs
so painful that he couldn't get up. He would bite at anyone that
appeared to reach out to touch him and would scream with the pain. He was bought with a
littermate and taken home with no information about how to care for a
giant breed puppy. He developed HOD (joint and bone problems) symptoms
after the first month with swollen joints and legs, a fever, lethargy
and he stopped eating.
He
was taken to a vet who guessed he had something else, and gave several
drugs that did not help him. He was being kept outside because of his
screaming but was brought immediately inside when we advised he should
be brought in. 
However,
the environment in which he was living, with 2 small energetic toddlers
and a littermate who was not symptomatic and would jump on him, bite
him, and make him scream more, was not one in which he could easily
recover. The decision to let rescue take him was made for his sake in
order to save him. The family had spent a lot of money on him already
and could not afford the further vet care and special diet and care that
would be necessary to save him.
His
coat is full of old scabs and wounds and his elbows are calloused from
lying on concrete. He is on a special raw diet with immune boosting
supplements and is being given no pills or chemicals. Though it is
possible for him to go down again, hopefully, his immune system will
rally to help him get well and he will continue to improve day by day.
He's a very sweet little guy and we know he is trying!
.JPG)
