Time for another "catching up" post. A lot of things have happened in the last three weeks. First off, like Sean and Amy, we have added more K-9 joy to our home. Our's comes in the form of two purebred black Great Danes.
They are from a local breeder. We originally went to look at a new litter of Harlequin Great Danes she had just had, but I fell in love with the boy, who we have named Jackson (just "Jack" to us), from a previous litter who at 11 weeks had a wobbly leg do to joint issues. The breeder who had taken him to the vet already assured us that all he needed was some TLC and he would be fine. Getting his sister, whom we have named Zoe, was an impulsive decision based on the fact that I felt that alone with his leg Jack would have issues with George being so big and playful. It's been almost a month now and Jack's leg is all better they way 15 lbs more than when we got them and everyone is exteremely happy.
It seems like someone has always been nursing a cold or a runny nose in our home since December. Sebastian missed school all last week with what only seemed like a cold, but when I took him to the doctor because he was complaining of an earache the doctor diagnosed him with some wheezing which he felt was the same virus that caused walking pneumonia. He prescribed a few days of antibiotics as well as some asthma medicine to clear up his lungs. Within two days Sebastian was back to normal again. Meanwhile, Brie was in California and she came down with a severe sore throat. After telling her of Sebastian's diagnosis I promptly made her an appointment with a doctor for as soon as she got back. Good thing! It turns out she had Strep Throat and with Maddy showing signs of being sick as well they both were prescribed antibiotics. Keegan did manage to avoid getting sick and I am only suffereing from yet another head cold, I'm not sure my sinuses have been clear for a couple months.
Coming up is Sebastian's 10th birthday. We are already gearing up for the occasion. Sebastian is inviting quite a few people this year including all the kids in his SECEP class and the neighbors kids. It's SpongeBob themed again. We are having the party here at our house, it will be the first time we have ever had company (besides John's mom) to the house. My mom should be up from Georgia the week of his birthday and hopefully she will be staying for at least a few weeks. Brie and I have tickets to go see Nickle Creek in Norfolk and PACC (People Amongst Cats & Canines) a local animal orginization I volunteer with is having their first fundraiser of the year and Brie and I want to be there to help show off the dogs they have for adoption.
Lastly, Sean and Amy have set a date for their wedding. On March 6, 2005 they will be wed aboard the Carnival cruise ship "Valor". After the ceremony Brie and I will be joining them on the Valor for a 7 day cruise to the Western Carribbean and Mexico. For them it will be their honeymoon, for Brie and I it will be in celebration of our 15th Anniversary. We might even have our Vows renewed by the ships Capitain. Brie's mom Shirley has offered to fly-in and watch the kids for us. We are all very excited.
Posted by John at March 07, 2004 02:15 PMNo I really didn't think you guys would go into this blind without the proper research. That's why I said it was a stupid question! Our friends just recently lost their beloved Great Dane to some sort of intestinal blockage and I've learned a lot about Dane care and health issues from them. Tony and Trina gave Sampson the best care possible but he still suffered from hip dysplasia and other structural deformities. He was like their child and when he died they were devastated. That's why I'm wishing your two the best possible health. I think they're a beautiful noble breed and they deserve owners like you and Brie and Tony and Trina, who are fully aware of the challenges these dogs present. You'll have to keep us updated with pictures.
Posted by: cindi on March 8, 2004 12:18 PMWhy of course my dear lady!
You don't think Brie would go into this without doing a ton of research first. Our history with rescues made this a very carefully thought out decision.
What we learned was never give Great Dane puppies anything higher than 25% (or 28% depending on who you ask) protein level. Anything higher and there is a tendency for them to grow to fast putting pressure on their joints. The breeder knew this as well, though Jack still ran into the issue of his leg joint growing too fast and getting wobbly until the rest of him caught up. We have switched them from the 25/16 local dog food to Chicken Soup For the Dog Lovers Soul which is 24/14. It came highly recommended from other Great Dane owners and though it was our 2nd choice to Eagle Pack we are very happy with it. It was the best food we could locate without an hour drive. It's $30 for 35 lbs so it's not cheap, but as you mentioned Great Danes are known to be prone to Bloat and other ailments common amongst large breed dogs. Another key factor is that Chicken Soup contains human grade meat as it's primary ingredient not filler or by-products. Beside that they also get Vitamin C supplements. Never give a Great Dane calcium!
Though your concerns are valid the reality is almost any breed has certain medical/behavioral concerns. That's why IMHO if you have small children and adult pets already it is very important to not go out and rescue a dog from a shelter. As I have found out over the last 5 years and 6 rescues almost every dog you get from a shelter is going to have at the least some behavioral issues that make adding them to an already exsistent pack often quite difficult (and unfortunately as I have found out dangerous). Our only successful rescues were Abby the boxer, who was a very young and submissive puppy when we got her, and Eddie, the flat-coat retriever, both who went on to be with families that made them there sole pet.
Posted by: John on March 8, 2004 12:04 PMFirst of all congrats to Sean and Amy for setting a date. It sounds like a wonderful trip and how wonderful for Sean and Amy that you can join them.
Now for the dogs. Your Jack looks just like our Jack - smooth black coat, white chest, same ears - except your Jack will get much larger! I think Great Danes are beautiful but their predisposition to medical issues such as hip dysplasia and bloat concerns me. Here's hoping your two beauties grow up to be healthy, happy and strong. Here's a stupid question which I hope doesn't sound condescending but you do know not to feed them a high protein puppy food such as Puppy Chow right? Sorry, I just had to ask. Again, congratulations, they're adorable.
Posted by: Cindi on March 8, 2004 11:13 AM