excuse my mood

[69.5CUDA]

some times you get hit quick without warning..and sometimes i think its much easier that way...haveing time to think about it and stew over it and debate the posibilitys or the stretching of life..its more than you want to handle

for a few months the vet had told us that my dog possibly had kennel cough....well today we now have only 2 possibilitys :bang: cancer, or heart disease of some kind....soo were looking at a few months or more at best before the time must come to deal with him

date of birth strangely enuf is the 21's after my 21st B-day and in all honesty its the first dog i picked bought and paid for so theres a little more meaning as well...sadly he still acts and thinks he is a pup

got some heart meds we are going to try but sooner or later the time will come :bang:

happy early B-day present [smilie=k:

[IMG]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y31/sh0rtlife/misc/1-picture1328.jpg[/IMG]

 

[thrashingcows]

Yeah that sucks man...I've been through that kind of situation with animals over the years...and it's tough.

I grew up on a farm so I have a little harder out look on animals than my wife....we never spent much on animals...even if they were mans best friend...we had a set limit on "repairs" and if the quote was going to be over that then it was behind the barn for a 22 pill......

Hope he doesn't suffer much...that's the worst to watch them suffer and them looking at you to make it all better and you know you can't......

 

[Moparlady]

Aww, 69.5, I feel so much for you. I am a dedicated animal lover (a retired veterinary receptionist), and, as you have seen on the bottom of my posts, recently lost a dear, dear friend, and, although it has been 1 1/2 yrs, I am still not over his loss. Cruz was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) at the tender age of 2.5 yrs. We amputated his right front leg/shoulder, he had 5 chemo treatments, and he beat the beast for almost 6 yrs! A totally rare occurance, as it is usually a very aggressive and fast disease, no matter what treatments are given. Anyway, at just over 8 yrs. old, the beast came back and got him. He was a Great Pyrenees, and we have had this breed for over 35 yrs. But, he was that special one.....

Bottom line is, no matter how old they are......could be 20 yrs.........it's never long enough. And seeing them suffer is just the worst. I woke up this morning to one of our aged cats (he's around 14) having problems with his kidneys, so there will be a trip to the vet's tomorrow for him. I don't foresee a good outcome, and he's such a sweet old boy.

I send my thoughts and prayers out to you and your sweet old dog, he does look like a love, has a kind face. What breed is he? Part Rott? I hope the heart meds do help him, and he (and you) can get some relief. We lost the Pyr we had before Cruz (his name was Turbo......do you detect a theme here?) to heart disease at just shy of 11 yrs, and it really, really sucks.

Hugs, my friend........

 

[XLR8R]

Man, I feel for yah. I just went through this, if you recall.

 

[ORVIL]

I went thru it to. sometimes it,s better to happen fast and I had to do it that way. Brabny was part wolf and the smartest dogi ever had. when i laid a baby with him no-one came near unles me or mom. and he ofeten took his doghouse for a walk. yup. it wasnt heavy . so i had to make a big one as he grew up and hoped that age would slow him down. he was a cuniven son of a gun but a gentle one. had to do tho. he could flip a cracker off of your tounge and not touch you. .. in the winter the wolves would show up at nite . you would see them and hear them. he was chaines but the howl sent shivers through your spine. i gotta quit . thanks 69.5 you helped me remember something good and thats a good thing.

 

[beeper*71]

Sorry to hear of it 69.5. They are such a big part of our lives and it's so damn difficult to see them go.

 

[J.C. Corbett]

Feelin' for you, pal. Sometimes I think dogs are born to break our hearts, but what they give us more than outweighs it.

 

[69.5CUDA]

rott shep..as a pup..hell up to 3 years old he LOVED to carry bolders..im talking 20+lbs..once tied him to the back of the a-108 and teased him to pull it...yeah he started pulling the van down the perfectly level driveway...loved to chase squirls up the tree..and INTO the tree about 5-7feet off the ground....ove found him teatertottering on the front fence as he had chased the squirl and in his hurrying thought he could scale the fence...up untill the age of 7 he could pull me on my mountain board 3miles in under 10 mins.....loved chewing on brake parts and wire brushes..specificaly wire wheels...loved water....so smart he knows how to play stupid...set food on the floor infront of him and he wont touch it till told he can...and forget dog treats..wont eat em unless i give em to him.....

going to be a long few months to see what happens

my wife has a lead on a 6month old dane...going to have a look tomarow

 

[Moparlady]

Holy crap, 69.5, that is one TOUGH dog! That's the Rott in him, for sure. Although Shepherds are bad for chewing rocks, so that's where that comes from. Boy oh boy, chewing on all of that stuff, it's a miracle he's survived all these years. How old is he anyway?

Don't know what you'd be looking for in a dog, but if you're looking at a Dane, they are a really nice breed, total couch potatoes, and NOT a guard dog. Not a long-lived breed, average is 8-10 yrs. Also prone to some medical problems, including bone cancer (although Rotts are without a doubt #1 on the list for that terrible disease) and bloat/gastric torsion. Obviously, due to their short coat, not a dog that can withstand winters outdoors. Just thought I'd give you a little (unsolicited, I know) help, hope you don't mind. :xl:

 

[69.5CUDA]

well he will be 12? on the 21st...if my math is right..born the 21st after my 21st..btw he has been at about 100lbs for about 8 years..overweight..NOPE muscle mass!!!.....wont miss the dents(cars) but will miss the "CLANG"..he has a HARD head and loved to clip the corners around the cars in the yard and was always catching bumpers..hell of a sound...a yard mutt mixxed with an ox...guard dog..sorta..he liked to peak around corners and stay out of site...let ya get within scaring the holy shit out of you distance and then bark..or even sneak up behind you...sense of humor?

i hear ya on the short span of dane's...wanted one as long as i can remember for one reason or another..these days mostly for there cool attitude and size...

didnt know about the bone cancer issue on the rott's..that sucks...if push comes to shove ill probably be looking for another rott/shep(arnt both prone to hip issues?)..and hope i dont get a "skinny one" our previous shep was a toothpick!!! just tall skinny thing..previous a britteny spanial(papered purebread) was a MUTANT!!! 95LBS nicknamed "bench" she was built like a rott except her legs....and was only about 3 inches shorter than your average rott

i want another "monster mutt" rott/shep rott, newf, to an extent maybe a mastif/shepp?...i refuse a bernard ..drool and hair!

all mine have always been indoor family members..and i welcome the help....i draw my line on size wise as "runt" shep's..anything smaller than that just isnt much of a dog to me any more LOL

 

[Matt43]

Hard thing to go through, I did a couple years ago too. I hope the meds help but if you have to put him down, be there with him when he goes. Don't let the last face he sees be a stranger's. It was very hard on me but it was better for him.

 

[BootHead]

dang, hope the meds help. We have a cool Vet, nearly free cortisone shots (following almost complete kindey failure) until Lisa was ready to let go of her 21 year old cat.

 

[thrashingcows]

I grew up with rotties and they are great dogs...we had one with the twisted stomach...that was a hard one to watch....

Anywaythe last dog I had was a rotty/shep/husky/chow and said to have a dash of coyotie(sp?)....she was the best dog I had ever had...smart smart smart...she knew her colors....shapes and sizes...could jump over 4 feet from a stand still...but she didn't adjust to us having kids so I had to find her a new home....went to a family with 3 teenage kids and she adopted the youngest son who was having social problems....they really help each other out in their times of need.

If I was to get another dog it would be a Heinz57....

 

[Fishy]

Not Maxx!!!

 

[Jester]

nice lookin' dog. Sucks when a pet goes terminal

 

[69.5CUDA]

Not Maxx!!!

yup fishy..were looking at weeks at best....atleast holding out till the end of next week as a minimum but the bloat is bad and the meds..questionable

 

[Moparlady]

didnt know about the bone cancer issue on the rott's..that sucks...if push comes to shove ill probably be looking for another rott/shep(arnt both prone to hip issues?)

all mine have always been indoor family members..and i welcome the help....i draw my line on size wise as "runt" shep's..anything smaller than that just isnt much of a dog to me any more LOL

Yes, both breeds can certainly have hip issues.....any of the large/giant breeds do. Also prone to bone cancer, although we don't see it too much in Sheps. The most common breeds would be Rotts, Danes, Greyhounds, Goldens and Labs. You do have to take into consideration the popularity of the breeds. These are all quite popular breeds, therefore, more of them around, therefore, more cases. I belong to a group on Yahoo, Bone Cancer Dogs, and it floors me how often Rotts are diagnosed. I'd say that 80-90% of our members are Rotts. I know they are a popular breed, but that is still very high.

Our dogs have always been part of the family also, we have no kids......none with two legs anyway! LOL...... And I agree with ya there, a dog just ain't a dog unless it weighs at least 100 lbs.! Mike and I have a standing joke whenever we see a small dog....."Look, there's a "starter dog"! LOL.....

Do you have a definitive diagnosis for Maxx yet? Is it for sure his heart? I hope the meds start to kick in......

 

[thrashingcows]

So true....I call the wee tiny little buggers either "Rat dogs" or "Kick Me Dogs" If your dog has the potential to break bones from jumping off the couch....then it is no longer a dog but a roddent....

 

[Jester]

I'm going to build a nice little coffin for my 20 year old cat, when he goes downhill. Probably have to get him put down at some point... He's too damn healthy to just keel over one day

It's going to be slow. I'll have a little Jester funeral for him in the backyard, by myself so noone can see me cry like a girl.

 

[Moparlady]

I'm going to build a nice little coffin for my 20 year old cat, when he goes downhill. Probably have to get him put down at some point... He's too damn healthy to just keel over one day

It's going to be slow. I'll have a little Jester funeral for him in the backyard, by myself so noone can see me cry like a girl.

Jester, who cares if you cry, it only means you have a heart. And these wonderful furry creatures entwine themselves around our hearts in a flash.....and then, when they leave us, they break our hearts.

I just had bloodwork done on my 15 yr. old cat yesterday, was sure he had either diabetes or kidney disease. His blood panel was picture perfect!! Finding that out was worth the $177!!