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4 minutes ago, Theda Baratheon said:

Awwww, lovely. Actually I love really huge dogs lmao. That look more like they belong in a fantasy movie than your front room hahahha. I just love all dogs though tbh. 

I saw this huge bear-like dog (yeah terrible with breeds so don't ask) he other week walking along Strand and people were just stopping in the middle of the crowded road to stare. I always find that hilarious. Problem with big dogs, especially if they have long hair, is the maintenance. They need more exercise, and the grooming takes (most often) a lot longer. I think because of that my family has mostly had smaller dogs so I've grown fond of them. Although we once had a German short haired pointer, who was lovely and soft as clarts. Used to run away from cats, and one time an injured rabbit found its way into the garden, and he just sniffed it as it lay there with broken legs and then scampered off as though he was frightened. Lovely dog he was

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2 hours ago, Sis Who Swears said:

This is not weird, as a dog groomer I can tell you that MANY dog's paws smell like popcorn. No idea why but there ya go, it's not just you.

Yep. Read it's a type of bacteria, yeast or something attracted to dogs and it just smells that way.

Funny that none of my Kees had it though, just my Poms.

At least it's a nice smell :P

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7 hours ago, Theda Baratheon said:

???

My dogs abt medium sized. I just love all dogs though. 

Here he is, my handsome boy 

 

So sweet!  :love:   And I love the scenery too.  Beautiful view!

7 hours ago, drawkcabi said:

He's gorgeous :wub:

I need to take a pic of my Keeshond when she has her front legs crossed. She's always doing it and it always makes her look like such a proper lady.

She's camera shy too though so it's hard getting a good pic.

Benny's a paw crosser too.  It does make them look quite distinguished! 

8 hours ago, Which Tyler said:

They're so cute!  :love:   I guess they're trying (in a very non-violent way) to establish dominance over the other.  There's a lot of worse ways, for sure.

 

For some odd reason, I just love the backs of dogs' heads.  When Benny's looking out the windows or just is turned away from me, I adore the back of his head.  And his paws!  Dog feet are so clever looking.  I could admire his (now healthy looking) pads forever. 

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36 minutes ago, Tears of Lys said:

So sweet!  :love:   And I love the scenery too.  Beautiful view!

Benny's a paw crosser too.  It does make them look quite distinguished! 

They're so cute!  :love:   I guess they're trying (in a very non-violent way) to establish dominance over the other.  There's a lot of worse ways, for sure.

 

For some odd reason, I just love the backs of dogs' heads.  When Benny's looking out the windows or just is turned away from me, I adore the back of his head.  And his paws!  Dog feet are so clever looking.  I could admire his (now healthy looking) pads forever. 

My dog Winter has the biggest knot on the back of her head. I even pointed it out to the vet years ago and she said it was fine, many dogs have them.

I love doggie paws!

But with Winter, I know I'm partial, but I also know I've never seen a dog with more beautiful eyes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/Drawkcabi/000_0483.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v735/Drawkcabi/000_0410.jpg

 

 

 

 

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8 hours ago, HelenaExMachina said:

I saw this huge bear-like dog (yeah terrible with breeds so don't ask) he other week walking along Strand and people were just stopping in the middle of the crowded road to stare. I always find that hilarious. Problem with big dogs, especially if they have long hair, is the maintenance. They need more exercise, and the grooming takes (most often) a lot longer. I think because of that my family has mostly had smaller dogs so I've grown fond of them. Although we once had a German short haired pointer, who was lovely and soft as clarts. Used to run away from cats, and one time an injured rabbit found its way into the garden, and he just sniffed it as it lay there with broken legs and then scampered off as though he was frightened. Lovely dog he was

Your main option for Bear-like dogs would be Newfoundland, St Bernard, Bernese, Leonberger or Tibetan Mastiff - in approximate order of commonality, around here at least. Tal definitely had the ability to stop traffic as a pup, when we wanted to take her into town to socialise around crowds, cars, cafes, farmers' markets etc; but she couldn't cope with the 25 minute walk in, let alone 45 minutes there or 25 to get back home; so took her in her "pram" - she literally stopped traffic as people took photos, or commented on how cute she was - including a pair of WPCs.

Longer hair dogs need more grooming - regardless of size TBH; an othodox collie needs way more grooming than a short haired giant-breed. Of those giant breed bears above, only the Bernese is classified as long haired (IIRC they're the only long-haired giant breed, but don't quote me on that).

I don't think I've groomed Guinness since she was a puppy and we were getting her used to these things; Tal's grooming (currently) takes about 5 minutes once a week. Both only need bathing when they've rolled in something disgusting (now that Tal's legs have grown a bit).

 

As for exercise - again, it depends far more on the breed than the size. Giant breeds all have a form of giantism, and TBH they're putting more weight through their joints than they're "designed" to cope with. (Far from the worst form of genetic deformity that defines dog breeds.) However, it means that they shouldn't be exercised for more than 2 hours a day; even if you're on a walking holiday - and much less for the first couple of years before reaching skeletal maturity. Also, their giantism goes hand in hand with a reduced metabolism; meaning that they need far less; Guinness is knackered after about 90 minutes, and shes half-breed Newfie with GSHPointer (of the utterly manic, untrainable, show-bred variety), Tal can only go about 30 minutes without a good rest. Conversely a Husky-type, Carriage-type or Shepherd-type are designed to go all day; and kinda need 10 hours of exercise a day as that's what they've been bred for over a few hundred years.

 

Oh, and I've no actual problem with smaller dogs at all, I just prefer big bears. My problem is with unsocialised dogs (AKA bad owners) and deliberate genetic deformities that adversely affect the breeds' health. Generally a good idea not to get me started on either of those topics; ETA: nope, not expanding - I refuse!

3 hours ago, Tears of Lys said:

They're so cute!  :love:   I guess they're trying (in a very non-violent way) to establish dominance over the other.  There's a lot of worse ways, for sure.

Nah, it's just convenience - no more an attempt at domination than putting her head, or trying to sit on my lap - it's just cuddling. Quite honestly, my dogs don't really understand the concept of domination or hierarchies; partly because we got lucky with their temperaments, and partly because of specific decisions and actions on our parts when training/socialising them.

 

As for everyone's pic.s - keep them coming, all dogs are gorgeous in their own ways. (Okay, maybe not quite all, but a good 98% anyway)

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  • 4 months later...

My dog Winter is having serious heart trouble

I took her to the vet today because she'd been lethargic, panting heavy, not eating, and coughing some. They did some X-Rays and ultrasounds. Turns out she's got a bunch of fluid completely surrounding her heart. They wanted me to take her to a specialist today, only problem is the specialist is in Annapolis a little over 100 miles away plus over the Bay Bridge which is a nightmare in the summer.

I don't drive, my dad is 88 and can only drive short distances and only if someone is in the car with him. I've been trying to find someone who can take me. Today's out of the question, maybe I can set something up for tomorrow.

The only other option is to let my local vet do a procedure to drain the fluid around her heart, but because they aren't specialists it's much more risky.

I'm pretty nervous and upset right now.

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Awww Drawc.s

 

Have a virtual man-hug; horrible situation.

 

 

ETA: as the previous post on here was me requesting photos; here's an update on Tal (and Guinness and Ali), aged 9 months: https://scontent-bru2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13731544_10153751711682423_2215688530684913064_n.jpg?oh=e99194e468083d2f6a5be91d161d6eaa&oe=5851EB50

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2 hours ago, drawkcabi said:

My dog Winter is having serious heart trouble

I took her to the vet today because she'd been lethargic, panting heavy, not eating, and coughing some. They did some X-Rays and ultrasounds. Turns out she's got a bunch of fluid completely surrounding her heart. They wanted me to take her to a specialist today, only problem is the specialist is in Annapolis a little over 100 miles away plus over the Bay Bridge which is a nightmare in the summer.

I don't drive, my dad is 88 and can only drive short distances and only if someone is in the car with him. I've been trying to find someone who can take me. Today's out of the question, maybe I can set something up for tomorrow.

The only other option is to let my local vet do a procedure to drain the fluid around her heart, but because they aren't specialists it's much more risky.

I'm pretty nervous and upset right now.

I'm so sorry, drawk.  I'm sending you tons of good thoughts and well wishes.

 

 

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21 hours ago, Which Tyler said:

 

ETA: as the previous post on here was me requesting photos; here's an update on Tal (and Guinness and Ali), aged 9 months: https://scontent-bru2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13731544_10153751711682423_2215688530684913064_n.jpg?oh=e99194e468083d2f6a5be91d161d6eaa&oe=5851EB50

Sooooo cute! (or handsome?)  I adore dog faces - so much more expressive than humans, despite being covered in hair. 

21 hours ago, drawkcabi said:

My dog Winter is having serious heart trouble

I took her to the vet today because she'd been lethargic, panting heavy, not eating, and coughing some. They did some X-Rays and ultrasounds. Turns out she's got a bunch of fluid completely surrounding her heart. They wanted me to take her to a specialist today, only problem is the specialist is in Annapolis a little over 100 miles away plus over the Bay Bridge which is a nightmare in the summer.

I don't drive, my dad is 88 and can only drive short distances and only if someone is in the car with him. I've been trying to find someone who can take me. Today's out of the question, maybe I can set something up for tomorrow.

The only other option is to let my local vet do a procedure to drain the fluid around her heart, but because they aren't specialists it's much more risky.

I'm pretty nervous and upset right now.

Oh, no. . .  what a predicament to be in.  If I lived near you, I'd totally take you.  She's probably got congestive heart failure (based on my totally non-scientific WAG.)  My mother-in-law had the same thing.  They put her on a very weak form of digitalis to strengthen the heart muscle, which seemed to work out well. 

Did the vet say what he'd do if it were HIS/HER dog?  What I mean by that is how confident is he/she in his ability to drain the fluid AND how important is it to get her back to eating/walking, etc., as soon as possible.  IOW, how problematic will it be to allow her to continue in this state if, for whatever reason, you weren't able to get her in this week?  (We're already up against the weekend.)

28 minutes ago, Which Tyler said:

That's almost too sweet to be believed.  Maybe I'm just too suspicious. . . 

 

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On ‎8‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 3:05 PM, Which Tyler said:

Awww Drawc.s

 

Have a virtual man-hug; horrible situation

 

 

 

On ‎8‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 5:17 PM, Elder Sister said:

I'm so sorry, drawk.  I'm sending you tons of good thoughts and well wishes.

 

 

 

9 hours ago, Tears of Lys said:

Sooooo cute! (or handsome?)  I adore dog faces - so much more expressive than humans, despite being covered in hair. 

Oh, no. . .  what a predicament to be in.  If I lived near you, I'd totally take you.  She's probably got congestive heart failure (based on my totally non-scientific WAG.)  My mother-in-law had the same thing.  They put her on a very weak form of digitalis to strengthen the heart muscle, which seemed to work out well. 

Did the vet say what he'd do if it were HIS/HER dog?  What I mean by that is how confident is he/she in his ability to drain the fluid AND how important is it to get her back to eating/walking, etc., as soon as possible.  IOW, how problematic will it be to allow her to continue in this state if, for whatever reason, you weren't able to get her in this week?  (We're already up against the weekend.)

That's almost too sweet to be believed.  Maybe I'm just too suspicious. . . 

 

Thank you so much everyone :grouphug: 

I got my cousin to take us to Annapolis today. To Annapolis, on a Friday, in the summer, over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and the temperature got to 100 today and felt like 110. And I had an arctic dog in the car. Luckily we took my dad's car which had air conditioning as my cousin's didn't.

The cardiologist said she has a heart of a size for a dog twice as big as she. I've always known she had a big heart :wub: Her blood pressure was good and her heart rhythm too. She had an echocardiogram too.

The diagnosis, while she has fluid surrounding her heart it's a thin layer. But she has a tear in the left ventricle and a scab as well probably from it leaking. The kind of procedure she'd need to repair it is only done by one veterinary group in the world and they are not in this country. While the fluid around her heart could be drained, that procedure deemed too dangerous for the condition she's in plus the thinness of the layer.

Treatment will be with meds. The doctor gave her a shot of Lasix, as a diuretic hopefully it will get some of that fluid out of her system. Poor girl, after the shot she had to pee twice before we left the Vet clinic and we had to stop twice on the way home to let her get out and pee, then she peed right when we got home. As a comparison, she slept most of the way to Annapolis and didn't stir much and we never had to stop for her.

So for the weekend I'm giving her Lasix pills 3 times a day. If her breathing seems to be getting easier by Monday I'm supposed to reduce that to twice a day. If she seems any livelier by the end of next week I'm supposed to add Benazepril to her medicine regimen.

Did I mention Winter has also lost 8 pounds since last April?

So, with the best case scenario, the doctor said I probably only have a year and a half left with her. :crying: 

I will cherish every moment of it though, same as I did before she got this diagnosis.

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We have 2 dogs Rat terrier and Staffordshire terrier . They both are white with black dots on the body . My dogs are so much naughty that they broke all of my things . My laptop, Shoes, Clothes ,but i love them like kids . One loves to play in water so much that whenever he bath he takes 1 hour to come out from the shower .

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Drawk.s - have another man-hug, sounds like you need it; although that diagnosis really isnt' as bad as it could so easily have been. Good that you got to see the expert, and know where you stand now.

 

12 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

WT,

How much do those dogs weigh? They look enormous. 

Guinness is about 42-44 kg (so that's what? just shy of 100lb?)

Tal is definitely heavier, but I haven't weighed her for a couple of months; probably about 50kg, I expect her to end up in the low 60s kg. We often say that she has the same target weight as Ali.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 5 months later...

This week I sent in my application for a new Keeshond puppy. Hopefully the breeder will have a new litter available in Spring and puppies ready to go home sometime in Summer.

I found a breeder that takes good care of her breeding dogs and puppies, AKC registered, registered with the Capital Keeshond Club too. She screens for common health issues in the breed, and does it as a hobby and love of the breed, not really for money.

Typically she breeds for show dog but I stated specifically that I'm looking for a companion dog and have no problem with a runt of the litter if healthy in all other respects.

I did seriously consider going the rescue route, and looked into that first but only breed specific and Keeshonden are rare, puppies especially, and I'm ready for a puppy again. There are only few and far in between times in the life of someone like myself where the opportunity will be right to have a puppy, I'm not going to begrudge myself that, also I've had Keeshonden all my life, I want another one, I'm still lost and heartbroken over losing Winter.

My other dog Sarge is a rescue and when he passes (hopefully still not for some time) I will get another rescue.

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Oh drawk, I am so excited for you! You don't need to justify buying another Keesie, we all know how much of an animal lover you are and that you have rescued before. It's not unusual to fall in love with a certain breed, if I ever get another dog again it will be a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Can't wait to see pics of your little ball of fluff! :wub:

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