Great Dane's

[hwp]

Re: Great Dane\'s

Danes are BIG dogs. Ours weighed in at 105Kg (236 lbs) a couple weeks ago. He thinks he is a lap dog and loves to cuddle. He never was very active and now he is slowing down as his clock runs down - he is approaching 7 years. The bloating problem is the same for all big dogs. As someone mentioned, the slober is something else. I swear that when ours leaves his water dish there must be half a litre of water still in his mouth that flows out all over the place. Then he shakes his head vigorously and the slober flies. But they are very gentle. It has been fun having a Dane but we will probably go back to a Bouvier for our next dog. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Moon]

Re: Great Dane\'s

Good pic Howard. He is BIG.
Hate to hear about the slober, just hope it isn't too bad. Chunk (the bulldog in my avatar) is a big sloberer. Like you said, after drinking he'll shake his head and slober will fly around everywhere. Then you have to wipe it off his face. So, we know the routine.

Fortyseven2n
Sorry to hear about your loss (of Olympia). I can understand not wanting to go thru that again. The short life span is something we'll have to deal with.

I was talking to a former Great Dane owner last night. Their Dane was named Taurus. They had company from out of town visiting. Taurus came in to see the company for the first time, and proceeded to go over to the lady (Lois) turned and sat right on her lap, with all four feet still on the floor. And he just sat there. Lois has a little dog but had never been around such a big dog. Lois was terrified, but just sat there. Everyone else was laughing both at the look on Lois's face and Taurus, just sitting there, saying, whats so funny...she was in my seat.

Bird,
That is exactly what I was hoping for. A watch dog that will make someone think twice, just by his/her appearance. With a little luck this could work out good for all parties concerned.

Thanks for all the replies.

Moon

 

[Moon]

Re: Great Dane\'s

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( She was truly a gentle giant but dumber than a box of rocks. )</font>

I went thru this thread with my wife last night and we both got a big laugh from that! Friends of ours had a Dalmation (Spotty) that they said the same thing about. Too Funny!

Moon

 

[fortyseven2n]

Re: Great Dane\'s

Moon,
Thanks. Olympia was a good friend and we do still miss her.

Funny thing is that the Dalmatian at the time ( Mountbatten ) was very smart but also very moody. If my Wife did not go out to see him for a few days , he would get mad at her and would not let her pet him or anything. He would just walk away and pout !

Our current Dalmatian ( Dottie ) is pretty dense and wound pretty tight . She tries her best to be a loving dog but she just can't keep still very long . She is also part of the family. Apparently she is more of a typical Dalmatian than Mountbatten was.

Anyway, go ahead and get that dog and have lots of fun. Mine was just a big old puppy at heart. You will have a good companion.

Fortyseven2n

 

[InlineDieselFan]

Re: Great Dane\'s

Great Danes, can sure be good dogs and about all the bad has been said, slobber, short life, bloat, thinking they are lap dogs, lots of food, big piles of poop to sccop up.

They can be and usually are very loving and friendly dogs.

steve

 

[shvl73]

Re: Great Dane\'s

I hope you enjoy the dane, they're great dogs. Ours is Gracie, we got her from a rescue in Old Town, Maine. She was shipped up from Florida. She has some birth defects such as partial deafness (fits right in with our 2 out of 3 deaf Dalmations), she also has under developed eyes (smaller than normal) with the right one being blind. Despite this, she does not know she is "different", she is a real sweetheart and a much loved member of our family.

 

[shvl73]

Re: Great Dane\'s

She is a real cuddle dog and as already mentioned, loves to be a lap dog.

 

[ShiningSky]

Re: Great Dane\'s

What you describe is not bloat. It is called torsion. All large chested working breeds suffer from this. Bloat can happen without Torsion. Torsion always creates bloat so they are different. As a breeder of Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs I know this all to well. Bloat is caused gas building in the stomach and the dogs inability to releave the pressure either by burping or passing the gas. The danger with bloat is that it places and enormous amount of pressure on other vital organs starving them of the blood supply thus causing damage to those organs over the lenght of the bloat.

Torsion is caused by the stomach turning over as described. The torsion cuts off the blood supply to many vital organs creating damage and causing the dog go into shock. If torsion is not caught immediately the dog will usually die due to organ damage.

There is also Spelvic Torsion where the spleen toruses.

Torsion can usually happen within a hour of drinking large amount of cold water or food. These dogs should never be allowed to have access to water below 40 degrees. The cold water causes the stomach to spasm and thus creating the torsion. Never allow the dog to comsume a large amount of water at any time. If the dog is dehydrated then moderate the comsumption of water over a period of time.

These working dogs should always rest after eating for a period of at least a hour to help avoid bloat or torsion. Never allow the dog to roll over on it back after eating or watering. I always make sure that I dogs have a quiet period after eating. I never leave dogs right after feeding them.

If the dog is still intact and is a female you can have the stomach tacked to the rib cage during the spay and thus getting rid of the chance of torsion. If he is a male you can do the same just be more expensive since the neutering does not requiring entering into the dog.

I hope I have not scared you off her but this is the reality of the big and wonderful dogs.

Cheers

David

 

[SCB]

Re: Great Dane\'s

there is a procedure that can be done in an emergency to relieve the bloat long enough to get the Dane to a vet. I don't trust my memory enough to recite it here, but talk with your vet and they will let you know the proper way to deal with it. Another item of concern in Danes is called Wobblers disease. I can't remember the technical term, but that is what got to my Dane. He was just shy of 5 years old and was the most gentle and boneheaded dog I have had. I sure miss him. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[shvl73]

Re: Great Dane\'s

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Keep in mind that larger breed dogs don't usually live very long ( less than 10 years ) . Olympia was only 7 years old and it was a hard loss for us. That is the ONLY reason I will probably not ever have another Great Dane. )</font>
As hard as it can be to lose a much loved member of the family, THEY are not aware of how short a time they have with us. The Danes will repay any affection, many times over.