Brain lesion in Great Dane

Hello Everyone, This may be a long one. I have a really good friend who has two blue Great Danes. The youngest, Skyler, had a terrible hand dealt to her. My friend adored her the first day he brought her home. A week later he had brought her back to the breeder to have her ears cropped. (Please no comments about that it is the least of her concerns) Anyway, the sheriff came and seized all the dogs, like 20 Great Danes. this breeder at one point had been ok but his health was bad and started breeding for money. Eventually, we got Skyler back. Everything was ok, she was a little ditzy, but hey she's a pup. At 1 1/2 years she had a seizure and a week later another one. The breeder apparently knowingly bred two dogs with histories of epilepsy. He is no longer allowed to breed but you know how that is. She is on Phenobarb and had no seizures for six months. Then the clumsiness got worse. He took her in and thought it may be Wobbler's Syndrome. He got thousands of dollars worth of tests and they did not show any problem with her spine. She went off the Pheno. and had a grand mal seizure, trip to the emer vet and valium. She is back on pheno. Her condition is awful. She can hardly walk, sit, anything. My friend has to lift her up to get in the truck. A second opinion is that she has a brain lesion and nothing can be done. Now the problem, I am very close to his dogs and since they lived with me for a short time I love them as my own. And since I know the guy and his history of avoidance of terrible things, I know that he will ignore this for awhile. I am so upset with my little girl's prognosis. If you could see her you would understand just how terrible it is. At 2 years old she can barely be a dog. If she were mine I would have to seriously consider putting her down. What can I do? He is at a point that he won't talk about how she is doing because he would have to face the facts. It is getting more and more difficult to see her as she is getting more and more weak. When she is at the dog park I just want to cry. I usually end up getting too upset and I have to walk away. I want to spend time with her but it is difficult. She doesn't even seem happy. Thanks for reading. I am not sure what I am asking for but I am sure I will find the comments useful. I am very close to them all and if there is anything I can do for her, I know I can persuade him to let me help.

 

I personally think you should try to talk him into putting her to sleep.
I know I might hear it for this, but really, there are no other alternatives, other than letting her suffer forever and be continually doped up to numb the pain.

For me, that would be far worse than just letting go.

Try to find more writings on brain legions and present them to him, also, remind him that he has already done so much for her, that now it may be time to let her go.

It is horrible that this had to happen. Far too many times people get these companions for all the right reasons, only to be disappointed and hurt in the end.

You are a good friend to want to help both your friend and his pup. Just be there for him when he needs you. It could take him a while to heal.

 

Poor skyler, - this is a tough one, I have been there with my cat Sam, so this is very difficult. It is so hard for us to let go, and if our pets could just speak to us to tell us to please just let them go. You are a nice friend. I wish I had someone to tell me when it was time for Sam.

The way I see it is that pets have very simple needs. They love to play, sleep, eat, drink and spend as much time as possible with their family. Once they are no longer able to enjoy these activities, there is a loss in the quality of daily life--and their dignity. It's helpful to try and put yourself in their shoes and think what it might be like for them.

honeybear

 

Sadly enough their right, I would be suing the breeder for one. Knowlingly breeding inheritied diseases into dogs is wrong, costs you and your friend extreme mental anguish, his expensive bills for vets and lab work, and the time your having to deal with assisting the dog in its natural life.

I would video the dog and his abnormal activities for future uses (possibly in court) and advise your friend that putting her down is the most logical thing to do. nothing can be done for her problems, if the meds aren't working, whats left?

I'm sorry yall are in this situation. Maybe this is a hard lesson that others can observe and learn from. ALWAYS do a bacground check and investigate into a breeder before buying form them.

Did he happen to sign a puppy contract??? I have contracts, in mine it states that the dog is to be returned and fully refunded if any hereditary diseases, deformities, or traits are found in ANY puppy. A good breeder would have this clause in their contracts.

 

Sam, good point.
But a good breeder would not have neglected his dogs to a point where the state takes them and makes sure he is never allowed to breed again.

Besides he probably doesn't have any money now that his "hobby" has been taken.

 

Thanks all for the support. I did feel terrible for thinking about putting the dog down, but I think it is the only option. I hope that when my pup's time comes I can be this strong. As for the breeder, he is a very old man who had major medical bills. Even if a judgment was granted I am sure my friend would be pretty far down on the list. I forgot to mention that we know of one other person who has a littermate and that dog also has epilepsy. The Humane Society where he lives is aware of the man and his terrible breeding mess. I just hope someone is checking up on him to make sure he is not breeding. I will try to get a photo of her because she is quite cute in her own little way.

 

((((((((((((((((to you and your friend))))))))). I will be praying for all of you.