TAMARA MAE DANES

I had the chance to give this wonderful Great Dane Quinn a Christmas gift in 2007 Quinn got a new baby Brother

                                                     

                                      I want to thank the Sowles Family for letting me give Quinn a new brother    

                                                   PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ

                               THE STORY OF QUINN AND HIS WONDERFUL PARENT'S

My husband and I had been together about 5 years and he and his son really thought we should have a dog. I knew because my husband works out of town for extended periods of time and we only have his son on weekends when he is home, that if we got a dog it was going to be my responsibility. Growing up, both of our families had always had dogs, usually from the local dog pound or humane society. We both like large dogs and had begun to research what breed we thought would be best for our family.

I had had Great Dane, St. Bernard mix dog as a child that I loved. With our life style, me working full time and my husband gone, we couldn’t have a really high energy dog and we wanted one that would really be apart of our family. For months I held strong, no dog. We finally decided that if we ever got a dog it would be a Great Dane, because of their laid back attitude and great personality as well as how well they do with other dogs and people. Even with that decision, I held firm no dog, until our local pet store had Great Dane puppies. My husband said lets just go look. And that is what we did. And I was in love. I wanted a puppy and I wanted it ASAP. We looked in the paper, on line and AKC registered Danes were starting at over $500 and if they had OFA certification it was closer to $2,000.

We both felt that it was not fair to a puppy to be shipped, so we wanted to find a local breeder. The next week in our local Nickel paper there was Great Dane puppies $375. WOW, how can we pass up the opportunity? My husband talked with Jennifer (the breeder) to make arrangements to see the 2 remaining puppies. She actually lived just a few miles from us so we went over as soon as I got off work. There was a very shy smaller male harlequin and then a bouncy female mantle. My heart was stolen by the little boy. Jennifer explained that the puppies weren’t AKC registerable because the Sire was not registered. A friend owned the Sire and she bred 2 of her females to him.

The Dam, who was not there at the time we got Quinn, but she had 3 other adult Danes there, but was making arrangements to sell one to someone at the same time we were looking at the puppies. She also, explained that she usually breeds labs and beagles, which we saw the labs and it was sad. This was definitely a puppy mill for labs and beagles, but we thought, the Danes were her pets so it was ok. She couldn’t remember which littler the male (Quinn as we named him) was from but thought he was born on Valentine’s Day. We decided to take the puppy home right then.

Neither of us had ever purchased a pure bred dog, or had any idea of the questions to ask, or what to expect from a breeder. Quinn was 3 months old and had only been given his first set of shots by Jennifer, so there was no vet record and she wormed him right before we took him home. Little did we know or understand, Quinn had severe ear mites in both of his ears, worms and coxidia from drinking contaminated water.

It took us several months to finally get the coxidia gone from his system. We noticed Quinn really did not have a normal response to pain. He never yelped if you accidentally stepped on his paw or tail. Once his tail was accidentally caught in the door, he didn’t cry. Our vet said it was unusual, but wasn’t concerned. Quinn was a growing puppy and as any Dane puppy owner can tell you, he was clumsy and love to play so he fell a lot. Anyone who knew anything about dogs, which was not my husband and I, always asked if he had problems with his hips. Did he have hip dysplasia? I had no idea. So as soon as he was old enough to get a decent x-ray of his hips, our vet took the films to confirm Quinn has moderate hip dysplasia, but as the vet said, it is common in pure bred dogs especially if they are not show quality and most have little problem until they are older and there are steps that can be taken to help him at that time. Okay, no problem, he is fine.

Quinn has a really good friend named Charmin a Golden Retriever that is about 3 months older than he is. Quinn spent most workdays with Charmin and my dad so he would not have to be by himself while I worked. They played and played and had a great time. At about 6 months old, Quinn really started to have a lot of falling accidents, but we just laughed because they were playing so hard and as his puppy class instructor likes to say, he is like trying to turn an aircraft carrier on a dime. So, it was just part of the Dane clumsy so we thought. Then one day, he really hurt one of his hind legs; he was pulling it and would not put any weight on it. So, I rushed him to the vet, because, he doesn’t express pain, I was really worried.

The vet x-rayed his leg, felt the muscles and thought he may have sprained his knee, but didn’t think he really did any permanent damage. So, he just needed to rest and it should be fine. So time when on and he had probably at least one accident a month that was bad enough that we made emergency trips to the vet. In between those visits, we also had chronic ear infections and colitis from the medication that he had to take to care for his legs or ears.

Just after Quinn’s first birthday, I became very concerned because he just wasn’t walking correctly. It was if his legs or hips were really bothering him. He wasn’t limping but throwing his hind legs out to the side as he walked, almost like a windmill type stride. A relief vet at our regular office thought he may have small tears of his ACL but it wasn’t presenting that way, we needed to give him pain medication and rest and come back the next week. She mentioned a condition called Wobblers that can happen, but Quinn wasn’t presenting with the traditional symptoms. So she wanted us to wait and come back. So we came back the next week and saw the owner of the vet practice. He wasn’t sure but since there had been no improvement he wanted to take x-rays of his legs and neck to see if maybe there was a neck injury causing the funny walk. The vet couldn’t be certain, but he thought Quinn had cervical spondylolithesis, more commonly known as Wobbler’s Disease, he had never actually treated a case or seen one, so he wanted to see Steve Ferreira at Southern Oregon Specialty Vet. Steve is an orthopedist and would be able to tell us what is a result of his knees/hips or what is Wobblers.

Devastated by the diagnosis, we looked on line and just got discouraged, I was faced with the possibility of having to put down my best friend and companion. We got in to see Steve that week, and he did more x-rays and he too believed that Quinn had wobblers, but he also had partial tares in both his ACLs. Steve could see where he thought the vertebrae in hi neck were pressing on the spinal cord, but he had never done the surgery on the neck like that, so he wanted us to go to see a neurologist in Portland, to confirm the Wobbler’s diagnosis and the prognosis, before he wanted to address the tears in his ACLs. Se we went to Portland, to a well respected neurologist in a large specialty clinic, he did some preliminary tests on Quinn and asked to do an MRI to get a better picture of how much pressure is being placed on the cord. Quinn did not have pain in his neck when tested and he seemed to have awareness of where his feet were, which are some of the first traditional signs of wobblers. So, we agreed to the MRI. Quinn was to stay there for the morning and early afternoon and we would pick him up that evening. We waited, and waited, and waited and finally after 7 pm we finally got a call telling us that the doctor thinks he may of done more damage while taking the x-ray so he needs Quinn to be fully awake and not under any anesthesia effects before he will release him. So we could not get him until the next day. At this point I had never left Quinn over night, except with my parents or in laws. And he had never stayed the night at the vet’s office. I cried and cried. How could they have possibly hurt my dog?

So, we went to pick him up the next morning. The neurologist explained that he does not like to treat large dogs because they are hard to examine because of their strength, difficulty to fit in MRI etc. He spent the better part of 30 minutes telling us why he did not want to treat Quinn, but he did have Wobblers and it was pressing on 2 areas of his spinal cord. But we needed to go get his knees fixed and don’t worry about the Wobblers. We paid the nearly $3,000 bill for the MRI, x-rays, exam and over night’s stay and went home to deal with his knees.

We met with Steve Ferreira again. Steve was very concerned with how we were treated by the doctor in Portland, but felt comfortable by the doctor’s reputation with proceeding with the knee surgeries. Steve explained that with proper care a dog can live with mild wobblers with very few symptoms and if that is the case, having strong knees will allow for that. So Steve evaluated both his knees and decided the right knee was the worst. Quinn had was is called TPLO surgery rotating the top of his lower leg bone to reduce the angle that his bones come together to reduce the risk of re-injury and the damaged portion of the ligament is removed and repaired. A metal plate and screws are used to hold the bone in place once it is rotated. After surgery Quinn had to stay confined to our bedroom for 8 weeks, only going outside for potty breaks on a leash. The first few weeks, he had to be assisted with a sling to get up and get across the concrete and any slick floor. The first night he was home, he and I lay on our floor and I just cried and with every move I was just his nearly 12 inch incision was going to pop open. At one point there was a crack and I was sure I had let him hurt himself even more. We made the first of many panic trips to the vet to find out he was fine, I was just over protective. But everyone at the Southern Oregon Specialty vet was happy to check the incision, bone etc. At 8 weeks we started the rehabilitation process. Short walks through out the day, stretches to help his hind muscles correct themselves. Quinn started to fall when he was pooping. I was positive I was trying to push him to hard. Steve was confused, because with all of the TPLO surgeries that he has done, falling while pooping is not something that happens. The falling went for occasional to every time he tried to poop he fell. He stopped being able to get up on his own and soon was unable to walk at all without assistance from a sling. Steve was almost as upset as we were, when he told us, he thought the Wobblers had progressed, and we were not going to be able to rehab his knee until we were able to control the Wobblers.

So, 3 months after the first knee surgery, Quinn was headed to the other Neurologist in the state. Steve agreed with us, that going back to the first neurologist was not going to be in the best interest of Quinn. At the point, we made it to Steve Skinner’s office; we were facing the grim reality that Quinn may have to be put down. I had the largest knot in my stomach the whole way to Portland. We got the Dr. Skinner’s office and I don’t know who was more nervous Quinn or I. We met with Dr. Skinner, who immediately got on the floor with Quinn and loved on him while he asked us the questions of what had been happening. He did many of the same basic tests as the first neurologist, but this time he was very delayed with correcting his feet. I was sure this was going to be the end. Dr. Skinner looked at me with tears in my eyes and said Quinn could have surgery to remove the section of ligament pressing on his spine. He said that he wanted to do a mylogram and review the MRI from the previous neurologist and let us know for sure. At this point, my main concern and question, would Quinn be able to play and have a normal happy dog life after the surgery. Dr. Skinner said absolutely. He would be able to run and play with other dogs in no time at all. I cried and they took Quinn to the back and would let us know in the afternoon. We got a call that afternoon explaining that it was what Dr. Skinner thought and they would like to keep him and do surgery on Monday. (It was Friday). They would keep Quinn and he would need to stay for about a week. They said I could visit or call because we were so far away any time. I called every day, most days once in the morning and once in the afternoon. The staff was always very helpful in letting me know if he was resting comfortably, or eating or being spoiled by the staff. Or what accomplishment he made that day. Dr. Skinner called me after the surgery, and when he was ready to be released. I was not prepared for what I was going to see when I picked him up. Dr. Skinner reviewed the mylogram with me and films before and after. Then took me to the kennel area where Quinn was. There was my baby, with a nearly 12 inch stapled incision running from the back of his head down his neck. His neck shaved. My panic thought of what have I done, until I saw him get up with only a little help. I pick him up 5 days after surgery and there was already a noticeable improvement in his ability to walk. He still struggled on slick floors, but it was amazing.

So, we were going to allow him to heal from his neck and then tackle the other knee that still had a partially torn ACL. But we thought, lets wait, but this time it was nearly September and the holidays were approaching fast. Once we get through the holidays then we’ll do the other leg, or so we thought. Quinn got another ear infection. I took him to our regular vet, only to find out, in the time that we had been dealing with his knee and neck, the practice had been sold. I was keeping an open mind and took him to have his ear treated. I explained that Quinn was allergic to the usual flush that was used. So the vets said just use the Triotic ointment. I explained that the last 2 ear infections required oral medication; the topical had not been sufficient. She wanted to try the topical. So I went home and faithfully tried to wipe the crud out of the ear and apply the ointment. It only got worse, so she had me try Animax. Same result. Quinn has now had the ear infection for 2 weeks. So, try Batyl Otic and oral antibiotics. With in a day, his ear is bleeding; I rush him to the Specialty Vet. His poor ear is full of puss and blood. Dr. Adam Reiss was not sure what was causing it because there was so many pusses, so he wanted to sedate Quinn and thoroughly clean the ear. Which he did and could see the infection but didn’t understand the puss and blood, because the amount of yeast and bacteria really was what you would expect in any healthy dog’s ear. So, he had us continue the topical and oral medication but wanted to make sure the ear stayed clean. Every day we cleaned the ear 2-3 times with saline solution and cotton balls and then placed the medication. Quinn went in for 2 months every week for deep ear cleanings and no change. Adam began to think that maybe there were food allergy issues but it wasn’t presenting as a typical food allergy. But he was familiar with Quinn from his knee surgery and he had checked him for me several times in my panic attacks. So, he knows Quinn wasn’t a simple dog.

After searching text books, on line and asking colleagues questions, Adam decided we needed to see a dermatologist to get a fresh set of eyes, to see what he may be missing. We took Quinn to Eugene to see Dr. Ashley. She was fabulous. She got down on the floor with him and talked with us, examined the ear, the puss, and discharge. She agreed, that she didn’t think it was food allergies, but wanted to look at the ear discharge under the microscope. She came back in the room shaking her head. She had done thousands of ear cytology’s in her career, and never seen anything like Quinn’s. She said there was not a speck of yeast or bacteria in the ear at all, not even what you would expect in a normal ear. Only puss and silver crystals. Batryl Otic is made with Silver nitrate and she believed that Quinn might be having a reaction to that. So, she wanted us to discontinue the medicine and watch the ear. If it got worse, or did not change we need to come back and look at possibly a food allergy and drastic diet change? Dr. Ashley said she wanted to start off with one change, if it works then it’s the medicine. If not then we can look to other sources. It got better. Dr. Ashley worked with Adam and he did the follow up checking on his ear.

Well, after over 6 months of almost weekly or more frequent vet visits in 3 different cities, my husband and I decided for Quinn and us, we were going to enjoy the holidays before putting him though the last knee surgery. Quinn was getting around really well, he was able to play with his Golden Retriever friends and we just couldn’t bring ourselves to do the next knee surgery. So, we waited. He grew and became an even bigger couch potato. He still would panic at slick floors, because though his Wobbler’s symptoms were dramatically decreased, they were still there. Then, he started having more and more days that he was struggling after playing with his golden retriever friends. So, we were going to bite the bullet and have the surgery as soon as our vacation was over.

Almost as soon as we returned from our vacation, Quinn started to have poop accidents in the house. Quinn only had 1 accident in the house as a puppy and never as an adult. He had an accident on the way out to go potty. We thought he just waited too long. The next week, he had one while sleeping in the hallway. Then the next week in the middle of the night. We knew this was embarrassing for him and wanted to know what was causing this. We took him to our new local vet. They checked him and couldn’t find any reason physically or metabolic that would be causing him to have accidents. They said we should check with the Dr. Skinner to see if this could be a new symptom of the Wobblers. So, I called and we went to see him that week. They x-rayed and examined him, the possible concern with his colon was clear. But they believe he has some nerve damage that does not signal him when his rectum is full. He has good muscle control, and if he takes his time, he will know to poop, but if he doesn’t take the time, he doesn’t get the signal in time. So, at night especially we have to make sure he poops before going to bed and make sure not to feed him to late. While we were there once again I check with Dr. Skinner and he said, getting the knee fixed would only help him maintain his stability.

So, we made the appointment and Quinn had his hopefully last surgery Halloween 2007. Steve Ferreira again did this knee surgery. Quinn has also developed severe arthritis in the left knee with the right knee not far behind. We started Adequin injections 2 weeks after his surgery, in hopes that Quinn will be able to repair his damaged cartilage to make it easier for him to get around, when it’s time to start rehabbing his leg. Steve is also having us give him high doses of glucosamine chondrotin in the form of Dasuquin. And so far Quinn is responding well and is doing great after the surgery and injections.

We have always done as our vet has instructed, we always have fed Quinn quality food, supplements when directed. Most if not all of his problems are a direct result of his poor breeding. I would never trade him for any animal, he is the best, but he has had over 8 months of his 2 _ years recovering from surgery and severe Wobblers. Steve Ferreira, Dr. Skinner and I both believe the damage to his ACL is because of the instability caused by his Wobblers. My husband and I both feel that we chose to bring Quinn into our family and it is our responsibility to give him the best life we possibly can.

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE DOCTORS THAT HAVE BEEN SO WONDERFUL TO QUINN AND HIS FAMILY

           THANK YOU TONYA AND TONY FOR LETTING ME GIVE QUINN A NEW BABY BROTHER

                                          Pictures of Quinn and Baloo

 

                                  QUINN'S 3rd BIRTHDAY PARTY