Hi folks, 1st time poster. My wife & I just got the results of a biopsy taken this past Tuesday and the results were our deepest fear...our beloved Smokey has lymphoma. He is a "tweeney" 17 pound, blue & tan neutered male Doxie who just made 5 last month. We are totally devastated as we are 66 & 67 y/o empty nesters and he is our "baby" with absolutely no health problems ever. Our plan was that Smokey would "bury" me and be the comforting companion for my wife to old age...but that wasn't God's plan.
We are getting into treatment with him this week with the best oncologist in this area, Dr. Andrew Daters, who was head of the LSU Dept. of Vet Oncology until he recently started his practice in our area. We are praying that the treatment regimen (whatever it takes) gives us a few more years and a good quality of life for our precious baby........we love him so much and the pain of our heartbreak is overwhelming.
Any words of encouragement and/or stories of success with this terrible diagnosis would certainly be appreciated by me and his "mom". Thanks.
I'm very sorry to hear the news about your Smokey. While I don't have a personal experience with this, there are people on this board who will be able to share their experiences and be with you as you go through this difficult ordeal. You have come to the right place for support; this board and everyone on it are wonderful, and we are all here to offer words of encouragement and comfort for you.
I am owned by a mini b/t silver dapple named Chilie. She just turned 6 on Friday. They certainly do become our "babies".
Sending rays and prayers to Smokey and you. :comfort:
Beth
Welcome to the board! I'm so glad you found us.
I am so sorry to hear the news about your Smokey. Like Beth, I don't have specific experience with Cancer, but our Penny (almost 5 year old tweenie) has had a rough year with back surgery and immune system disorders (immune system attacked her spinal cord). I can understand how hard this is for you and your wife. We have a great group of people on the board and I know some have experience with cancer. Please keep us updated on how the treatments go and know that we are here to support you.
So very sorry to hear about your Smokey... I have no experience with that type of Cancer, I did however lose my 12 year old Bridgette almost 4 years ago to another kind of Cancer that was caught too late... The outcome was very hard, but it was the best decision to let her go peacefully to the Bridge, as she was too far past any treatment... I hope that your treatments go well, for all three of you... It will be hard, but we are all here for you.... This is a wonderful family here... Rays, Prayers, and Love to all of you... And, give Smokey some special belly rubs... Be strong Smokey... :pray: :heart: :comfort:
I am so very sorry to hear about your baby Smokey also. I do not have any experience with that type of cancer either but I also lost my 15 year old Lhasa Apsa (Chelsey) to cancer which had progressed so far that by the time it was diagnosed, it was too late. Mega prayers and healing rays to Smokey :pray: :comfort: and you...I pray that his treatments go very well. We are all here for you and we welcome you with open arms to our board. Please keep us updated
I am so sorry to hear this - glad you found us - there are many doxie parents here - who think of our furkids as "our kids". Get all the information you can and in your heart - you will do what is best for Smokey. We are here for you and sending rays and prayers. Would love hear more about your little boy -
I'm so sorry! I'll be praying for your Smokey. :pray:
Rays to Smokey and you........
Don't have any medical advice but just to love and snuggle him and bless each day he is there with you. This news must be crushing, indeed, but try to live each day you have with your baby to the fullest.
Major hugs for Smokey and his family. I speak from experience when I say NEVER give up hope and learn as much as you can. Kudos to you for going to a certified oncologist. There are many cancer support groups such as canine cancer comfort, etc. They can offer advice and emotional support, although some really push a holistic approach. My Franky is in remission from both hemangiosarcoma (which is an agressive cancer) and an immune disorder and his "life expectancy" was less than 6 months. I am happy to say that Franky is approaching the 1 year mark!! We opted for chemo, high protein diet and a spleenectomy.
You all are in my thoughts and prayers!
:xfinger:
Dawn
Our deepest thanks to all for the support....we really need it. :comfort: There have been many tears shed in the past three days here :sad10:. I've noticed many comments about the importance of a high protein diet. What about carbohydrates? Should they be low or high? Is Hill's Prescription Diet Canine n/d (canned) a good recommended food. Their hype claims it's "for the nutritional management of dogs with cancer".
Smokey has been on Science Diet Sensitive Stomach (kibble) since we got him at 19 months old and has done very well on it. It has 21% protein and appears to be high in carbs. Should I change. For the past few days, we have been using Cesar Canine Cuisine mixed with his regular Science Diet S/S to entice him to eat. The oncologist said that Cesar was a good food and could be used alone or as a mix with his Science Diet S/S as it contains real meat and has a minimum of 8% crude protein (no mention of carbs).
We're a little overwhelmed at this point. He appears to feel a little better today after his 1st chemo treatment yesterday. It may be the prednisone the oncologist gave us....he has had one dose last night so far.
Again, thanks to all for the support.....we really need it. :grouphug:
We don't have any experience with this type of cancer either. Like Dawn said don't give up, these guys can surprise everyone. Sending you and Smokey HHHHH's & PPPPP's . We will be thinking of you.
Merion & the ZZ's
Smokey chemo update:
We could only hope & pray that our prayers have been answered for now. :pray: After the very first chemo treatment last Monday (11/19), on Tuesday and especially Wednesday...less than 48 hours after his 1st chemo treatment, Smokey's swollen lymph glands disappeared, he's eating like never before, his eyes are big and bright as before and he's playful as ever! :apls: :walk2: I know that part of it is due to the prednisone but the change was miraculous!
When we took him this past Monday (11/26) for his second chemo treatment, our oncologist said his blood levels for everything, including his liver, had returned to normal, his swollen liver & spleen were normal. The bone marrow results from the test taken the 1st Monday before any chemo began showed the presence of lymphoma but the oncologist said his response was "amazing" and he was actually optimistic. I realize it won't be permanent and it's very early in his 6 month regimen but thanks to everyone's prayers and good wishes, it looks like our baby may have a fighting chance at this and have an extremely good quality of life for many months to come until God sees fit to take him to the Rainbow Bridge. Who knows?? Maybe he'll be one of those the Drs. told us have lived 3,4,5 years or more into this thing. We can only keep up the treatments and prayers :pray: :pray: :pray: and try to find what works (food, supplements,etc.).
Our sincerest thanks to all and we'll keep you posted.
BTW, has anyone had any experience with Hills Prescription Diet Canine n/d for dogs with cancer? Is it any good? Is it better for dogs w/cancer as claimed? We're reaching out for anything that will help. Thanks
Wow oh WOW - that is great news !!!! Smokey is so precious - smoochies all over !!! Sending rays that the meds continue to do their job !!! Keep us posted !
Wow! That is fabulous news!
Sounds like you have some hope! Smokey is a very handsome little guy. I really hope the treatment works for him. I don't have any experience with cancer in dogs, but I am no stranger to loss. Last February we lost our little silver dapple Misty at the age of 6 due to a sort of brain aneurysm. It was sudden and devastating to us, as she was our "little girl." We rescued Misty thru Dachshund Rescue of North America when she was only 5 months old, and we are grateful for the time we had with her, even though it was cut short. She was such a silly and happy girl up until she passed away peacefully at home with us right by her side. We also have 9 year old Willy and Alex who are brothers. I've also had three other doxies, all of whom died of old age. So all in all, I have been very fortunate, but suffered losses nonetheless, as is inevitable since we usually outlive our pets.
If you do have to go through a loss, the folks on this board are a Godsend. I could not have made it through the losses I've suffered without their understanding and complete support. In a world that sometimes doesn't understand that losing a pet hurts, the folks here are wonderful. Please keep us posted on Smokey.
I'm so glad to hear that Smokey is responding so well to the treatment. Continued rays and prayers that he will do well with it.
BTW, Smokey is absolutely beautiful! I especially love the first picture you posted of him in the sunlight. What a sweet face! :heart:
OH MY GOSH....GREAT...NO, FANTASTIC NEWS ABOUT SMOKEY'S PROGRESS!!! :hello2: :hello2: I AM THRILLED TO HEAR HE IS DOING SOOOO WELL!!!! I WISH I COULD HELP YOU ABOUT THE DOG FOOD BUT UNFORTUNATELY I CAN NOT. CONTINUED PRAYERS FOR YOU AND BEAUTIFUL LITTLE SMOKEY....
He is a gorgeous dog. I love his coloring. And I too am happy to hear he is doing so well with is treatment.
I checked with a girl I know who was a vet tech. She told me that they had had some dogs on the Hill's N/D and it did seem to make the dogs eat better and they seemed to feel better while on it. I would say try it and see how it goes.
I am glad to hear the treatments are going well seem to be doing a great deal for Smokey.
Sending more HHH's & PPPP's that it continues to look good.
Merion & the ZZ's
boy oh boy are you a handsome little man. So glad to hear all is going great. Most of us on this board have gone through a trauma at one time or other and you could never ever meet such a fantastic bunch of people, plus as a joint group we have healing powers with dachie rays.
Hugs to you both and to smokey. You must tell us something of what he gets up to.
Prayers and dachie rays
Roberta owned and devoted to Oliver and Amy
Way to go Smokey!! :apls: :apls:
.... and you are one gorgeous boy!!
Hugs,
Dawn, Franky, & Delilah
Hi to all you wonderful folks,
Smokey got his third chemo treatment today (Monday 12/3). Here's an excerpt from what his oncologist wrote today:
"Smokey was presented for his next dose of chemotherapy for lymphoma. He has been tolerating his treatments well at home. On physical exam all vitals were normal and he appears to be in complete remission (thank you, God). His CBC looked good and he received his chemotherapy without incident......"
Isn't this a great blessing? We're praying :pray: :pray: that his young age (5) may help him to survive well past the given time of 12-18 months. :xfinger: We got the OK to start to transition him over a week to 10 days to Hill's Prescription Canine n/d food....so far he loves it!
Again, our thanks to all for your support. :comfort:
fantastic news, now Smokey tell your folks they gotta tell us all about you and what you get up to............like chase squirrels.
da gang
Wonderful news!!! We are so glad to hear this :hello2: :hello2: Can't wait to hear stories all about Smokey and his hooman family!
:meme: That is such great news! I hope he truly is in Remission and he has beaten this horrible disease. :apls:
Dear friends,
Sorry I've been away for so long but today is the day that Gail and I had hoped would never come. We write this post with the most heavy, grieved and sobbing hearts. :love9: :sad2: After a courageous one year battle, including continuous periodic chemotherapy treatments that gave him great quality of life, our precious and dearly beloved Smokey, the "grandchild we will never have", has succumbed to his dreaded lymphoma cancer and gone on to the Rainbow Bridge to be with my Janie, Rocky and Prissy; Gail's Freckles, Scrapper and Missy. Our precious Smokey is now together with our Count, Snoopy and Duke who have shared most of our 47 years of married life and brightened each day of that time. They are all now there at the Rainbow Bridge waiting for the day when we arrive so we can all be together again and cross that bridge and be in Heaven together.
While we never know what life holds for any of us, about 2 1/2 years or so after our black & tan Duke went to the Rainbow Bridge 12/18/2001, we began to look for a new best friend. Our plan was that our new "best friend" was probably going to take me to my eternal rest and then be there to help comfort Gail into her elder years........but that was not in God's plan. Smokey had the absolutely best disposition and loving mannerisms of any dog we've ever owned. We have frequently said "everybody loves Smokey" and that is very true. Because of that, we reason that God gives us the best companions for a shorter period of time because He wants the best one's to come back to Him sooner. And so, He took our beloved Smokey back to Him a lot sooner than we had hoped or expected.
We found Smokey, our beloved "blue & tan" Dachshund as we were looking for a puppy a couple of years after Duke left us to go to the Rainbow Bridge. Smokey was residing in a kennel environment in Mandeville, LA and was 17 months old when we first saw him. It took me 2 months to talk the kennel owner into selling him to us and not keeping him as a "stud" dog at her kennel. He was then 19 months old and from the very moment we drove away from the kennel with him on 5/18/2004, his life changed immediately for the best for the rest of his all too brief life, and so did ours. That very first night, he slept in our bed between us where he has remained every night since, except for a very few times when he was at the boarding facility for a few days (we even selected a place that was air-conditioned and had 7 covered outdoor "runs") or twice overnight at the hospital during his cancer ordeal. He was 19 months old when he blessed us by coming into our lives (he would have been 6 on Oct.15th), he evacuated with us to Selma, Alabama for Hurricane Katrina for a week in 2005 and lived with us every monent during our re-building and slept between us in our "can-dominium" FEMA trailer bedroom. We called the trailer his "big kennel house" that "he allowed us to share with him". He was a tremendous source of comfort during that very trying period.
To say that we are severely heartbroken and devastated by the loss of our best friend would be the understatement of our lifetime. You cannot imagine the very deep emotional pain we are experiencing...but maybe you can. It will take quite a while, if ever in this life, to fully "come back" after this loss but we will try with the hope and belief that we will someday be with him and all our precious little ones at the "Rainbow Bridge" where we can all cross over that bridge into Heaven and be together again......forever.
With the heaviest grieving hearts, :love9:
S&G
I am so sorry! I know that nothing I can say will make it better but just know that I am thinking of you. :comfort:
How very sorry for your loss. When on grieves well all grieve with you. I know there are no words that can express or even soothe now, but know your baby is with you always and is now feeling much better.
We are so sorry to hear that Smokey has lost his battle. It is never easy to lose them. Sending HHHHHH's :comfort: & PPPPPPP's :pray: to you and Gail.
You will be in our thoughts!!! And Smokey is having a ball with the others at the Bridge waiting for the time when you join them.
Merion & the ZZ's
Words can not express the sorrow I feel for your loss of Smokey. Please know you and Gail are in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time. Smokey will be waiting for you at the Bridge. God Bless you all....God Speed Sweet Smokey.
May Smokey rest in peace it is awful when one of our Fur Kids have to go to the Bridge not much one can say to ease the pain but he gave it his all in his fight against a terrible disease sending hugs to you and Gail very sorry for your great loss.
Patches mom
Sending you my deepest sympathy. May you find some comfort in the memories of happy times spent with Smokey.
God Speed Smokey-Angel.
Annie & the New Jersey Doxie Gang
So sorry for your loss, no words really help, but we are here. Smokey had a great life by the sounds of it. My mother always says to grieve you must have loved.
Smokey is probably at rainbow bridge looking out for his replacement to make sure you are looked after.
Roberta
My heart is breaking for you.....Smokey, and you, his loved ones fought the fight...... He will always be in your heart and will be watching over you, but that doesn't make his passing any easier. Many here know what you are feeling..... Hugs to you - and know that we are here when you need us. Godspeed sweet Smokey...
So very sorry to hear about Smokey. We have had our hearts broken many times ourselves but they do heal, although with a scar of remembrance forever.
So sorry to hear about your Smokey. My thoughts are with you. He fought the brave fight. What a handsome guy! Sending our love and sympathy.
I know just how you feel, I sent my Simon-Angel to Rainbow Bridge November 29th, 2007. The emotional pain is hard to bear.
senting prayers and blessings your way.
Our thanks to all for your kind wishes and sentiments. We are reading two books now that we hope will help us with our grief at the loss of our beloved Smokey. They are: Coping With Sorrow on the Loss of Your Pet by Moira Anderson Allen and The Rainbow Bridge: Pet Loss Is Heaven's Gain by Niki B. Shanahan.
We feel that we might be ready to think about getting another Dachshund (never a replacement but a new personality to care for) in about 15 months. It has taken us about one to two years to get to that point in the process in the past.
My question is: I have done some very preliminary searching on the web for a blue & tan standard sized Dachsy. I've found a zillion miniature breeders but very few standard breeders. Can anyone point us in the direction of a HIGH QUALITY breeder of standard sized Dachsy's that may be able to provide a blue & tan?
Thanks again for all the support. Ya'll are really compassionate folks. :comfort:
PS: I forgot to add a pic of Smokey's son born in August 2004. I keep beating myself up for not taking him home when I had the chance back then, but Smokey's oncologist said that his lymphoma may have been genetic and we may have had to go through the same emotional pain and expense of the cancer all over again.......who knows??
I hate to say this but...
For me, the only way to really honor my Simon-Angels 11 years of dedication and service was to adopt a Dachshund in need. There are many rescue groups on the web with literally thousands of beautiful dogs in need of a loving home. It was really a heart breaking process for me, thousands of Dashshunds and I could really only take one.
I was really apprehensive on adopting a rescue but in the end, Mr. Wilson, my adoptee, has been and will continue to be a wonderful dog. There's no way i could have gotten a better animal and I'd adopt again in a heart beat.
You should consider that adopting would be a fitting memorial to dear Smokey-Angel.
Quote from: JetEd73 on October 08, 2008, 05:47:08 AM
I hate to say this but...
For me, the only way to really honor my Simon-Angels 11 years of dedication and service was to adopt a Dachshund in need. There are many rescue groups on the web with literally thousands of beautiful dogs in need of a loving home. It was really a heart breaking process for me, thousands of Dashshunds and I could really only take one.
I was really apprehensive on adopting a rescue but in the end, Mr. Wilson, my adoptee, has been and will continue to be a wonderful dog. There's no way i could have gotten a better animal and I'd adopt again in a heart beat.
You should consider that adopting would be a fitting memorial to dear Smokey-Angel.
First my deepest sympathies for your loss of Smokey.
I agree with JetEd.Adoption is a great way to honor Smokey.It may take some time to get to that point,my dad waited almost 10yrs after his Sigmund died before he adopted little Simon.
My dad is now not physically able to take care of Simon so Jane and I "re-adopted" him.Simon has had to have a disc fused,he's also had to have surgery to remove an intestinal blockage.And yet a 9yrs old he has as much energy,playfulness and love to give as you could hope from any dog.
My best to you and yours.
PS.Your Smokey was truly a handsome one!
I loved seeing the photos of Smokey, and I hope the treatment works. These little guys sure know how to get into our hearts, don't they? I will keep Smokey in my prayers.
Patty (in Alaska, with Willy and Alex)
Quote from: PattyInAK on October 24, 2008, 10:20:47 PM
I loved seeing the photos of Smokey, and I hope the treatment works. These little guys sure know how to get into our hearts, don't they? I will keep Smokey in my prayers.
Patty (in Alaska, with Willy and Alex)
Patty, thanks for that but you must have missed the sad news somewhere above......we lost our dearest Smokey to his lymphoma on Sept. 24th.......3 weeks to the day short of his 6th birthday. We will go to the LSU Vet School in Baton Rouge on Monday for our first sit-down session with the director of the "Best Friend Gone" grief counciling project. It took 4 weeks to get an appointment with her. Hopefully she will be able to ease this emotional pain somewhat for us as she has been reported to do for others. She enjoys a good reputation.
Attached below is a picture of one of our two urns (we have 2 identical....one will go with each of us when our time comes, that contain each of our three Dachshunds we've had since 1970). The "Rainbow Bridge" and their names and dates are laser engraved into the wood.
Hi friends. It's been almost 3 months since our beloved Smokey left us and we fully intended to wait at least a year until we looked for a new baby (never a replacement). We have been in such an emotional low, crying everyday, etc.. Well, three weeks ago we were talking and came to the conclusion that at our age, "the clock is ticking"! We started our search in ernest via internet, etc., for a new beby....and Smokey sent us Izzy. We found him locally and he is perfect! He had us from the first kisses :love4:.....sleeps between us in our king-size bed from the 1st night! He is Fawn (Isabella) & Tan and has the most beautiful blue/green eyes we have ever seen. He was one of a litter of four, all males :male:, three Isabella and one chocolate. He was born Sept. 3 and was 3 months old when we got him 2 weeks ago 12/7. Our vet of 33 years gave him a complete physical and exam and gave him 2 thumbs up!
It's amazing how the presence of this new baby has affected us emotionally. We really were devestated by the loss of Smokey and we've done a 180 degree since Izzy "took over". The last picture below is with "Santa". Our son is working at Petco as a trainer and played "Santa" for the pet photos. We sent out the "family" picture on a neat Christmas card done by Sam's Club for us.
Merry Christmas to all and we hope your New Year is at least as good as our will be! I want to thank all of you for your kind support.....it really helped us through this difficult time. Life is good!
Congratulations! Izzy's a handsome one and I'm sure will be a great companion. I'll bet Smokey is happy for you.
Congratulations on the new Fur Kid know Smokey is still left a huge hole in your hearts but the little pupper will help keep you busy.Patches Mom
Izzy is a stunning looking fellow! :heart: Congratulations on your new addition to your family. He'll help heal your broken hearts in no-time. :comfort: I don't think we ever stop missing our beloved babies when they go to the bridge.
Oh my....Izzy is stunning :heart: :heart: :heart: Congratulations on your new baby :heart: :heart: :heart: Smokey is looking down upon you and smiling...he did a wonderful job sending Izzy to you :apls: :apls: :apls:
OMG, what a handsome pupper Izzy is and I'm sure Smokey would approve of the addition to your home. He wouldn't want you to continue without the love of a doxie as there is nothing like it in the world.
Your Christmas picture is great. Warmest wishes to all for a very Merry Christmas and Healthy, Happy New Year.
Annie & the New Jersey Doxie Gang
He is a handsome boy and will give all the love in your heart somewhere to go. His eyes are stunning. Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. There's nothing like a new puppy around the holidays.
Really wonderful news!!! Keep us posted!
ya know thats a beautiful dog and I'm glad you decided to get another companion to enrich your household.
Im the first one to admit that I haven't done alot of research on genitics or breeding...I don't breed and with the number of dogs in rescue right now I full discourage it.
I also hate to be the bearer of bad news but I think it's time for some of us to get smarter about the dogs we love and the way they affect our lives. I wondered about the blues since it's such an unusual color and the information I found is not encouraging.
http://www.12many.com/duchwood/colorpat.html
4. Blue and tan is the dilute version of black and tan. The dog's main body color is an even steel bluish-gray, and he has tan markings in the same areas as a black and tan dog. Often the tan markings are muted or have a bluish overcast due to the diluting factors. Eye color is usually grayish as are the nose and nails. Blue and tan dogs very often have coat problems known as Color Dilution Alopecia (or CDA) such as very thin coats (this hair loss, or alopecia, often does not show up until the dog is 2-7 years old), and skin that is subject to allergies and infections.
It is hard to breed a truly handsome blue and tan dog with a good coat, so very few of them are seen in the show ring, although a lot of them show up on commercial puppy producer web sites as it seems to be the latest "designer" color (heaven knows why). Most blue/tan dogs will have a very sparse hair coat by the time they are 7 years old. There is abundant anecdotal evidence from long-time breeders of blue/tans and Isabella/tans that these dogs are very sensitive to hot and cold temperatures and cannot live outside at all. They tend to sunburn easily, are very prone to developing skin cancers, and they also seem to have compromised immune systems. Vaccine failures are common with dilues and few dilutes live to old age.
http://www.hua.org/Dogs-For-Adoption/Telly.html
Telly is a blue dachshund. Blue is a dilute color, a defect. Blue dachshunds should not be bred as it leads to baldness. They almost never have a normal life span. And in fact Telly is mostly bald - hence his name after Telly Sevalis. The "kennel" had been using this dog as a breeder dog for five years. Imagine how many bald blue dachshunds he produced in that time just so that people could buy the latest fad dog. So of course unscrupulous puppy mills breed blue dogs as fast as they can. Then when the dog needs medical care, there is none and the dog is dumped. Of course she kept him without providing any care for a few months just in case he recovered without costing any money. This delay severely limited the likelihood that he could recover.
http://www.fenfleur.com/BreedingIssues.htm
4. Eye colours
While not an issue Dachshunds can have eyes of two different colours; only found in Dapple and Double Dapple patterned dachshunds. (called merle in other dog breeds), dachshunds can have a blue and a brown eye. Blue eyes, partially blue eyes, or a blue eye and a brown eye are called "Wall" colouring. It is not considered a non-desirable trait in kennel club standards. The standard excludes double dapples and allows single dapples to be the only acceptable dapples. The reason is because the merle gene is linked to blindness and deafness - see "Genetic Disorders" above. Wall-eyed is permissible. It is acceptable for Chocolate Dachshunds to have lighter eyes - sort of blue/violet colour.
http://www.dhogg.com/Dacshunds%20A%20Brief%20Overview.htm
Blue- Blue dachshunds, like the double dapples are a genetic flaw. They are born without hair on a majority of their bodies, which gives the dog, a grayish blue color to the dog. These dogs often have skin problems and health problems which may need constant attention.
I'm sorry, this is another thing I'm not even going to try to be nice about because it's time we educate ourselves about the animals we put so much time, effort and attention into. Fact of the matter is that you have been taken advantage of by an unscrupulous breeder that has no concern for you as a person and no regard for the dogs they breed. Who in there right mind would purposely breed animals with known genetic problems knowing full well that these animals are going to have problems?
Greedy people who's bottom line is tha almighty dollar...thats who.
Why do I have to be the only one that asks the hard questions around here?
I mean really if we are the great dog owners we like to think we are then It's time we get educated, encourage responsible ownership and discourage bad breading.
There, I said it. It's ugly but it's simple facts folks.
Hey JetEd73, thanks for that! But as Smokey was a blue & tan and had no skin problems by 6, we were fully aware of the potential problem(s) we were heading into with Izzy's Isabella coloring. We can only do what we can and hope for the best. Who knows, he may be the exception. Dachshunds are also very prone to having back problems, our 1st one did and lived to be 14, but I don't see that slowing folks down from breeding/buying them. Izzy is our 4th.
thanks for not taking my post the wrong way.
My issue is not with you, it's with breeders that pile genetic issues on top of other genetic issues and then passing the dogs off on unsuspecting owners/buyers... all for the almighty dollar. They should be breeding to improve the breed but some/most don't. If people don't buy the dogs with known issues, they don't get sold, breeders won't produce them. And it's my understanding that with responsible breeding you can reduce (not elliminate) the instances of Canine Intervertebral Disk Disease. We need to educate ourselves on the dogs that we have.