Deco and Java sing the blues! LOL!

Here's a video of my friend Tiffany's dane, Deco, responding to Java's "Where's Mommy" video. If you listen closely, you can hear Java's voice in the background.....

Happy Burfday Dad!!!

We Ruv You!!!!!!

THE FURMINATOR

Bend over, close your eyes and brace yourself, it's monday morning.

I'm not one to endorse products, god knows we're bombarded enough in our e-mail luvin', TV watchin', internet surfin' lives. Have you noticed that now they even show commercials DURING shows? Last night I was watching a TIVO'd movie, and they kept showing some annoying little ads for a new show in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. WTF? I got TIVO so we didn't have to watch commercials, and well, they've certainly foiled THAT plan! Bastards!

Back to the point. For those of you who don't know, Danes do not have double coats. So unlike a labrador, you will not normally brush them and get handfuls of dead hair coming out. But there has to be an exception to every rule, and that is, of course, the crazy Harlequin. They shed, sometimes they shed a lot. I've heard this is because white hair has a shorter lifespan than pigmented hair, therefore it is constantly regenerating itself, but whatever, it is what it is.

So Mickey has started to shed all of a sudden, as evidenced by my white furry palm every time I pet him, and being a woman, there's no other reason for me to have a furry palm. Just recently I had invested in a special comb called the Furminator. Now aside from being the COOLEST name for a dog brush, it's supposed to be the KING of pulling out dead hair.

Folks, I can tell you this, it works!




















This is a pile of hair I pulled off of Mickey's ass after just a few minutes of brushing. Now remember people, this is a Great Dane we're talking about, NOT a Husky.

I got the medium sized Furminator to more easily get around the neck and legs, and it is perfect.

So all of you doggie owners out there who are ready to shave their dogs clean, invest in the Furminator. If you're tired of shooing mini hair tumbleweeds under furniture when you have an unexpected guest, get the Furminator! And if you have annoying teenage kids who need to be punished, get a Furminator, borrow the neighbor's German Shepherd, and make your little darling de-shed that dog until not a hair falls loose from it's body. Not only will your heathen be busy for approximately 20 hours, but you'll be able to borrow beer from the neighbors guilt free.

Help me write an article...

As many of you know, I am a moderator on Leans N Slobbers, yup, you guessed it, a Great Dane discussion board. The owner of this board is also putting together a comprehensive web site on our beloved breed, and though I am no writer, I volunteered to write an article on Wobblers. What was I thinking??? Just kidding K!

I know I have some regular readers out there, and I am seeking you out for input on this. Do you remember the first time you heard about Wobbler Syndrome? What did you want to know? When your dog was diagnosed with Wobblers, what questions came to mind?

My objective is to not just provide another technical description of Cervical Vertebral Instability, but to offer a clear picture to owners out there as terrified as I was when my boy Mickey was diagnosed.

I think I have spent so much time and energy looking forward, that I have difficulty looking back, and I am not sure I'm ready to force myself to relive what I had hoped to never worry about again. I know some of you will understand that. I want to believe that we are on the road to recovery, never again will I have to consider how few options there are for those of us faced with treating this disease.

So there has to be someone out there who can give me the kick in the ass I need to get this article started. Give me a starting point, something to spur on the genius writer I have hidden inside of me. (yea, right!)

Please send any suggestions to Mickeysgoldbeads @ gmail . com (take the spaces out)

What happens when Mommy leaves?

These are good, the hubster took them one day after I had left the house.

Where's my Mom?



Boy, she's been gone a long time....



I'm soooooo tired, when is she gonna get home????

Video of the boys!

This is fun, it's my first video, I promise the rest will get better.

The boys are a little camera shy! :)

Gold Beads are Amazing!

Mickey is still doing wonderfully! I did give him 5 mg of pred after our walk last Saturday, he seemed a little "mushy" in his movements. An occasional 5 mg seems to make him more hungry (if that's possible!), but other than that I have seen no other adverse side effects.

Last night I was so excited, Mickey got up on the bed and walked in a circle twice around Java without falling over. We have one of those cushy pillow top beds, and normally Mick has a lot of trouble keeping his balance walking on it, but last night he moved around like a champ!

I remember before the implants Mick would have problems just getting up on the couch, his back end would give out before he could get it up there. He would fall all over the hard wood floors, and he'd be afraid to walk any expanse of tile without a throw rug down to keep his footing. It makes my heart soar to see him move around the house without the trepidation he once had, and to see him once again initiating play with his brother. His energy level has gone up, and I can see the puppyness in him returning. It has been so long since I have seen that!

I really was skeptical, even though my dogs are treated primarily holistically, I didn't think these tiny bead implants could help a 190+ lb dog overcome this horrible condition. Well, you can add me to the list of believers now, even if he doesn't get any better then he is today, I still feel like I was able to bring him back to a lifestyle close to what he should have been living in the first place.

The neck wrap is off.....

Gosh, I can't believe it's been three weeks since my last update!

Getting right to business, Mickey is doing great! I took his neck wrap off a couple of weeks ago, I believe he had it on for over six weeks. I didn't see any immediate changes in his movement after removing it. After his last reaction to Pred now I only give him 5 mg if he is doing poorly instead of every day, and he seemes to handle that just fine.

I took Java and Mick up to Door county for a week, just a little get-away with my boys. It was the week before Memorial Day, so blessedly quiet up there. The weather was gorgeous, only two half-days of rain, sunny and in the 60's the rest of the time. Mick did exceptionally well, I think walking up and down hills and our long walks in the woods were perfect physical therapy for him.

The best news is, Mickey has not had any prednisone for almost two weeks now, and he is happy, moving well, and generally doing better than I have seen in a long time. I have been hesitant to post here about this, I think I am afraid of jinxing the whole thing. Logically I know that is silly, but my heart doesn't tend to follow logic very well.