This is Brutus. He is a (almost) 6 year old Great Dane. And he is MY dog.
From the beginning Brutus has been the BEST dog. He doesn't wander off, he listens, he is great with other furry and feathered friends (namely: cats, chickens, guinea pigs, rabbits, tiny dogs, big dogs....), he poops in the bushes instead of the yard, he is patient, he is mellow, he is gentle. From the beginning he's always favored me. He loves Brandon and the kids, but he knows his Momma.
The only thing I would change about him? His medical history. See we didn't know it, but Brutus had a genetic disease that the breeder either 1) didn't know about, or 2) didn't care to tell us about. It didn't appear until he was about 2 years old. It was after one of our luau's when we noticed he was extremely lethargic, and then wouldn't eat, and then wouldn't drink. We thought he may have dug up and eaten the carcass of the pig we roasted and that maybe something didn't sit right with him. But when he started shaking uncontrollably we knew it was time to take him to the vet. I will never forget the veterinarian taking a look at him, looking at me, and saying, "This is a very sick dog. I don't know if we'll be able to save him." Even as I sit here writing this tears are streaming down my face. The kids didn't know how to react. Lilly burst out crying, Logan hugged Brutus - lying on the floor, shaking, not even picking his head up to give us the "what's going on look." He gave us some options and told us what they'd cost.
Now, I was raised with the $100 animal visit limit. If they were sicker than $100, we might have to think about putting them down. But I just couldn't do that with my Brutus. I told them to hook him up to the IV and run the tests. In case you don't have a giant dog, they go through IV's like a human (he was 150 pounds!) and they aren't cheap. After 3 days at the clinic, and still no definitive diagnosis, Logan and I travelled back east to Wisconsin for my sister's 40th birthday. I was devastated that he might pass away while I was gone but my dear, dear husband, despite all of his misgivings about dumping money into a dog, kept the treatments and tests going. The last test they had to run was $250 and only ruled out one disease. We debated over the phone about whether or not to have it performed and ultimately told them to go ahead. It's a good thing we did. He has Addison's Disease. $2500 and 8 days later, Brutus got to come home. I don't know if I showed it as much as I felt it, but I was ECSTATIC!
Over the last four years we have played with dosages of fludrocortisone, we have to watch his mood and give him extra prednisone if we feel he is "stressed out" (a symptom that can cause him to go into shock and potentially die), I have argued with veterinarians over what the best treatment is after hours and hours of research. I should take a moment here to thank Dr. Lindvog and staff at Frontier Village Veterinary Clinic for really listening to me and including us in all options for Brutus. Since then, Brutus has had a second home at the Clinic. Everyone there loves him and they know him by name (unfortunately for my checkbook) when I call.
Today Brutus is vibrant and more active than he's been since a puppy. He is eating and drinking just fine. But he looks like Skeletor. He spent so much time laying down (we thought he was just lazy) that his muscles in the rear have atrophied. He's also still losing hair despite his relatively new thyroid diagnosis and yet another new pill. And so we are going back to the vet...again. Every time we go there it puts me on edge until we leave with an ok diagnosis. He is getting older. Danes only have a lifespan of approximately 7-9 years when they are healthy. Honestly, I never thought he'd make it to 6. I want him to be healthy. I want him to stick around. I really love him (despite his constant fishing at the river which in turn gives him the WORST breath ever.)
So keep your fingers crossed for Brutus. I sure hope that he's ok.
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