Skinnyxpuppy

Hello there, my name is Drew, and this is my first post on the site.

It is with a very shaky hand and a heavy heart that I write this entry, please bear with me if I am all over the place, or incoherent at times. I will try and make this as to the point as possible, I have so many questions and concerns.

About 3 years ago, I was at a party and a friend told me her friends dobermans had a littler. I at the time was looking for a new dog, I had currently only had my Great Dane , ReX! (whom I love and is still well and healthy today.) The parents were obviously not a breeder, from what we could tell, they did not expect this to happen, and were fixing the parents right after they found good homes. The owners were madly madly RICH, they were currently building a 5 million dollar home, and these dogs were imported, trained and all, from some kind of provider in Europe. (Germany I believe). I fell in love the day I saw my buddy Tyrant. I had never had a doberman before, and I did not expect the amount of love and loyalty that I came to know. I picked the runt of the litter, as my great dane rex, is not really accommodating to new dogs. He got along with Tyrant great, at first he just thought he was another cat in the house . Tyrant had all natural tail , ears, and claws, and we loved it.

Fast forward to about a month ago. My buddy tyrant started getting a cough, very very rarely, he would cough a little. I thought possibly the food, we changed his food, put him on blue buffalo. Unfortunately this did not help him, and he started getting a little worse. We took him into the vets office, the vet checked him out, gave him some medicine for a congestion. We kept him on the medication very well. The doctor said that he should be cleared up in a weeks time. Told us that the condition would get worse before it got better. Right around the time the medication ran out, Tyrant started getting blood in his cough. My wife took him up to the vet immediately before they closed, they did Xrays of him, they said that he had a severe infection, gave him a few shots , and more of the medication. She didnt seem to know what she was talking about, said that there was "something that she could not make out" on the Xray and wanted to consult with a doctor and get back with us that morning. She told my wife to take him to the emergency vet if things worsened, and gave us a copy of the xrays on the CD. When i get home, my wife tells me what the doctor says, and I cannot possibly imagine they would send my dog home, he was breathing so heavy, coughing blood, and if he laid down at all, he could not breathe. We take him to the emergency vet, 3 in the morning, the doctor only needs to do a stethoscope exam and a check over the xrays to look me and the wife in the eyes and tell us that it is heart failure. I have never heard of that (in dogs) or how its handled before, I ask what we need to do to get him better. The Vet tells us that we have to spend a TON of money and explains the process in what needs to be done to him, and all the machines he would be hooked up to. Regardless, after all of this, the life span is determined in months at best. I wanted to be selfish, I wanted him home, it didnt matter the amount of money it was going to cost, I was ready to spend it. I then thought about the quality of his life, and how scared and terrified he would be while they had him hooked up to all these machines, all maybe to live a month in suffering at best. My knees hit the floor when I uttered the words a pet owner never wants to say. We said our goodbyes, I hugged him, and I didn't want to let him go, I just wanted to take him and run, to make him better. I told him that I would miss him and I was so sorry this had to happen to him, and that Im glad I gave him the best life I could possibly provide.

My heart aches without him around, and even I miss him as I shed tears while I type this story. My house has had the life sucked out of it. Its one thing to know when a pet is getting old, and it gets to be that time, but to take a pet in just trying to get him better from what you think is an infection, then leaving the hospital without him, hurts more than words could ever describe. I still wait to hear his little footsteps running down my stairs, or him to wake up with me near my feet when I sleep in on lazy weekends.
I am glad he was in my life, and I would trade in years of mine just to spend another day with him.

Now there is a point to why I posted this story on this section, and Im sorry to run on so much. But let me step back just for a moment, and grab my thoughts.

RIP Tyrant you were taken from me so early, but all of your pain is lifted now. I miss you more than anything I have ever known.

Skinnyxpuppy

I actually came across this website from our very slight "beginning" to look for a new dog. We decided we wanted to keep a dobie in our family. And just a day ago it didn't hurt us to look at pictures of other dobermans without losing it. Me and Heather would like to get one, we are located in Florida, near Tampa. We came across a "Happy Dobermans" location, and I did a search for a few reviews, which led me here. I definitely do not want this to ever happen to us again, which i know the changes cannot be ever slimmed to zero, but I want to make the right decision. I want a dobie with his ears and tail and everything else still there. And i need all the help i can get. So im going to start there, and let everyone know thanks in advance. Thank you for letting me share my story with you all, and heres to hopefully a new friendship with all of you.

falnfenix

oh, i'm so sorry. it hurts SO MUCH when we lose them early.

Ninabug

It's so hard when they've touched our lives in such a strong way, and then leave so suddenly. With so much surprise. We lost our Q to DCM at the age of 2, only 6 months after rescuing him. I know just how sad you feel right now. Only time will heal, and the love of those around you.

alan j.

i know your pain as many others will a convey. It is a too common of a loss, A champion of the household one day and a ghost the next. Enjoy your memories and be assured that your decision to let go was right. Truly sorry for your loss.
Rest in peace Tyrant

dobermama

Welcome to DT, I am very very sorry it is under such terrible circumstances....

That being said, PLEASE do some research while you are here- especially on "same sex aggression". I noted in your picture that your lost Doberboy was intact, not sure if your Dane is or not- but the point is, same sex aggression is VERY common in this breed and you were lucky to have not had serious issues with your two. So, I would be looking to adopt a female Doberman for your new addition.

Hilary

Your story made me cry. I am so, so sorry for your loss. This amazing breed is plagued by many health conditions and it is heart breaking when it takes them from us, especially so young and unexpected.

What you just went through is all too common when buying from a Backyard Breeder (BYB) who has a couple of dobes that bump into each other and - boom - puppies. With no health testing, a study of genetics in lines, titling to adhere to breed standard, you end up with a potential genetic timebomb. Like I said, this breed is not a healthy one. Reputable breeders spend untold amounts of money to test their dogs and breed away from these plagues to the best of their ability.

You have a couple of different options when looking to add a new dobe pup to your life:

1) Buy from a reputable breeder who is doing everything in their power to IMPROVE the breed. If you buy from a reputable breeder you will likely spend anywhere from $1,500-$2,500. This is not making them rich by any means!

Check out this thread to put it in perspective: Cost of having a litter of puppies....

You will be hard pressed to find a great breeder who will leave the pup uncropped and undocked. One reason is because the breed standard calls for crop and dock. Another reason is it's easier to place a c/d dobe should something happen to you and the dog needs to be rehomed. In rescue the c/d dogs generally go before those that are not because they *look* more like a doberman.

2) Rescue. Others can chime in about breed specific rescues in your area. But this is an excellent choice for you. You can get the all-natural look you're going for and know that the very affordable adoption fee you pay is NOT going to some crappy breeder to pump out more puppies, but is going to further run an amazing organization that helps unwanted dogs. You won't be getting a dog that has had extensive health testing, and could encounter some issues there, but not all poorly bred dobes die as young as your boy did. It's kind of the luck of the draw.

Last thought - while you appear to have had a great experience raising your two boys together - same sex aggression is very common among dobermans. I would suggest you look to add a female this time around.

Please stay with DT and let us know what questions/concerns you have. I promise you will be guided in the best possible way here.

RIP Tyrant.

alys

So very sorry,I lost my boy last February and your post,and too many the same,still make me cry. I don't think I will ever get over losing him completely,but time makes it a little less raw. My thoughts are with you .

Sherryh

I'm so sorry for your lost. I have walked your steps its sounds like your doberman had DCM which is a heart desease. Alot of large dogs face this in their life. Read everything you can about the breed. Hugs from across the state...

dobegal

I am sorry for the pain that you are going through.

LindaH

I am so very sorry you lost your boy in such a quick and disturbing way.

Tyrant was a beautiful boy...

Godspeed, Tryant.

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JobeyV

I'm so sorry for the loss of your sweet boy & at such a young age as well. I lost my boy to DCM/CHF last year. I hate this disease, it's robbing way too may of us of our precious dobes.

RIP Tyrant, breathe easy at the bridge sweet boy.

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pdubois64

So sorry for your loss. Your situation is a carbon copy of what I went I went through last Sept with my 3.5 yo boy. I went in thinking something minor was wrong and said goodbye later that day.
He was on meds and not getting better and he hated being in the hospital. I couldn't bear the thought of losing him when I wasn't with him, so I made the toughest decision of my life.

Good luck in your search for a new pup. Be sure to look for a breeder that does 24 hour holters and echo's yearly on the breeding pair. There are no guarantees but at least you stack the odds a bit in your favour. Getting a dobe with a tail is tough in the US, you would most likely need to import. Good luck.


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Dillon:b.2/19/09 d.9/28/12 "The best walks in life are always the briefest"

dax0402

So very, very sorry for your loss. RIP and run free sweet Tyrant!

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Lois and Baron

CoDobe

Your post made me cry as well as I can hear the pain in your words.

All I have to offer is you're not alone, and we're here for you.

RIP Sweet Tyrant and watch over your family.

MaryAndDobes

There is a lot of sorry to go along with your story. I'm sorry about your loss, but I'm incredibly sorry that the "breeder", your vet and yourself were so poorly educated about Dobermans that no one seemed to know about the #1 health problem in the breed - dilated cardiomyopathy, which it sounds like Tyrant had. I hope you will educate yourself before you get another Doberman, and I definitely hope you will switch vets and find one better informed. I also hope you'll deal with a better breeder.

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Darkevs

sleep softly Tyrant, rest in peace.

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Thanks for making this signature for me Amelia!

MaxsMom

Drew, so very sorry for your loss. RIP Tyrant.

Welcome to DT. You will find lots of good information of the Dobermand breed here.

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Skinnyxpuppy

Thank you all SO MUCH for all the kind words I am receiving. I had no idea this was so prominent in the breed, and it saddens me to know that the pain and situation i went through is not a rare case. I have only posted twice so far, but it feels like I am at the right place to be with people among me with the same feelings. It has been the first ray of hope since I had to say goodbye to my little shadow. I am glad I found you all and have hope that my next decision on the breed will be a much more educated one.

I wanted to address some of the questions and concerns that both I and others have.

First off, I have not heard of this "same sex aggression". Tyrant was a baby all around, i could never see him hurt his buddy REX, they were brothers, and REX still mourns his loss. I have never seen any aggression that he had what so ever towards his friend Rex, But Rex was definitely mature when we brought baby tyrant into our house. That being said, i don't doubt that this exists, and i was already planning for a Female. The reason being is because from what i hear, and correct me if I am wrong, DCM occurs less commonly in females.

Secondly, I could not see having a dobie without a tail. I mean this in the most humblest way possible, I do not see the need to have tails cut off, and when i had tyrant, His little tail showed all his emotion and we loved that about him. Once again i mean no disrespect, I have seen plenty of dobies on here without the tail and they are beautiful still, it is just my personal preference. I have inquired on this issue, and so far the "happy dobermans" that i had previously mentioned, did not have a problem not cutting the tail, I just had to pay all of the money up front, and would have first pick of the litter, so they do it right away from what i hear. Which I do not have a problem with at all, as long as its a reputable place.

As far as a rescue goes, I would LOVE to do so, but as REX does not like a dog unless its from a puppy (he thinks its just another cat ), I would imagine that its hard to get puppys from rescues, as they are what go first. Plus, I believe with the heart ache that we went through, we would like to have at least one for hopefully the length of its estimated life span. I do understand there are plenty of dogs that need good homes, and we would love to donate or volunteer for anything that would help out. Me and the wife have been talking about doing Great Dane foster work for our house.

I know that DCM cannot be entirely avoided , but from what you all have said, I can stack the odds in my favor. So from what it seems to me is that even high quality breeders also produce dogs with DCM unfortunately, that is scary, but still I believe worth the risk, as even these dogs need loved too. Someone knew that Tyrant only was meant to be here a short while, and I feel as if he was brought to me so I could give him the best home and love he could possibly have.

Thanks again for all of the kind words, I really appreciate it. Let me reassure everyone and let you know that I will no longer be dealing with this vet that poorly misdiagnosed my dog to begin with, I will be doing my due diligence to find the best available vet in my area. Thank you also for all the help with my new decision ahead of me. I feel more at ease that I have great help in doing so.

Drew.

VZ-Doberman

Sorry for your loss.

Welcome to DT.

pdubois64

Some good info here on a DCM study. 60% of males will die from DCM, females 40% in this study.

General Information About Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Doberman Pinschers

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Dillon:b.2/19/09 d.9/28/12 "The best walks in life are always the briefest"

Rednec_13

Feel so sorry for you. A friend of mine had to put her boy down just 2 weeks ago. It is never an easy thing to do. Maybe able to get a dobie with it tails and ears still their but that is about it at a rescue. Their is a few good breeders that will let you keep the ears but dont know of any that keep the tail (never ask too). If you want to know a few that I have talk to but have never gotten a dog form send me a pm. This site as so much great info I feel lost at times.

Burns

Very sorry for your loss.

Reading your story is very sad. I'm frankly shocked that your vet did not recognize the classic symptoms of heart disease in such a predisposed breed. Perhaps if it had been diagnosed and treated properly in the beginning, you may have had more time with him and losing him wouldn't have been so much of a traumatic shock. Heart disease cannot be cured, but it can be managed for awhile. I'm glad to hear you will not be going back to that vet in the future.

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Skinnyxpuppy

Thank you for the kind words. It definitely shocks me more now after seeing how prevalent it is in dobermans, that it was not even a thought in the vets head it was even a possibility. The only defense he might of had was that he did not recognize it was a dobie, because a few employees there were shocked to see one with a tail and diff build, but even so, that would be a poor excuse. Rest assured, regardless, I will no longer be using his services.

Nice handle by the way, you cant really see it in Tyrants baby picture on the original post, but I have a moogle tattooed on my arm

Hilary

A few threads worth a read:

Anyone worked with Happy Dobermans?

Thoughts on Happy Dobermans?

I would not consider Happy Dobermans a reputable breeder.

Spend some time in here to get a better understanding of what you should be looking for:

**Read This First: Helpful Breeder/Breeding Information**