Pastimes
My 12 yr old brother sister Doxis are the most adorable loving companions!! We absolutely adore them, they have been the best most loyal pets anyone can ask for. He is super chill, she is a little high strung, both love attention & cuddles. They are inseparable, extremely protective & don't love other dogs so I don't socialize them. Kennel cough shot makes them sick, I pass on it. I don't board them or take them to dog parks where they can be exposed. They've suffered allergies all their life. I've only fed them the best raw diet expensive food/treats without grains, soy, corn & dairy but they still itch, sneeze & suffer some doesn't matter the season. Inside/outside winter summer I've tried it all. NO table food. My boy has had some IVDD issues because he has a long doxi body but I've been able to keep him healthy with a doggie back brace (best investment ever) & doggy Chiro. If I see his back curl a little I know he is hurting from jumping, his spine a little out of whack. I put him in the brace & am able to stop his issue before it becomes a problem. His sister was the runt 6 oz, she is tiny but mighty; no back issues, her allergies not nearly as prominent. Unfortunately over the last couple years we noticed she was getting chunky. I take them for walks, but she really struggles so I recently got her a doggie backpack . I've taken them for their regular 6 mo. clinic appts.,shots since we got them at 8 weeks-nothing has ever been recognized even when I've asked to check their moles/bumps & maladies. Normal with age I've been told. After researching dog bumps, I see they are benign warts. Daisy has so many! My groomer didn't say anything unusual either but when searching again warts are viral & they spread a lot. I wondered if grooming them/cutting over them may have helped them spread more. I've also noticed some very unusual behaviors lately in both but her especially...excessive, like super excessive drinking, excessive licking everything from the floor to blanket, chairs, pillows, anything she can, hacking after drinking & unusually heavy breathing. Her warts are spreading getting bigger, bleeding & not reacting to homeopathic salve & Thuja tabs I've been using that others swear by. I was perplexed & searched all of these maladies only to find she has ALL the symptoms of Cushing Syndrome, every one & what we thought was weight gain is the classic pot belly that comes with Cushing. I just thought she was aging & didn't even know about this condition. Very prominent in Dachshunds & toy poodles, DOUBLE WHAMMY. Sadly her skin is just terrible, worse than ever; thin, warts, wounds and unusually flaky. She is very fragile & ill, declining everyday but I care for her like a baby. She eats/drinks like a horse, never misses a meal or a treat. We were calling her Hoover, not even knowing it was unusual...They go potty about every 1/2 hour during the day, evening when someone is home. They poop a lot too. Not at night, thankfully they sleep until the alarm goes off in the a.m. I never knew or recognized any of this, I just thought they were wanting treats & attention. I am afraid Daisy may be at the end of her life since she could have developed this disease quite some time ago right under our nose. I pray my Marmaduke is with us much longer. I love & care for my pups like my babies, this is a complete shock. So for all you Doxi parents, please if you notice any of these symptoms get ahead of it & talk to your vet. From what I've read there is no cure even if you have medical intervention (which can be $$$$) the life expectancy is 2 years. I'm sharing my knowledge not to scare anyone but to inform. I wish I knew, not that I could have prevented anything. They do not suffer from this or have pain thankfully but I am sad & will love & spoil her til the very end. If this information helps one person understand what may be up with their beloved pet, I'm happy to have enlightened you. I wish our dogs could live with us forever & hope your beautiful doxi's live a healthy, long & wonderful life with you and your families. They are exceptional loving companions. Blessings, A.R.
2 years, 4 months ago