Flealea

Is this also the puppy with the roached back? I only ask because it does concern me that a reputable and experienced breeder of Dogues would sell a puppy to a show home that had not gone the most slightly undershot, had a hernia and roached back, yet said it was pick puppy. So this would leave me with a little bit of concern regarding the experience and knowledge of the breeder, hence the need to ask further advice of others. For the breeder to say that hernias are not genetic, actually they are. But it can be hard to determine if the hernia the puppy has is due to umbilcal trauma at birth or whether it is genetic. Only the breeder would know, and some don't admit if it's genetic. If the puppy is the one on your avatar, she is cute, but is lacking in strong breed type which should be evident at a young age. Cheers Leanne

It is unusual for a puppy of that age to be showing signs of a roached back. Sometimes they can go roachy if you are trying to stack them for photos etc, they go all stiff, straightening their legs and arching their back. But if the puppy is standing relaxed or wandering around on it's own, the topline should be relatively straight. They can go roached if the puppy has issues with it's rear construction or hips and has the appearance of "walking under himself" which is "it's back legs walking too far under its body". They can also go roached if they are out in the spine, hips or a pinched sciatic nerve, and a dog chiropractor can help with that, but not sure about a 9 week old puppy. Regards Leanne

In total we have 7 copies left of the 2006-2007 World of Dogues book, which we sell through the dogueclub.com website. I imagine they will go soon as new people prepare to buy the 2008-2009 issue and then also want the previous bi-annual. We can take pre-orders for back-copies of the 2004-2005, but they won't be sent until around August when the 2008-2009 book is despatched to Aussie. Bas Bosch has spoken about a re-print of the Saga in the near future, so hopefully we will get an update soon. Leanne

Hi Gabba It only takes ONE bad spill and the damage is done. Really bad impact injuries can damage the cartilage between the bones, split and crack the surface of bones, which can eventually lead to problems like OCD. Going down stairs, jumping off furniture and rough play are the main culprits for injury. Leanne

Thank you so much for giving me a little more optimism. The vets have told me some of what you have gone over, but I wanted to hear it myself from other people. Ripley will be on Vinblastine and possibly alternated with another medication to shrink the lymph node more. I will look into the holistic vet. Also, what on earth do you end up feeding if you need to avoid carbs? Obviously rice and pasta are out. Does than only leave proteins like meat? What about dairy like cottage cheese. I will definately stay in touch as it would be great to share this with someone who's been through it. Leanne

Hi I am looking for advice and experience on what to expect with chemo. Ripley is my beloved almost 5 yr old Dogue de Bordeaux. About 3 weeks ago, she had a 2cm mast cell tumour removed from one side of her chest, along with alot of flesh to hopefully get a good margin. It was small but graded "3" due to the nature of the cells. We have opted for chemo as the specialist gave her a good prognosis for chemo due to the type, size, possible margin etc. to basically mop up any cells left behind. But when we went in for the baseline blood test last night, the lymph node close to where the tumour was, is now swollen and an aspiration showed mast cells in the tumour. We started her on prednisolone last night anyway, to await the specialists prognosis today. The specialist said this was common, it's the node closest to the tumour, that often the node will be affected and "hold" the cells for some time before the spread starts outwards from there. So chemo now could shrink the node and kill off the cancer or send it into remission. And then after chemo, remove the lymph node. This is a setback and her long term survival is a little less optimistic than before, but still reasonable. They assure me she won't get sick like people do, that they use a low dosage of Verblastin. Sure I can't image she will feel great, but if the side effects are too great, I will stop. Basically I would like to hear about Grade 3 mast cell tumours others have exprienced, did it spread quickly, did they do chemo, what should I expect with the chemo, what was the lifespan with a grade 3 MCT either with or without chemo, etc. If there is anything that anyone can suggest for me to do, I will very much appreciate any comments or advice. Regards Leanne

Walking funny and some lower back pain can be a pinch in the sciatic nerve, or just in front of the nerve. Our dogs have had this due to playing and rolling about, they put their backs out. Our chiropracter in Sydney fixed it for us. Be wary of polished floors or tiles in the house of a growing new pup, slippery and smooth floors can cause problems as the puppy over compensates in order to feel steady on a slippery floor, this can cause cow hocks. I had a puppy go into quarantine with straight hock and them come out 4 weeks later with cow hocks due to the slippery concrete. They can be fixed and improved upon with strengthening exercises. Cheers Leanne

Hi ya I am a dogue person in Sydney, and have to agree that it is a sad day when a vet says to refer to the internet. I always advise people to speak to a good vet and the breeder. Some large breeds, and maybe many other breeds, can have what appears to be floppy front feet as they are down heavy in their pasterns (thats is the dogs front legs are not strong and straight from the wrist). When they run, they look like they have floppy paddling front feet. But by your description, it sounds like the foot is turning under at the wrist, not good. I would be looking into making sure you have good nutrition for your pup and getting him checked out for any nerve damage or neurological problem. Cheers Leanne