Zeus - Tallest Dog In The World

[j]

Photos and video on below link as well

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/environment/animals/wheres-his-saddle-great-danes-dog-legs-turn-heads-20120914-25vt3.html

Meet Zeus, a god among dogs.

Standing on his hind legs, the humongous hound stretches to an incredible 2.23 metres, more the size of a donkey than your average Great Dane.

Three-year-old Great Dane Zeus officially the tallest dog in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

And now the three-year-old from Michigan in the United States has been officially recognised as the tallest living dog of all time in the latest Guinness Book of World Records.

Zeus, named after the Greek god, weighs 70.3 kilograms and eats about 12 cups of food a day, or one entire 13-kilogram bag of food.

He towers over his owner Denise Doorlag, who says she is regularly stopped in the street when she takes him out for a walk.

"The most common thing people ask is: 'Is that a dog or a horse?' and 'Where's his saddle?'," Ms Doorlag said.

"The only downside is that everything costs more, the food, medicines, transport. We had to get a van to be able to transport him. Oh, and if he steps on your foot he leaves bruises."

Zeus measures 1.12 metres from paw to withers, the point between the shoulder blades at which the official height of a four-legged mammal is judged for the Guinness record.

He breaks the record of Giant George, another Great Dane who is an inch — 2.5 centimetres — shorter.

Among other record-holders recognised in the 57th version of best-selling reference book is 86-year-old Johanna Quaas, a retired PE teacher from Leipzig, Germany, who has been named the world's oldest gymnast.

Egyptian-born Moustafa Ismail has been recognised for having the largest biceps and triceps, with a circumference of 64.7 centimetres.

The title of the world's shortest woman goes to 18-year-old Joyti Amge, from the central Indian city of Nagpur, who stands at just 62.8 centimetres tall.

Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/environment/animals/wheres-his-saddle-great-danes-dog-legs-turn-heads-20120914-25vt3.html#ixzz26OmHofZo

[Little Gifts]

I was trying to find out what the world's oldest bitch is (one giving birth to live puppies) as Ams has a shar pei and some of her pups and the mother is 15! Seems quite an incredible feat but I haven't been able to find out anything to compare her efforts to.

[Salukifan]

I woudl have to describe that dog as a structural disaster area.. poor thing is very poorly put together.

I wonder if he was desexed very young....

[hortfurball]

I agree HW, he's dreadfully put together, also very underweight and I'd say you're right on the early desexing - my guess would be prior to 6 months, a big no-no for danes. My boy was desexed at 6 months or just over according to his previous owners and he is also not as good as he could be conformation wise, but looks like a show dog compared to this one!

Not sure but Zeus may also have wobblers, either that or very bad muscle tone and almost certainly some sort of issue with his hips - his rear legs were trembling when they had the dogs lined up for treats. I wouldn't expect him to be long lived but it would help if they did some muscle building with him and he needs about 8-10 kilos put on.

If that was my dog I'd be too embarrassed to be featured on TV, unless it was a special on 'what not to do' and I put other dogs before my own embarrassment.

[gsdog2]

I woudl have to describe that dog as a structural disaster area.. poor thing is very poorly put together.

I wonder if he was desexed very young....

I hope so .........

[gsdog2]

I woudl have to describe that dog as a structural disaster area.. poor thing is very poorly put together.

I wonder if he was desexed very young....

I hope so .........

Sorry - meant to say hope he's desexd now.

[Salukifan]

I agree HW, he's dreadfully put together, also very underweight and I'd say you're right on the early desexing - my guess would be prior to 6 months, a big no-no for danes. My boy was desexed at 6 months or just over according to his previous owners and he is also not as good as he could be conformation wise, but looks like a show dog compared to this one!

Not sure but Zeus may also have wobblers, either that or very bad muscle tone and almost certainly some sort of issue with his hips - his rear legs were trembling when they had the dogs lined up for treats. I wouldn't expect him to be long lived but it would help if they did some muscle building with him and he needs about 8-10 kilos put on.

He has the steepest croup I've EVER seen on a dog and very little rear angulation. He certainly doesn't walk very normally, poor thing. Looks like two parts of two different dogs sandwiched together in the middle.

His legs are far longer than is proportionate to his body - that's what made me think he may have been desexed very young.

I'm sure the Great Dane folk shudder every time one comes up as "World's Tallest Dog".

Edited September 14, 2012 by Haredown Whippets

[hortfurball]

Yes I noticed his angulation was 'off' but I didn't know the terms to describe what I was seeing, but that's why I think he would have hip issues.

I shuddered the other day when a great dane puppy owner told me he hopes his dog will get as big as Rolf.

[espinay2]

Yikes

While I see no issue with him being thin (IMO at that size you do NOT want any extra weight on him) he sure does look like a structural disaster!

Agree those long legs seem to indicate abnormal growth in the long bones .

Edited September 14, 2012 by espinay2

[Nekhbet]

definitely too much long bone growth. He probably can't gain more weight or he'll collapse the way he's looking. My rottie looked similar, for some reason the long bones just kept going but not to this dogs degree.

[Nekhbet]

I would love to see x-rays of this dog

[SaddleNotIncluded]

All I thought was "George's owner must be FUMING"

Book deals, TV deals, soft toys, his own collar range, even had a movie coming out next year. All the while claiming that George will never be beaten, he's simply the biggest dog that has ever lived and will ever live.

:laugh:

If he doesn't die of green envy, he'd be planning to assassinate this one! :laugh:

[Kadbury]

:cry: That poor dog looks so sad..........moves like he is in pain.

Looks like there is a MAKE A GIANT DANE comp going on.

Those feet are so deformed

[*kirty*]

How does 12 cups of food equal 13kg??

[OSoSwift]

Goodness me that dog just looks all wrong the poor love. I think too much more weight and he would be battling big time. His conformation is a total disaster

[tlc]

How does 12 cups of food equal 13kg??

I wondered the same thing, they must have dam big cups! 13 kilos of food a day is just ridiculous! Surely it's a typo?

[eyeopener]

thank god he is so lean as with the stuctural faults he has he would be a total cripple if he carried any weight what so ever.

[Nekhbet]

no its 13kg a fortnight, not a day

[korbin13]

It's lucky the owner lives in a big house!

[hortfurball]

I think that photo was taken using a fish-eye lens so makes him look even weirder, not that he looks good in the vid but at least it's a bit more accurate.

To give you some concept of how enormous this boy is, he's 20cm taller than Rolf at the shoulders, and Rolf is a tall dane.

For those who say there's no problem with him being thin or lean, he's not lean, he's skeletal. There's a difference. He'd be lean if he gained the 8 or 10 kilos I suggested. It has further to spread on a dane, particularly one this size, so is like suggesting an ordinary sized dog gains 1 or 2 kilos. It would simply give his ribs and some of those vertebre a bit of cover, and ease the 'hollow' look he has. Hopefully half of it would be in muscle gain anyway.

Danes are notorious for going off their food when they are sick, and they need a little in reserve. A friend's dane girl just lost about 6 kilos in the last week because she wasn't feeling well and stopped eating.