Pjrt Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 Zeus dies age 5 THE world’s largest dog, a Great Dane named Zeus, has died, his owners say. The five-year-old, donkey-sized dog stood 112cm at the shoulder. His owner, Kevin Doorlag of Otsego, Michigan, told the Kalamazoo Gazette that the beloved family pet died last week. Zeus had been declared the world’s tallest dog in the 2012 edition of the Guiness World’s Records. He topped 220cm when standing on his hind legs. Doorlag family photos showed Zeus dwarfing a sofa that he sat on, and drinking from the running kitchen tap without having to stretch or strain. Doorlag described Zeus as a “wonderful dog” who loved to sit on his family members’ laps, oblivious to his own size and 70kg weight. Zeus’s daily ration was up to 13kg of dog food. Guinness World Records picture editor Michael Whitty, who had met Zeus, said the dog was “the gentlest giant you could ever wish to meet.” “He will be greatly missed by his lovely owners and will live on in Guinness World Records history as the tallest dog we ever measured,” he said. Great Danes and other giant breeds tend to have short lives, which veterinarians attribute to the strain that their huge bodies put on the heart and other organs. Zeus would have been 6 in November. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 What a short life Beautiful looking dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 13kg of food!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 5 years old... so young to go to the bridge. Gorgeous dog... 13kg of food per day. WOW !!! R.I.P. Zeus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 loosing a dog is so hard . R.I.P. Zeus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 Oh gosh!! 5 years is such a short time. :cry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Gifts Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 I remember reading a book about Giant George who held the title before Zeus and he was also a beautiful boy who was well loved. He died when he was 7 (last year I think). What shocked me most in the story (which would be the same for Zeus) is the size of the beds these gentle giants need to sleep on! RIP Zeus - I'm sure your parents wished you were around for far longer than 5 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 (edited) Records never to strive for... see above. That photo shows the poor dog was appallingly constructed - I'm not surprised he didn't make double digits. Edited September 13, 2014 by Haredown Whippets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 Haredown, yes poor fella's construction is far from good Even to someone with limited experience as myself. Not a record that I'd want to be part of his breeding program to promote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pjrt Posted September 13, 2014 Author Share Posted September 13, 2014 Records never to strive for... see above. That photo shows the poor dog was appallingly constructed - I'm not surprised he didn't make double digits. you're right the poor dog in an abomination of canine design. Yeah he may have had a nice temperament but it's no excuse to perpetuate disasters like this. Yes I know this particular dog may have been a 'freak of nature' but it seems to be whenever something 'unusual' (read defective) crops up in a pet species it seems people want to perpetuate it no matter how detrimental it is to the animal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Records never to strive for... see above. That photo shows the poor dog was appallingly constructed - I'm not surprised he didn't make double digits. I have to agree. At least they kept him lean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJean Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 Great Danes and other giant breeds tend to have short lives, which veterinarians attribute to the strain that their huge bodies put on the heart and other organs. I think it has more to do with their genetics than size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schipp Princess Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 13 kg of food a day OMG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Way too thin, an appalling lack of muscle and up to 13kg's of food a day suggests that he had metabolic issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeckoTree Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Sad, 5 yrs... My heart to the owners. RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jOeyyBRUH Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 that is a whole lot of food ! RIP .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Great Danes and other giant breeds tend to have short lives, which veterinarians attribute to the strain that their huge bodies put on the heart and other organs. I think it has more to do with their genetics than size. No it is size based as it is a breed wide thing - average lifespan around 9-10. Like many other giant breeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 I doubt the 13kg of food claim - that is an excessive amount of food and I doubt it would be physically possible for them to consume that amount. As a Dane owner, if this was my Dane I'd be too embarrassed to seek such public recognition of a Guiness World Record. This dog's structure is appalling (questionable breeding??) and it was never going to have a long life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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