New Dane owner in need of some advice.

[shelbyjean]

My husband and I have wanted a GD from some time now. We decided to wait and adopt one in need, and this last Tuesday, we brought home our blue merle girl, Shelby Jean. She is 10 months old and was mistreated by her previous owner. She weighs 84 pounds right now and is all skin and bones, but her appetite is good and we are hoping she will start packing on the pounds. We have read books and looked up a lot of info online on GD's, but I have some questions that I am sure some of ya'll will know.

1. Should I give her any supplements for healthy hips and joints? We are feeding her Large Breed Iams brand food.
2. Are Danes known for having small bladders? She drinks a lot, and pees a lot. She is house broken while we are home, but if we leave her for just an hour she will have an accident.
3. Shelby will lay down in the front first, and then lower her back legs very slowly to lay down. Is this normal, or should I ask the vet to possibly do some testing of her hips? She was fixed 4 days ago, but I can't see that she would still be sore.

If anyone could take the time to reply to this, I would sure appreciate it. I want to become more educated about the breed, and make sure I am taking care of Shelby as best we can. Sincerely, Katie

[Pauline301]

Hi and Welcome to DOL. You will find a wealth of information here.
Shelby Jean could possibly have a bladder infection with all the peeing and drinking. That could maybe cause her to lie down in the fashion you stated, or she could very well have some leg/hip problems. Or she just may be still sore from the spay. Is there any swelling or leakage around the stitches?

As far as the Iams, I believe it has a lot of fillers in it. If you go to the link below, you will find much better kibble to give Shelby Jean. This of course is just my opinion. Shelby Jean may do very well on Iams. As for fattening her up some you can give her "SatinBalls."
I don't have the link handy, but the recipe can be found by going to DOL's search and put in Satin Balls under Diet. But, don't overdo them as they are rich and Shelby's Immune system is probably pretty low as she is pretty skinny as you say. Hope this helps some. I'am sure others will be along to help also.

http://www.danesonline.com/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?az=read_count&om=937&forum=DCForumID9

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative." – Mordecai Siegal

Linda, Dave, Jesse, and Kitties, Cassie, Pekoe and Emma

http://sites.centralpets.com/mammals/yuccabean/personal.html

[oneilltv]

>My husband and I have wanted a GD from some time now. We
>decided to wait and adopt one in need, and this last
>Tuesday, we brought home our blue merle girl, Shelby Jean.
>She is 10 months old and was mistreated by her previous
>owner. She weighs 84 pounds right now and is all skin and
>bones, but her appetite is good and we are hoping she will
>start packing on the pounds. We have read books and looked
>up a lot of info online on GD's, but I have some questions
>that I am sure some of ya'll will know.
>
>1. Should I give her any supplements for healthy hips and
>joints? We are feeding her Large Breed Iams brand food.



**MSM or glucosamine are both good- a good quality food will take care of that for the most part


>2. Are Danes known for having small bladders? She drinks a
>lot, and pees a lot.


**Bigger dog bigger stomach- Howver kibble can make them more thirsty- I switched over to a raw diet and the first thing I noticed was less water intake



She is house broken while we are home,
>but if we leave her for just an hour she will have an
>accident.


**That may be more emotional- than physical try putting her in a smaller area like the kitchen or laundry room while your gone so she won't be so overwhelmed with feeling all alone ( smaller places are more cozy [comforting]) plus you won't be upset cleaning up pee off noncarpeted area. Course I'm just assuming here you might be doing that anyways



>3. Shelby will lay down in the front first, and then lower
>her back legs very slowly to lay down. Is this normal, or
>should I ask the vet to possibly do some testing of her
>hips?

**pretty sure it's normal- mine does it too Danes are very top heavy they may just enjoy lowering the heavy end first! I know I do :7
She was fixed 4 days ago, but I can't see that she
>would still be sore.


**she very well could be sore still.



>If anyone could take the time to reply to this, I would sure
>appreciate it. I want to become more educated about the
>breed, and make sure I am taking care of Shelby as best we
>can. Sincerely, Katie


** there is TONS of information here enjoy DOL and enjoy your dane- They are the BEST!!!

Veronica
http://photos.yahoo.com/tloneill69

[kriva]

Clover lays down in that manner too. Sometimes during a zoomie she will hop on the couch lower her front end and not the back end. She can even lay her head and front shoulder down sideways and still keep her butt in the air. It's pretty interesting!
Sometimes when getting off the couch if she wants to stretch she will leave her backend on the couch and stretch her front legs out on the floor. You really notice how big they are when they're stretched out like that.
I can't offer too much advice on the urinating thing. But, keep in mind that she's been through a lot. A bad life, then taken from her home (upsetting even if it wasn't a great situation), spay surgery, then going to yet another home. This is very stressful for her.
Clover is also a rescue. She is so different now then when we first brought her home. Three months ago she was timid and shy. Now she rules the roost :P Make sure to give Shelby some time to adjust and to realize that your home is her home and she won't have to deal with the life she had before. Physically and mentally she's been through a lot.

Good luck. And a great big Thank You for rescuing :o :o :o

[sarae]

Congratulations on your new girl. My boy is also 10 months old.

>1. Should I give her any supplements for healthy hips and
>joints? We are feeding her Large Breed Iams brand food.

Gloucosimine (sp?) is usually found in good foods, but other than that, the only supplement I give is Vit C. If you decided to use Vit C, start slowly and work your way up as I would assume her system is not use to it, otherwise it can give them a touch of diahhrea until the system adjusts, but this helps with their overall health.

>2. Are Danes known for having small bladders? She drinks a
>lot, and pees a lot. She is house broken while we are home,
>but if we leave her for just an hour she will have an
>accident.

Mine can definitely hold it for longer than that. It could be the stress of a new situation (many rescues will tell you, even if the dog is housebroken, expect some accidents at first) or it could be a UTI. I would have that checked by a vet.

>3. Shelby will lay down in the front first, and then lower
>her back legs very slowly to lay down. Is this normal, or
>should I ask the vet to possibly do some testing of her
>hips? She was fixed 4 days ago, but I can't see that she
>would still be sore.

Mine will lay down that way too sometimes. I have noticed that, since his gasto 2 weeks ago, he does lay like that more for the time being now than he had so she still may be sore. If you're concerned, when the vet checks for the possible UTI, I'd ask about that too.
>
Enjoy your new baby. They are wonderful companions.

[Jinxs Mom]

I agree. Double check for the UTI.Jinx peed constantly after the spay.She often had accidents because she couldn't hold it. After about a week she was fine. Congradulations & good luck!!!!
Hope, Jinx, & baby Pecan

[chillygirl]

Great advice already given. I just wanted to pipe up and say that after her spay, Kiley too had a few accidents. She had been potty trained since 11 weeks. There are lots of foods you can feed that have the low protein and good if not spectacular ingredients.

Good Luck!