THEAS STORY Thea is a beautiful Great Dane who is now 2 years and 2 months old. She was bred by Danesworld and she was one of the three surviving pups from a litter of six. Thea has Cerebellar Abiotrophy (ataxia) which is a genetic condition where the cerebellum deteriorates prematurely. The cerebellum is a part of the brain that regulates the control and coordination of movement and balance. I picked up Thea when she was 8 weeks old, she was a gorgeous, clumsy puppy and I instantly fell in love with her. Theas life was to be plagued by illness. When she was 9 weeks old she was treated with antibiotics for a nasal and throat infection which was thought to be caused by her kennel cough vaccination, after a week of antibiotics the infection spread to her lungs so more antibiotics were prescribed. Blood tests showed that Thea had a chronic infection, a urinalysis showed she still had a urinary tract infection that she had when she was about 6 weeks old. More blood tests were ordered to check her renal function because her urine was so dilute, we held our breath while waiting for the results because we were told we probably wouldnt be taking our little girl home with us. Thank God her renal function was fine, just more antibiotics were needed. Thea was a fighter and slowly our little girl improved. Thea never grew out of the clumsy puppy stage, she had trouble getting up from sitting or lying down, she slipped and slid around, she just couldnt coordinate those long legs. We put down non slip matting and helped her to what I still call get your bum in the air Thea, she continually bumped her head on cupboards, chairs and walls. She never looked up above our knee height at us, she was really mouthy and pats and cuddles made her very uncomfortable. She wouldnt eat much at all, I soaked her dry food and added tasty things to encourage her to eat but she would just nibble at it. All the while I just knew something was not right with Thea but was told this is just how baby Danes are. We started puppy pre school when Thea was 16 weeks old, with 2 other Danes in the class the differences between Thea and the others was obvious. She bit me nearly ever time I touched her, she was aggressive towards the other puppies, she wasnt happy and didnt cope at all and she showed it with aggression. As Thea grew so did her problems, her mobility and balance deteriorated. This clumsy puppy was struggling with more serious issues, her aggression worsened as she tried to cope in her damaged world. Thea grew cutaneous horns on her back feet, she has a umbilical hernia and she has an inverted vulva which plagues her with urinary tract infections. Then the seizures started...... Finally we found a vet that knew what was wrong with Thea and he knew how to treat her seizures. Thea was diagnosed with Cerebellar Abiotrophy, it is a genetic condition that is progressive, it is responsible for her seizures which in turn cause more brain damage. This diagnosis explained everything. Thea has seen a chiropractor, had acupuncture, had massages, seen a behaviouralist and we have tried all sorts of potions. Thea has an intellectual disability and luckily I can be there for Thea 24 hours a day, we even sleep on the floor together, thats just how it has to be for her well being. I monitor and change everything about her lifestyle to help her to cope, to a large degree she has adapted and learnt to live with what she has been dealt, we follow a routine as Thea doesnt cope with changes. She is happy and loved, she enjoys her walks, loves her food, loves meeting people, she is a little social butterfly. When she gets over excited she bites but a water sprayer halts this and brings her back to the darling girl that she really is. We move her to the shade when she gets hot, remind her to drink water, soak her dry food when she cant chew and constantly reassure her. She is learning to use ramps and stairs, loves taking her morning and night medications with peanut butter, toileting is still a problem that we have to accept and deal with though. We have so much support from many wonderful people and we have an amazing and caring vet. Thea is an amazing girl. I am in awe of her determination and so, so proud of her. As long as she is happy and she wants to be here I will do whatever it takes to make her life easier. Apparently Thea isnt the perfect Dane but in my opinion and in my eyes Thea could not be more perfect.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 22:49:30 +0000
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