Great Dane Friends of Ruff Love is dedicated to helping Great Danes in need. While the vast majority of the Danes that come through the rescue are treated for injuries and illness and then adopted out to their forever families, GDFRL seems to always have cases considered too severe for adoption and are made Sanctuary Danes.
Currently, (August 2024) the rescue has three Sanctuary Danes. Today we will talk about Eddie. Eddie is currently 8 years old. However, he was 2 when he came into the rescue in the middle of 2018. He has been under the care of his foster mom for six years. Here is his story.
Eddie started his life in a loving home with a family for the first two years of his life. However, as happens so often, the marriage failed and divorce came to the family. The wife kept Eddie, but over time realized he was left alone for far too many hours in the day and made the hard decision to put him up for adoption. Eddie was accepted into GDFRL and was placed with his current foster mom. Clearly, this beautiful harlequin two-year-old, well mannered dog would be a quick turn around and would be placed with his furever home. His foster mom met Eddie and immediately she noticed something was off. It turns out, Eddie was in the beginning stages of Wobblers Syndrome. As sad as his story is to this point, his life was meant to take this path. You see, his new foster mom had experience with Wobblers syndrome, so when she saw him standing still with his hind end gently swaying back and forth, she recognized it and contacted the rescue’s owner. They quickly made all the vet appointments and scheduled the required tests. After $2,500 worth of tests and an MRI scan, the Wobblers diagnosis was confirmed.
Immediately, GDFRL made Eddie a Sanctuary Dane. After further tests and exams, the vets determined Eddie was NOT a candidate for a surgical solution. Basically, there was nothing they could do to repair the nerve damage, and Eddie would slowly continue to lose more and more control over time. He was two years old and would require a lifetime of care and treatments to give him his best life.
Now, Eddie was an official Sanctuary Dane at the ripe old age of two. Eddie’s foster mom prepared to fight to keep the Wobblers at bay for as long as possible. She made contact with The Animal Rehab and Conditioning Center. At this facility, Eddie received acupuncture and cold laser treatments to help maintain his mobility. Eddie’s foster mom said the treatments were absolutely effective at substantially slowing the progression of the disorder. However, Wobblers disease is not forgiving, it is relentless. Initially, Eddie received treatments weekly, but then Covid hit and the treatments stopped. Eddie’s foster mom received gifted home medical equipment to try and keep some form of a treatment routine, but it was not as effective as his standard treatments at the rehab center. Prior to covid, Eddie was receiving treatments weekly, but after covid the treatments were reduced to once a month. However, his medical bills were still in excess of $500 dollars a month.
For the next six years, Eddie ran, played, and acted pretty much like a normal dog, not letting Wobblers slow him down. His foster mom says of Eddie: “He is just the best boy!” For lack of a better description, Eddie doesn’t know he is different. Thanks to Eddie’s foster parents, he has had a great life. However, the Wobblers continued to progress and some noticeable differences popped up over time.
About a month ago, Eddie’s foster mom found him stuck on the floor, unable to stand up with his hind legs. Eddie’s foster mom said he was confused and scared. Eddie suddenly needed help to stand and move. The Wobblers finally caught up to him in a big way. But, just as before, Foster mom to the rescue!! Mom brought out the doggie wheelchair, AKA Wheelies. We have all seen these: the dog’s hind legs strap into the cart and off they go. Well, that’s the idea, but a lot of dogs take time to get used to the new contraption. But not Eddie. Mom said Eddie took to the cart immediately! No training, no comforting, he was ready to go so off he went!
Today, Eddie was recently diagnosed with bilateral cruciate tears & chronic disc disease. He is not a candidate for surgery from the tears due his wobblers condition. The goal is to keep him comfortable and happy for as long as possible. He is doing well with his new wheels, and has a lot of medicines along with the monthly rehab visits. He is still rolling along at eight years old. According to mom, Eddie is her “Ray of sunshine,” and “He is the happiest dog!”
Roll on Eddie!
Thank you to everyone that has already donated to Eddie’s care and to anyone that has shared his story. Social media works!
