Old English Sheepdog Fanny's Story

A Dream turns to a Nightmare
(Sorry about my worse English, but I tried to translate this difficult text for our english speaking visitors)

My greatest wish was an Old English Sheepdog since I was a child. Now my wish became true and slowly the 4 weeks went by and we could take our Fanny home. The day came and we picked her up. But what a disillusion at home as I recognized that there is something wrong with her. A 8 weeks old puppy is not house clean, but she made her stool and urin standing and did not settle down. This seemed suspicious to me. All I asked thought by theirselves that I am a hypochondriac but the vet's diagnosis was chrushing and all happiness about my fulfilled wish turned into sadness: Renal gravel and in fact of this a bladder infection in this is all caused through a wrong working metabolism. He told me I would not be long happy with this dog”.

But it should become more worse, Fanny was resistent against nearly all antibiotica. Only a few very strong antibiotica which are not for puppies would have helped. So I we tried to cure this several infections (ear, eye, bladder) which Fanny has had her whole life with alternative medicin like homöopathie.

Very frustrating was the fact that she was lame before become 1 year old. She was laming one time on this leg and one time on the other. We tried to be very carefully with the medicine, because she was very sensitive.

Then there came a time we thought we have got it. She seemed very healthy and we decided to give her a play friend because the westies are to little to play right. Our Babette joined us and they loved each other and I was so proud and happy with my two beautiful Old English Sheepdogs. Then it happened and it was unbelieveable - she got a purulent infection in her nose and it did not heal whatever my vet and I tried. We were wondering why only Fanny got it and neither the Westies nor puppy Babette. We tried to cure her with autovaccine and tried everything but nothing helped and also antibiotica did not help. The vet found out that she the thyroid gland is not working right. It was despairing. My vet which I praise here, sent me to a specialist with a CT. Meanwhile she was more and more lame and was not able to raise by herself. The Specialist Dr. Walla informed me about the results of the tests and the CT. Fanny was allergic against her own protein. She destroyed herself. The right nose bone was resorbed and the left site has already started with destroying bone. I can not explain everything in English, but also it started to the eyes. Her gum also was perforated and in all 4 legs she has had polyarthritis caused through her allergy. The antibiotica made the polyarthritis very fast more worse. Cortison would have helped a little while but would have let explode the bacteria. With a heavy heart we decided to let her not awake from narcoses. Intolerable was the thought to see her longer in pain without any help. My girl was so brave and patient and let everything do to her. Never she showed pain and was always friendly and happy. Even to the vets she liked to go. We will never forget her. She was an unusual dog and everybody in the neighbourhood loved her and knew her name. We could take her everywhere without any problems, because she was kind to everyone and everything - people or other animals.

She is now free from pain and this helping us but it hurts even it is such a long time ago..

I love her speaking with me with different sounds for walk, hunger, sleep oder play. I admired her for her strenght to fight for her life.

It was a need for me to have here a place for her.