Shiva and Rebel - Page 1

Tebow is gorgeous!  I have loved and been owned by two dwarf GSDs in the past 16 years, freecalkid, and they taught me a lot about what it takes to raise them.
 
My first dwarf GSD, Shiva, was born July 12, 1996.  Her parents were German imports and the breeder couldn’t bear the thought of having her put down, even though the vet recommended it.  She lost all of her hair (except for her face, her humungous feet and her tail) by the time she was two.  We lived in unusual circumstances; the entire time I owned Shiva I lived in a house that didn’t have central heat.  Instead, we had a wood pellet stove that was used to heat the entire house.  This proved to be fortuitous, because I learned more about the skin conditions that plague dwarf GSDs and how to prevent them – particularly the pimple-like skin eruptions that occur after they lose their hair.
 
Shiva did not have any medical complications with her dwarfism, so she was extremely lucky.  The medical literature that I’ve read states that dwarf GSDs are prone to slower physical and mental development than regular dogs.  Shiva proved to be an exception; although her physical growth was affected she was one of the smartest dogs I’ve ever owned.  I collected rubber ducks for Shiva and Tascha, my other GSD who was Shiva’s younger, bigger sister.  They loved to chase those ducks, and I had piles of them.  One day I happened to throw a duck for Tascha that landed in the pile of ducks I kept in the corner of the living room.  Tascha ran to the pile, grabbed a random duck and brought it back so I could throw it again.  Out of curiosity I tried the same trick with Shiva.  Shiva searched that entire pile of ducks until she found the exact duck that I threw.
 
When Shiva began experiencing skin eruptions I asked the vet if regular bathing would help.  I was told that too much bathing would cause the skin to dry out and she would end up with more problems.  I found out (quite by accident) that this advice was wrong.  I found a red suit made out of jersey material for Shiva that fit over all four of her legs and zipped up the back.  She wore it in the winter to help make up for the lack of hair, though I would usually take if off of her when we were home in the evenings and just put it on when she went outside.  We had problems with our heater one week and Shiva ended up staying in her suit the entire time.  When I finally removed it to wash it I was astonished to discover that her black skin had turned pink and the inside of her suit was black.  Further experimentation led me to discover that her skin problems were due to a build-up of sebaceous oils and pigment cells in her skin.  The pigment cells would normally be in the hair shaft and the hair would also help to wick the sebaceous oils out of the skin.  This normal process is interrupted when the hair disappears.  I started bathing Shiva regularly (she showered with me once a week) and massaging her skin on a nightly basis, and her skin problems completely disappeared.  You can tell when a dwarf GSD starts having problems with oil build-up because rubbing their skin will actually make the oil come to the surface and your hands will start to feel wet.
 
Shiva developed problems with her hips when she was five.  She didn’t suffer from dysplasia; she had problems with pain because her dwarfism kept her hips from fully developing.  Rather than take a chance on the side effects that Rimadyl can cause, I began taking her in for regular acupuncture sessions.  Two months of biweekly session were followed by periodic sessions over the next year; she never had problems with the pain again.
 
Three months before her sixth birthday we discovered that Shiva had a cancerous tumor in her bladder.  The tumor was wrapped around her urethra so it was inoperable.  The vet put her on a low dose of antibiotics to keep her from getting urinary tract infections and I didn’t bother to tell her that she was sick.  I had another eight wonderful months with her before I had to have her put down, five days before Christmas in 2002.  She was six and a half.  I was renting the house I was living in and I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Shiva behind when I had to move, so I donated her body to the Veterinary School at the University of Washington.  I know that research on dwarf GSDs is limited because they are relatively rare, and I felt it was the best I could do as a memorial for her.  I later received a letter from the Vet School informing me that my veterinarian had made a rather large donation in Shiva’s memory.  I love my vet!!
 
Shiva’s passing left a huge hole in my life.  I began to search the Internet, looking for more information on dwarf GDSs, when I stumbled across a web page created by a GSD breeder in Oregon who ended up with a dwarf she named Trish.  Trish had numerous medical problems in addition to her dwarfism and she didn’t make it to her first birthday.  But, like all dwarfs, she had a profound impact on her owner that inspired the web page in her honor (that web page has since disappeared).  There were a couple of dozen stories from other dwarf GSD owners and I was inspired to send in the story of Shiva, concluding with the fact that I would love to have another dwarf GSD because Shiva the neatest dog I had ever owned and I wanted to verify that the solutions to Shiva’s problems would be applicable to other dwarf GSDs. 
 
A week later I got a response from her that asked one question:  Are you serious?  Attached was an email from a veterinarian in Clyde, NC, Dr. Dianne McCracken, who had a dwarf GSD that needed a home.  Rebel had been purchased to replace a retiring search and rescue dog, but he turned out to be a dwarf.  The breeder passed away before this was discovered so the young man who purchased him had no opportunity to get a refund.  He turned Rebel over to Dr. McCracken because he could not afford to purchase and train a SAR dog and take care of Rebel’s medical problems.  I contacted Dr. McCracken and offered to give Rebel a home and, after a couple of months of trying to get him from North Carolina to Idaho, I finally found an animal transport service to drive him.  I became his new human in July 2003 and less than a month later we moved to the small ranch that I now own.
 
Rebel was born February 22, 2003.  Where Shiva had been on a natural food diet Rebel’s diet had to be more controlled.  He had borderline kidney readings and a slightly deficient thyroid.  He was on a low dose of thyroid medication and he had to take prednisone for his kidney problem.  The prednisone concerned me because steroids can cause serious problems, so the vet suggested trying a special diet instead to see if we could control the kidney problem that way.
 
Rebel had been a member of my family for less than a year when I left on my first deployment to Iraq.  By the time I returned 18 months later he was already at the point where his fur was disappearing and his thyroid deficiency had gotten worse.  When the vet increased the dosage of his thyroid medication his fur came back with a vengeance.  My vet recently told me that he had more hairs per square inch than any other dog she knew.  If your dog is being treated for thyroid problems it will help him to retain his hair, although he’ll forever have “puppy” fur and will never develop a GSD’s normal outer coat.  Rebel stayed healthy despite the thyroid and kidney issues, although he lacked the energy and intelligence that Shiva had.  It didn’t matter; he was my little guy and I loved him with all my heart.
 
I left for my second deployment to Iraq when Rebel was seven and a half, and I returned a year later.  I took him in for a full check-up and blood work when I got back.  I noticed that he was slowing down, and his energy level seemed to be much lower than it was before I left.
 
My vet had to send his blood work out to have the tests done and her associate called me the next day.  The conversation went something like this:
 
Vet:  “Hi, I’m just calling to see if Rebel is okay?”
 
Me:  “Yes, he’s fine.”
 
Vet:  “So…he’s not in a coma or anything?”
 
Me:  “What?!  Why are you asking me this?!”
 
It turned out that Rebel’s glucose level was 46…normal for a dog is around 80.  This was followed by a test for Addison’s disease, which ended up being positive.  That was last November.
 
We began treating Rebel for Addison’s disease and it took until April to stabilize his dosage.  Then we had to work on stabilizing his thyroid medication again.  I noticed a huge increase in his energy levels and appetite.  Rebel began to slow down again in June, and as the month wore on I noticed he was spending more time sleeping and less time playing.  I knew part of it was age, but I continued to take him to his vet on a regular basis to make sure the medications were doing their job.  He was on the smallest possible dose of prednisone; he also had to take fludrocortisone for the Addison’s disease in addition to his thyroid medication.  My vet bills were costing me hundreds of dollars per month but little Rebel was worth every penny and I was willing to continue paying as long as he stayed happy and relatively healthy.
 
When his shots were due the vet insisted on giving only a single shot at a time because she didn’t want to overload his system.  We never got to finish; shortly after I left for work last Wednesday Rebel went to sleep and quietly passed away.  His little heart had finally given out.  I buried him when I got home and spent the evening bawling my eyes out.  He was nine and a half, but he was my baby and I miss him terribly.  I suddenly find myself with another large hole in my life.
 
Since Rebel’s thyroid medication kept his fur thick and luxurious I never did get a chance to verify whether or not Shiva’s bath and massage regime would work with another dwarf GSD.  I have an 80-acre ranch and I will continue to offer a home to any dwarf GSD who needs one.  Sometimes the medical bills get a little bit overwhelming, but I believe these little guys deserve a shot at life and I am happy to offer it.  Those vets who insist that such dogs must be put down when they are still puppies frustrate and anger me.  Shiva and Rebel, despite their problems, both had very happy lives.
 
If anyone out there has a dwarf GSD with a skin problem I’d appreciate knowing if the bathing and massage helps to alleviate it.  And, if anyone knows of a dwarf GSD who needs a loving home where they will be spoiled rotten, feel free to contact me.