We thought we should introduce ourselfs

Introduce yourself and ask questions of the forum Chow Chow enthusiasts.

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Hadrintheliondog
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We thought we should introduce ourselfs

Post by Hadrintheliondog »

Goodevening fellow chow chow enthousiasts,
I am the proud owner of a very cute chow chow named Hadrin, and I was looking for a long time for a discussion forum that wouldn't be run by pet foods but from people who just love dogs.
Our story doesn't start well, since Hadrin was -at least everything point to that direction- one of those puppies who were bought because they were cute and then abandoned. I crossed her path when she was less than one year old and lived on her own abandoned in a mountain close to my city, Athens (We live in Greece ny the way). She was so impressive and beautyfull that I just couldn't leave her there, so I decided to take her home with me.
The next day I called the vet at home for a check up and mostly to try and find out if she had a chip and if she did to try and loccate the owner. There was always the chance of her being lost not abandoned.
The vet was a joke. Not only he told me that I could only report the chip number if I wanted but also he was unable to understand the the dog was pregnant and about to give birth. And less than two weeks later, out of the blue, she suddenly did. We were together for just those two weeks so I couldn't understand right away that something was really wrong with the dog, I just thought she was restless. Then, as I came into the living room I suddenly saw something small and brown on the floor. I thought she just took a... you know number two, but then I saw it move. It was the first of 5 babies that arrived that night, only to die the very next day.
Shaken by it all, I took her to another vet (and this time got lucky) who informed me after a check up that my dog was sick with Kalazar and that the death of the puppies had a lot to do with that fact. I felt like passing out, what i have come to known about kalazar was that if your dog has it, death is just a matter of time.
My vet was much calmer though and she told me that there is a treatment which is expensive and illegal due to the greek FDA not being interested enough to approuve those drugs. So without as much as a second thought, I broke the law and bought the drugs, in the end we payed a bit less than a thousand euros, but we were glad to do it. In the four years since then, we are on meds and we have frequent check ups to ensure that she is fine, the good news is that my vet was right and that we have beaten this thing, she now is a happy dog like any other.
She'll never get to be a mom though, or her puppies will always be in risk of getting sick and of course I wouldn't do that to them or to their potential owners.
All those adventures though gave birth to a chow character that is out of the usual standerds. She has no problem at all with strangers, she likes playing with children and even though she dislikes stepping on water or going out when it rains -like most chows from what I hear- she loves the sea in the summer. For those unable to believe that I have pictures of us to prove it haha. Anyway, sorry for the long post but of all the people of the world you all ain't going to put up with me, then nobody will. I am looking forward to meeting you all.
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Zhuyos mom
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Re: We thought we should introduce ourselfs

Post by Zhuyos mom »

Welcome to the site! I am glad you found us online. Please share more about Hadrin, more pictures too!

Wow, she survived Kala Azar. I think this is the first case of Canine Kala Azar this site has read of. Kudos to you for fighting for her life. I was not familiar with the disease. I searched on the internet and found a helpful site: http://alspnewsletter.squarespace.com/l ... kala-azar/

Anyways, just wanted to "roll out the welcome mat" to you and Hadrin!
Hadrintheliondog
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Re: We thought we should introduce ourselfs

Post by Hadrintheliondog »

Thanks for the welcome, and the kudos but I really didn't feel like I had any other choise than to fight for a creature as adorable as she is.
As for Kalazar, over here where we live, due to the weather (heat and hummidity) it is affecting many dogs. I have lost a st Bernard's ten years ago to that desease and to hear that my next dog had it too was a blow. But all is great now.
*expects to go cross eyed from the cutness of them all*
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Tippsy'smom
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Re: We thought we should introduce ourselfs

Post by Tippsy'smom »

Welcome! I'm glad you found us too! I'm glad you rescued Hadrin and fought for her life like you have! And as Zhuyos mom said, we LOVE pictures! :D
Jess
R.I.P. Cinder~1992-1994, Tippsy~9/00-4/11, Jasper~10/08-10/14, Todd~2/11-7/15
Dixie: mix Rebel: mix
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TJordan
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Re: We thought we should introduce ourselfs

Post by TJordan »

Hadrin is Lucky you found her! What a story. I would love to see some pictures!
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SweetPea Rocks!!
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Auddymay
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Re: We thought we should introduce ourselfs

Post by Auddymay »

Welcome to the site. Kala Azar sounds like a tropical version of Heartworm, only worse. At least with Heartworm there is a complete cure. Hadrin sounds just wonderful. Thank you for sharing your story, and I look forward to more posts.
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