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Belle and her littermates
got to go on their first camping
trip to the dog shows in
Williamsburg, VA
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Belle working on the "hole".
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Shortly after this picture was
taken in July 02, Belle came down
with hypertrophic osteodystrophy
(HOD), a devastating growth
disorder of the long bones.
We opted to treat Belle homeopathically
with remedies that had been proven
to be very successful in several
dane puppies that we knew.
Unfortunately Belle did not respond
to the treatment and her legs
became very deformed. We then
started treating her with Rimadyl
which afforded her some comfort
as the disorder ran its course
over a period of approximately two
months. On the bright side,
her body has absorbed tremendous
amounts of the malformed bone
formation and even tho her legs
will never be considered "normal",
she is very active, happy and
totally pain free, We now
know that high doses of steroids
administered at the start of
HOD has proven to be most effective
in stopping the cycle before
it starts. If you need further information
on this devastating condition,
please feel free to contact me. |
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Belle had a little "hydrotherapy"
under the guidance of
Dr. Regina Schwabe, DVM,
at the Pamplin Animal Wellness
Clinic.
Belle was not impressed!!
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Belle got to meet the goats,
emus and horses at
Dave Vogel and Kristine Travis'
farm (Janus Great Danes)
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Belle's baby half-brother,
Mars, came into our lives and has
become Belle's favorite friend
and "worst nightmare"!
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Belle teaches Mars how to
dig holes.
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Belle and her friend, Ashley.
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Belle and Mars hanging out
on the picnic table
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Belle and Mars during morning
exercise.
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Belle sneaking up on Kizzy
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Belle and Mars "jawing"
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Peanut Gallery - Take 1
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Peanut Gallery - Take 2
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Belle got to see her old
nemesis....the emu!!!
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and....enjoyed a romp in
the woods!!!!
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Belle loves the water bed!!
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Belle and Mars playing their
favorite game of shred the carpet!
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Belle playing "jungle dog"
at friend Kristine's house
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"OK, I've had all the fun
I can stand and am ready to go home"
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Belle helping with "clean
up"
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What else does a dog do in
February??
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Belle.....the picnic table
dog:-))
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Belle giving Syd some words
of encouragement on Syd's pending puppies
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Belle and Mallory "havin
fun"
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Belle, Tigger and Mars...hanging
out!
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Nothing like a great game
of "draintile"!!
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Catching a nap during the
summer heat
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Belle, Shasta and Mars lining
up to go in
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Belle snuffling Shasta
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Belle went into kidney failure
in July 2008. After several days of fluid therapy, it was determined that
her kidneys could not be saved and we made the sad, sad decision to help
her cross the bridge. She passed peacefully in my arms. Sleep softly sweet
Belle...until we meet again...
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