Affaire's Part of Fortune, "Kramer"

Kramer lived with a family nearby that were not interested in showing, but maintained a close relationship with me as his breeder for his entire life. There were 8 puppies in this litter and three of them had mild HOD. A few days of Rimadyl was all it took to put the HOD behind them. However, Kramer had an extreme reaction to the Rimadyl. People worry about liver problems with this drug, but in Kramer's case his skin sloughed off. I remember when his owner was carrying him into the ER clinic, the black pigment off his nose sloughed off in my hand as I held his head. His feet would bleed, so they had sheets all over the carpets in the house. This took months to clear up. The owners filed a claim with Pfizer and received compensation for the veterinary bills. Other than that, Kramers health was pretty routine. His last echo was in September 2011 and he was normal at that time.

Kramer did have a guest spot on a local TV show, but I never got a copy of the piece. If I can get it from his owners, I'll add it to this page.

As he aged, he started showing signs of spinal degenerative disease, which is not uncommon in these big guys. When his quality of life reduced significantly, his owners let him go with dignity. For their love, care and dedication to this dog, I am forever grateful.

RIP sweet boy.