Leah
This is Leah, she turned 3 in December 2021 and is a Boston Terrier. When I got Leah home for the first time, she was so calm, I felt something was wrong. She had had diarrhea with the breeder earlier that day.
The breeder meant this was nothing to worry about since Leah had gotten hold of a bag of treat that days. Then I see that she has bloody diarrhea. She is twitching and difficult to connect with. I rush off to the vet with her and are told she may not survive. This was just the start!
Leah has pollen, mites and food allergies. This means that she must go on a strict diet and cannot get food residues. Having a dog with so many allergies is tough for both of us. Food residues will make Leah feel bad, vomit and get diarrhea, sometimes we must go to the vet for treatment, other times we manage at home.
These are not the only problems Leah has. She has had surgery for patella lux grade 3 in both knees, operated the soft palate, she has difficulty breathing, especially during pollen season.
Then when I finally think we’re in control, Leah suddenly changes the way she walks and refuses to jump. The knee that last had surgery is lurking again, so there was another operation. Leah had anxiety afterwards.
Now I hope Leah can have a good and long life. Because she can’t go through anymore, it’s not going to be a worthy life.
I do not recommend others to buy Boston Terrier, although the breed has super nice personality. But they have a lot of health problems. Leah is not the only puppy in the litter who has health problems.
I can say that I would never be without Leah, she is an amazing dog, and we thank her vet for her help and support.
In memory of Frøya
A long-haired beauty queen, useless for exhibition, was the next to join our family.
She also suffered some allergy problems, her low back caused problems with her hips and hind legs, and she eventually contracted cancer. Her disease picture worsened after Ara died, as the two of them was very attached.
Breeder’s still at it. Little darling, we miss you!
In memory of Diana
A mistreated German shepherd of 1 year who ended up “on sale” from the breeder. A puppy sold to the wrong people, delivered back to the breeder, given away to another owner, delivered to the breeder and there locked up inside the outbuilding!!!! Her fate touched us. Contacted the breeder and asked him to take her into the house before we came and greeted her. “Are you crazy, we have puppy litter in here, she can’t be inside,” In all ads, breeders brag about socialization inside with family and more. A mentally ill dog has no place there. Revealing! Where’s the empathy?
The meeting with this breeder was a shock. The most abused dog I’ve ever seen, a psychic wreck that was terrified of everything and everyone. A puppy factory, several litters out in fences. Desperate Diana came with us. She almost climbed on me when she was let out of the outhouse. Like she asked to be rescued from there. The first problem was getting her into the house. She was terrified of stairs. How can a dog become so extremely afraid of stairs? What could she have been exposed to? She threw herself over the food, and it came straight out again. After a year, countless vet visits, homemade food 3-4 times a day she got almost a normal stomach. We lived in a stench for a year, she rarely made it out poor thing. Bad dry food, too little food, just one meal a day, battle over the food – think all this contributed to her behavior. Recurrent pyometra, separation anxiety, she never managed to completely relax. You can destroy a puppy in a year. We loved her, later bought Daysi, which she adopted as her puppy. She became calmer after she got Daysi, but the anxiety remained. If I see the breeder’s name, I get upset. We named her after the Princess of Wales, she became the princess of the family. Got praise from the vet who thought no one else had put up with her and all the feces we were allowed to stand out with inside. For us, it was never an option for her to change family again. Little one, friend – we still miss you! No dog deserves such treatment you were subjected to. We’re glad we got to give you a good life eventually.
In memory of Ara
The greatest personality in the world, everyone was touched by her. Purchased from a serious breeder. Ara had a hanging ear and was therefore “useless” for the breeder. The health problems began early: operation of ligaments, and pyometra that also resulted in surgery. The back, hips and hind legs failed at the very end. Ara was such a wonderful girl; she didn’t deserve all these afflictions. All our dogs are treated like family members, so they are showered with love and respect. When they get sick, it becomes a huge burden for the whole family. Breeders responsible for all this pain in animals and owners should be deprived of the right to keep up with animals. “Thank you, Ara, for making our lives so much better despite your health problems. We miss you.”
In memory of Jessica
In 1989, we got our first German shepherd into the family, wonderful Jessica. Bought from a “serious” breeder. After some time, she began to itch terribly, she scratched off all the fur under her belly and up the sides. Her skin turned completely black, and when the scratching was at it worst we had to sit up with her at night. A terrible time for us. Hard medication and changing diet eventually yielded results. This was before the vets had agreements with manufacturers. Our vet said: “The dog food contains so many additives so if you have it long enough in the kitchen cupboard it will go beyond the floor.” Cut out all dry food and cook their own food. Jessie cooked chicken, hen, liver, moose and more with organic oatmeal, rice, and vegetables. That gave results and Jessie loved her food. We received no information from the breeder that the dogs there had allergies, they seemed more concerned with exhibitions and great pedigrees. Jessie had a good life with us here on the farm and she still lives in our hearts.
In memory of Terra
Now we are going to meet a cocker that was bought in 2000 by a larger breeder. Her name was Terra. The strange thing about Terra was that she was very concerned about screws, nails and stones that it picked up and carried around in her mouth.
I thought mine about the place Terra had been born and stayed at.
The breeder clearly drifted only to make money.
After a short time, it turned out that Terra had an innate eye disease that could make her blind, but I received vet treatment with eye drops Cyclosporine to dampen her immune system, which cost 500 Norwegian kroner (NOK) per bottle.
Eventually, she had problems with her legs and was unable to go far. This began when she was about 6 years old. It started with her not having much energy when we went for a walk, and it ended with her being carried upstairs and unable to jump up on the couch anymore. She was unable to walk anymore and needed painkillers for an extended period. X-rays showed changes that could be fixed through surgery
Unfortunately, she was euthanized when she was 9.5 years old.
Brit Lien, Elverum
Molly
Meet Molly, a nine-year-old Toy Poodle. She came to live with us two years ago and her previous owner informed us that she had been suffering from severe allergy almost her entire life. Antibiotics and cortisone had been administered for years to keep her skin- and ear-infections under control. After a while, this treatment could no longer be justified, and she had to undergo surgery. She had a total ear canal ablation on both ears, which effectively means that both her ear canals were removed. She now has reduced hearing but at least she no longer suffers from chronic ear infection.
Despite knowing that allergic disease in dogs is hereditary, Molly’s breeder managed to let her have two litters. A dog with allergic disease should never be used for breeding purposes as it is guaranteed to cause allergic disease in the offspring. This is in fact illegal according to the Animal Welfare Act.
Molly is a wonderful dog, and we are thrilled to have her as part of our family. All we want is for dogs like Molly, not to be used in breeding to avoid unnecessary suffering.
Love, Hanne & Molly
In memory of Brum
We adopted the lovely Border Collie Brum when he was one year old. Just before this, he had started scratching and itching. He scratched himself so bad he got several wounds. The vet found out that he was allergic. This was the start of many treatments for Brum. The treatments worked, but he suffered from several relapses and strong side effects. At the age of six he developed an autoimmune disease that affected his skin, joints, and muscles. The disease was hard on Brum, but the treatment even harder. When Brum was seven years old, his body couldn´t cope anymore, and we had to put him down.
Many dogs suffer from allergies, and this should not be looked easy upon. It effects the dogs lives negatively and shortens their lives.
We are grateful to have known Brum and not a day goes by where we don`t miss him.
In memory of Terk
My English Bulldog Terk got blisters on her skin when she was six months old, and she itched badly. Just after this her eyes got very bad, and the vet worried that one of her eyes would pop. She also had a big skinfold on her nose, and constantly had a big wound because of this. Terk was my childhood dream, and I got her when I was 18. I ended up spending over 10 000 euros on her, but it was not enough to give her a good life. My mum took Terk to an expert which only had to give one look at the dog to see that there was no way this dog could ever get a good life. Poor Terk was put down two days later, and my heart was broken.
In memory of Snorre
My gorgeous Cavalier Snorre would always be waiting for me and surrounding me with love when I came home. He was the loveliest dog in the world. One day Snorre started breathing heavily and making noises of pain. It turned out his heart had grown and medicines didn`t help. He had water in his lungs, and the pain was too much for him. I had to make the tough decision to put down my best friend. Afterwards I realised that heart problems are common in this breed. This is a consequence of breeding with focus on exterior, and not health. Too many dogs are bred into a life of suffering and pain.
We miss Snorre every single day. (Illustration photo)
Billie
Billie is a French Bulldog, 2,5 years old. When Billie was 6-7 months old the problems started. First it was his breathing. This resulted in a nose surgery. It was successful, but he still can`t go outside on a hot Norwegian summer day. Then his ear started smelling. The vet found out he had fungi, and he is still bothered with this. Up next was wounds under his paws, and itching. The blood tests proved he is allergic to house dust mite. During this time, he also started having problems with his back and neck. We never go anywhere with Billie without bringing pain killers. When the vet saw his x-rays, he couldn`t believe that Billie can walk, his back is so bad.
Billie has turned out to be a patient requiring a lot of daily medication, care and washing. Still he is the most loving creature.
Although we would never be without Billie, I will never recommend anyone to get a French bulldog.
In memory of Frick
I was seven years old when we got Frick. This cute little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He was always patient and would participate in all the creative games a seven-year-old comes up with. When Frick was two, he started having back problems. He could not be lifted and would only allow very few people to touch him. When he was almost four, he got heart problems and started on medication for this.
Since he had back pain, he used his front legs more than his hind legs. His hind legs got weak, and one day one of the ligaments broke. He couldn`t walk and screamed in pain. We realised it was his time to go.
Frick was a clever and good dog. This happened 22 years ago, and still there are so many cavaliers struggling with similar diseases. It is so sad and totally unnecessary.
In memory of Lille My
Meet Lille My. She was a loving and affectionate Lagotto Romagnolo. Unfortunately, she only became three years old.
Lille My was diagnosed with hip dysplasia, which gave her great pain. This made her insecure, especially towards new people and kids. Her pain also made it difficult for her to participate in activities with her family. Her pains got too big, and we had to let her go.
Bonzo
Bonzo is a sweet 2-year-old Labrador. According to his breeder his parents are healthy. But, in September 2019 he started limping. It turns out his has severe elbow dysplasia on both legs, osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) and back problems. He had surgery done on his legs followed by rehab and swimming. Then it turns out he also has loose splinters in his knee. Another surgery, another rehab. Next thing his cruciate ligament has been damaged due to OCD. Yet another surgery.
If we are lucky, he will live to the age of 6-8 years old.
He has recently started having problems with his eyes, ears, stomach, and itching. We are now checking him for allergies.
Pax
It took us several years to find the right time and have the economy to get a dog. We had already decided to go for a Beagle, since we are hunters. May 2019 we could finally contact a breeder and he had a puppy available. He sent over pictures and we fell head over heals in love with this puppy. We payd a deposit and asked what we thought were good questions.
In june we drove 7 houres to pic up our puppy. Pax was now our new familymember.
We arrived home and saw the Pax had both behavioural problems and constant diarrhea. The veterinarian recommended us to see a behavioural therapist.
The months went by and both his diarrhea and general health worsened. His eyes were running constantly, the big folds in his face did not og away and his testicle did not fall into the scrotum. We took him to an eye expert who told us that Pax did not have tear canals, and his eye lashes are irritating his eyes. The vet sedated Pax and opened his tear canals. When we took him to a later control, this had grown and the problem came back. Nest step will be a probe.
In the summer of 2020 Pax got sick again and was also limping. We took him to the vet for a full check up, x-rays, bloodsamples. It turns out he has two types of allergies. He also developed fungi under his paws and in the cornes of his mouth. He also has multiple ear infections due to his allergies.
Today Pax is on daily medicins for his allergies and also on painkillers. His paws needs daily special bathing, he needs special food and also more visits at the veterinary clinic.
Our dog is not even 2 years old and has already been through so much. Next year he will get his eyes fixed, remove the facial skin folds and be castrated.
Regards Vilde and Pax
