Madison Danes ~ Home of Quality Blue & Fawn Great Danes

 HOD

Three Little Letters, So Much Scariness - Or Should It Be?


Our baby Athena came down with HOD Just 1 week after getting her from the breeder.  We knew nothing about it at all, and the research began.  Even one of the Vets we use had to go look it up in her research books.

So off to the internet.  How easy it is to get confused with what is right or wrong.

You will see articles on Pseudo HOD, and the medication to use for that and how risky it is.

The purpose of this page is to share our story and let you know that it is something to deal with but by no means is it the end or even as bad as it may seem - if you do the right things.

We spared no expense and only wanted the best.  We immediately had her Xrayed, and confirmed HOD.  Even with that we still tried the Pseudo HOD medication.  Luckily we had an veteran Vet that had no problem with the medication.  It did have its risks but we were willing to take those risks.  It ended up not helping at all, and ended up not hurting either.

Fortunately we were able to keep our girl eating.  A huge benefit and absolutely necessary.

We always strictly controlled the food intake and feed premium food.  See feeding page for what we use and do.  This made a huge difference in controlling future outbreaks.

Treatment has been a steady supply of Metacam, control over diet, and keeping an eye on her.  You do need to keep up with blood work to ensure no damage to the organs.

The medicine can be costly, but if you use an online pharmacy, you can get the same medicine for a fraction of the cost.  See links for the pharmacy we use.

Your pup can live a long and healthy life and can grow well.  Our girl is a big girl, and we show her.  She just championed from puppy class.  We still keep on eye on her, and have entered her into a research study at Clemson University to help get more information about this disease.  If you have a pup you should consider doing so as well.  Check our research page for details.

We wish you well, and as always rely on qualified Veterinarians for the ultimate advice and decisions.  However in life you must do your own due diligence and the more knowledge you have the better your decisions will be.

If you have any additional questions please feel free to email.

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