HaPpY BiRtHdAy, olivia!!

[Charlene]

today is her 13th birthday!! yup, you read that right, a 13 year old great dane. not only is she 13, she is 2 years post-diagnosis with heart disease and she's rockin' it. olivia has been my rock through the loss of 4 of my danes and she keeps on keepin' on. she's gotten a bit more frail over the past few months but she still keeps the fed ex guy at bay and she still loves car rides and milk bones and there isn't a raccoon on the planet that stands a chance against her.

[James Sayers]

Way to go Olivia! Happy 13th and many more to come.

[Charlene]

thanks, james!

[greatdane293]

CHARLENE!!!!!!!!!! That is ASTOUNDING!!!!!!!!! Would you please mid sharing with us what you're doing for this to happen! You are my hero.

[NMDane]

Happy Birthday, Olivia!!! We love your big smile!

[Charlene]

CHARLENE!!!!!!!!!! That is ASTOUNDING!!!!!!!!! Would you please mid sharing with us what you're doing for this to happen! You are my hero.

i just give her whatever her little heart desires!!

but seriously, for being a byb dog, olivia has been really very healthy over the years. she landed in rescue when she was 8 years old and when i got a call from the founder of the rescue telling me she had a senior dane that really needed a soft place to land, i simply couldn't resist! as soon as she settled in (which took all of 2.5 seconds), i started her on a joint supplement and made an appointment with my vet for a senior blood panel/wellness exam. she passed with flying colors and the following week, she saw my chiropractic vet for the first time. a few minor adjustments and we were on our way to chasing squirrels and much to my dismay, encountering numerous skunks. olivia gets chiro and acupuncture once a month now.

after another couple of years when i noticed her starting to slow down, the chiro vet added cold laser treatments. those helped so much, i decided to purchase a small unit so i could give her treatments more often. she gets a treatment pretty much every day now and she seriously loves it! it was about that same time that i started monthly chondroprotec injections (much the same as adequan but a lot less expensive!) and those keep the inevitable arthritis in check.

she takes rimadyl and gabapentin daily to ward off the pain of age and she is also on thyroid meds. she can be a bit of a picky eater so i stuff her pills in a little ball of canned green tripe which is one of the things i found that she can't resist.

at olivia's 6 month wellness exam couple of years ago, the vet detected some irregularity when she listened to olivia's heart. i got a referral to a specialty clinic in st. louis for a cardiac ultrasound. that exam showed a leaky aortic valve in her heart (maybe age related, maybe genetic) so the cardio vet put her on meds. we go every 6 months for a follow-up ultrasound. our last trip was in february and while i had been preparing myself for news that her condition was worsening, i did a happy dance when the vet brought her back to the exam room, grinning from ear to ear, telling me her condition was stable!! she told me olivia is truly unbelievable and that she is one of the longest lived danes she has ever seen. she said unless i notice changes, she was comfortable waiting another 6 months for a follow-up. you couldn't wipe that smile from my face for weeks!!

so, as you can imagine, i spend a ridiculous amount of $$$ on her but i will go to the ends of the earth to make sure she has whatever she needs. i know that every day she lives is truly a gift from God and if she lives another year or two or more, she is worth every penny!!!

[greatdane293]

I'm smiling from ear to ear too. god bless Olivia. and thank goodness you found each other. keep going!

[Charlene]

I'm smiling from ear to ear too. god bless Olivia. and thank goodness you found each other. keep going!

thanks! she's a very special girl!!