As the title says, overnight between Wednesday and Thursday my dog literally collapsed.
He got up from his armchair, went over to the door and then he just crumbled. He stayed lying there for a bit looking quite out of sorts, and then he was back to normal again.
This is the second time he’s had this kind of episode.
The first time (two months ago) I didn’t panic because five minutes later he was fine. Fainting can happen, just like it does with people. But now that it's happened twice...
Does anyone have any idea what this could be?
Just to be clear, I’m obviously not looking for a diagnosis, just some 'leads', and of course I’ve already contacted my vet—we have an appointment tomorrow at 4.30pm.
Translated from French
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Hi Mel, I used to know a DDB; she was a lovely big girl, a total marshmallow. Even when she was young, if she was lying down and you lifted one of her paws, she’d just half-open an eyelid, let her paw drop back down and let out a massive sigh as if to say, "bless you lot, if that's what it takes to keep you entertained." As for aggression, I did see a male snap once at a campsite. To be fair to the poor thing, he’d just spent 6 or 7 hours straight in the boot of the car. His owners thought the best thing to do was unpack the car, tie the dog to the mobile home, and ****** off to do the shopping. The dog was lunging at anyone who went near him. They had to set up a sort of security cordon. The owners couldn't be reached, so the campsite called the police. When the officers saw the dog, they said, "If the owners aren't back in 10 minutes, the dog gets shot – we can’t risk the lead snapping." Luckily for him, his owners got back before the 10 minutes were up, and he underwent a total transformation – back to a normal, chilled-out, easygoing DDB. I can't tell you the dressing-down one of the coppers gave the owners (I found out later that the officer's parents used to have Dogues themselves), on top of the fine. 😏
Blimey, I’ve just done a quick tally. Since I got my big lad, I’ve already taken him to the vet 7 times (he’s 9 months old, I’ve had him since 24/06/18). I can see why he was starting to get fed up lol.
And I’m not even adding up the bills! 😅
I really hope it doesn’t carry on like this. I’m trying to keep things in perspective now, but it’s depressing sometimes. As soon as one problem is sorted, something else crops up. Even though I’m doing what I think is best for him.
Oh, he was so cute on the table. When the ultrasound started making noises, he was tilting his head from side to side, as if to say "what's that?". And he kept nuzzling his head into my neck 😊.
He's my big baby, so I don't find him intimidating at all. And Dr Marc really likes my dog; while I was writing the cheque, he’d already taken the lead and was walking him around the clinic :). It's really cool having a vet like that who takes the time to bond with the dog. Especially with a dog this size, it’s important that he's buddies with the vet.
But out on the street, some people cross the road... I suppose he must look quite imposing. Even though my big boy isn't aggressive and he's on a lead too :(. It's quite unfair on him because just a few months ago everyone wanted to pet the cute little puppy... But there are still some people who come over to give him a fuss and I always encourage them! It’s becoming rare though, even though my big lad has such a friendly face.
When you think about it, that dog never actually growled or bared its teeth once during the whole shoot – typical Dogue de Bordeaux that he was! LOL
Yeah, his eyes aren't aggressive at all, and they had to cut the cameras whenever his bum started wiggling from side to side... they used several different dogs for that role anyway..
just tiny little nuances.. a lovely bit of light-hearted fun..
Kaiser is a total legend.. 'Les Grandes Vacances'.. and those strings of slobber! 🤭
What a big softie..
Odin must look so imposing, especially when he's sat on the table!! You must feel ever so small facing that big mug of his?!
Thanks docline, the little giant is getting plenty of cuddles :)
Actually, the vet was really surprised when I reminded him he’s only 9 months old lol – given his size, he thought he was already a year old... And nope, he’s still got some growing to do! Next time, it’ll take three of us to get him up on the table 😂😂😂
Yeah, a Dogue de Bordeaux baring its teeth... I’ll believe that when I see it 😂 there are just too many wrinkles...
I’ve found that clip I mentioned with de Funès, this Dogue is massive!
https://youtu.be/q6KBv8YUEJc
Yeah, Turner & Hooch – you’ll have a laugh, Mel... jowls flying everywhere and slobber galore!
I love watching dogs "acting"; it’s actually quite funny to see how they managed to make Hooch look aggressive, adding a soundtrack of ferocious growls and zooming in on his teeth when his jowls flap up while he's running ^^
When in reality, that dog never actually growled or bared his teeth once during the whole shoot – typical for a big softie DDB! LOL
I’m going to download that film to watch when I get the chance. You don’t see many DDBs in films.
I also saw a clip from a film with Louis de Funès that had an absolutely massive Dogue in it. "His name is Kaiser, don’t worry, he doesn’t bite very often" 😂😂😂 I haven’t seen the whole film but that clip is hilarious.
@Petyrlechon yeah, that’s reassuring :)
The king of the house is having a nap in his armchair, I’m giving him loads of cuddles :)
Phew, so glad it was more of a scare than anything serious!! Give the mighty Odin a massive cuddle from me 😉😊
(Off-topic, but the site has been really glitchy for me for a while now. I already couldn't access the cat or small furries forums, and since the day before yesterday, I haven't been able to post any photos either... 😐)
