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Post by christina on Nov 4, 2005 20:10:58 GMT 1
Hello everyone, I've just joined, and would like to introduce myself and my two Weims. My name is Christina, I am German, but have been living in England now for the past 20 years (hubby is a Brit) ... well, almost - we used to live in France for 5 of those years. We got our first Weim Thomas nearly 10 years ago, when we moved back to the UK from France. Thomas was the dog we had been dreaming about and been waiting for for years.... due to my husbands profession we could not keep dogs any earlier. We were traveling all over the globe, so our dog dreams had to wait until hubby took retirement. Our long awaited first Weim fell ill almost from day one. He suffers from an auto-immune disease....  It's a long story. We got Weim number two - Kimber - when Thomas was two years old and stable. Kimber was supposed to be "the easy one".... and he is! ....except for the fact that he too suffers from auto-immune disease.  Both dogs are doing well, and we love them to bits. Well...that's just about it - Thanks for letting me join.  Christina |
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Post by marjolein on Nov 4, 2005 20:39:08 GMT 1
Hi Christina and welcome here. What a sad story. Hope they're ok-ish?!?!
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Post by Irena on Nov 4, 2005 21:12:14 GMT 1
Christina, welcome to the board! What a nightmare. Did you inform their breeder(s)? They need to know it to be able to make better choices when they breed next time, it is crucial. I worked at a boarding kennel in England in 2004 and fell in love with the country! |
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Post by Alkemist on Nov 4, 2005 21:13:31 GMT 1
Hi Christina, and welcome from Nina and Duncan in the UK. We too had a bad time with the health of our Weims - I had 2 outbreaks of cancer in the only litter I bred up to now  But now we have a new bitch and things are looking up ;D Nina and Duncan |
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Post by christina on Nov 4, 2005 22:25:39 GMT 1
Thank you all for the warm welcome -
Marjolein ..... yes, thanks, they are both doing well. Our life's are regulated by pill-dispensers and a kitchen cupboard full of drugs, but the boys are both battling on. Thomas in particular is defying all the text books .... but then, he hasn't read them <G>
Irena ...... Yes, we told both the breeders - with mixed results. Thomas's breeder was not terribly helpful. I think she just wanted the problem to "go away" and she stuck her head in the sand. Kimber breeder has been very good and helpful throughout. Neither of the parents had used for repeat matings. In fact, Kimber's sire and Kimber had been diagnosed with the same auto-immune disease (Hypothyroidism) almost simultaneously .....
Nina ..... I am so sorry to hear that. What a blow for you! Which kind of cancer did those pups develop? - and how old were they when they were diagnosed?
Christina
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Post by daniela on Nov 5, 2005 10:41:48 GMT 1
Not the right thread I know.... .....but where abouts in England were you? Did you go to any shows over here?  |
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Post by daniela on Nov 5, 2005 10:42:25 GMT 1
Sorry those questions were directed at Irena  |
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Post by Fala Love'a on Nov 5, 2005 11:55:33 GMT 1
HI Christina, and WELCOME from us and our 3 weim girls (3 days ago our 4th girl Anya went to UK to join Nina&Duncan :)).
I have heard that you are the handler of our Lola's sister - Grey...hope to see you both some day!
Magda
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Post by christina on Nov 5, 2005 15:00:35 GMT 1
Hello Magda,
I WISH !! Sorry, but you've got me mixed up with another Christina. I could not properly handle a dog in the ring if my life depended on it (LOL). I did have a crack at it some years back, but then Kimber got ill too, and our days of faim were over.
Many thanks for the welcome. I am very pleased to hear that "fresh blood" (I mean that in the nicest possible way!) is finding its way into the UK - God knows, we are in dire need !!
I will look out for your babies when I go to shows .... these days only as a spectator, I'm afraid ......
Christina
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Post by Wetdog on Nov 5, 2005 16:23:57 GMT 1
WELCOME to the board Christina!!! Very nice to have you join us. Have you been posting on MSN lately?(hypothyroid sounds pretty familiar, LOL)
I think by now you ought to just clip the coupon and send it in for your vet degree---they should just send it by return mail! LOL.
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Post by Irena on Nov 5, 2005 16:37:12 GMT 1
Daniela, I was in Hampshire, near Basingstoke, and I did manage to attend a show! Bournemouth Championship on 15 Aug 2004. (Couldn't go to any others as I was there to work, heck I even didn't go to a Bryan Ferry concert though the temptation was great! ;D ) Of course I didn't have Audry then, so I went just to look and to meet up with Lynn (from our board). I must admit it would probably take me a long time to figure out the class system at the UK shows  but it was a really interesting experience for sure. There were LOTS of Weims!! |
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Post by christina on Nov 5, 2005 18:33:11 GMT 1
****......(hypothyroid sounds pretty familiar, LOL)**** (((LOL))) well, Fred, at least that proves that somebody is reading my postings .... and maybe some of the contents will even stick and save a dog or two...  Thanks for having me on the board. Christina |
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Post by Fala Love'a on Nov 5, 2005 19:38:16 GMT 1
Oh, I am sorry, I confused you wit Christina"Faust" but now we would like to WELCOME YOU here |
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Post by christina on Nov 5, 2005 21:06:54 GMT 1
Thanks very much for the welcome Magda ...... I'd be honored to be confused with Kristina anytime !! ;D
Christina
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Post by Alkemist on Nov 5, 2005 21:29:07 GMT 1
Hi Christina,
re your questions about the cancers - it was mast cell tumours. Jensen had his appear at 8 weeks and was diagnosed at 8 months. His litter sister was diagnosed at 4. Hence why I won't use him at stud - even though he is beautiful - see the 'pictures' thread (but I am a little biased).
We have just brought Anya in, to start afresh - she has been with us just over a day!
Nina and Duncan
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Post by Faust on Nov 5, 2005 21:50:15 GMT 1
HI Christina, and WELCOME from us and our 3 weim girls (3 days ago our 4th girl Anya went to UK to join Nina&Duncan :)). I have heard that you are the handler of our Lola's sister - Grey...hope to see you both some day! Magda Ha, ha, ha! I'm the Kristina who handled Grey! :-* Now to Christina, WELCOME on board! When you told that your weims both got auto-immune disease, I felt so much with you, because I lost my weimaraner 8 moths ago and the pain is still here and I know because I have very ill labrador retriever who is ill his whole life how frustrating this is when the dog is from the "chilhood" ill. Not frustrating in a manner that makes you angry, but in a way that you are worried and never can be rested. The worry will always remain. I wish you all the best with your weims that you adore and can't wait to see their pictures and to get to know you better! Best regards from Croatia! Kristina |
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Post by daniela on Nov 5, 2005 21:55:29 GMT 1
Irena, shame I didn't 'know' you back then, it would have been great to meet up.
You're a dedicated worker, I don't think I would have been able to resist the temptation of a concert!!
Have you ever thought about coming to Crufts? Entries or should I say dogs, can push around the 250 mark and it's a great day out, or four days, if you want to do the whole shebang.
Can sympathise with trying to understand a different class system. I have been brought up on the UK system so it's second nature to me but when I have shown overseas, I got myself in a right pickle trying to understand what class they were on, and what class I was supposed to be in!
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Post by christina on Nov 5, 2005 23:03:23 GMT 1
Gosh Nina, what a handsome fellow - and a super shot too !! How are Jensen and his sister doing now, and how old are they? Where are/were the tumours situated, and could you have them removed? You must have been devastated when you found out....
Christina
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Post by christina on Nov 6, 2005 0:57:23 GMT 1
Hi Kristina,
I read about Faust on here, and my heart goes out to you. It is so hard to bear to lose a friend. I nearly lost Thomas twice... both times we managed to pull him back at the eleventh hour. He is my special boy, probably because he is so ill - and I know he is on borrowed time. You are right about the frustration, and the worry and the anticipation. I do feel anger too. I am angry about the ignorance displayed by the people responsible.... Yet I count myself lucky. My dogs are doing well under the circumstances. I know so many people - far too many - with dogs that have auto-immune diseases, and they all have heartbreaking stories to tell. Those diseases are so cruel... and every time I learn of another one, the anger and frustration inside me is fuelled again.....
I am not very computer literate, but when I have worked out how to attach photos on here, I'll post a few.
All the best,
Christina
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Post by Irena on Nov 6, 2005 1:26:44 GMT 1
Christina, So great to have you join us! I was wondering, since something like this is really my worst nightmare (OK, you can xray the hips and elbows, have the eyes checked, but how do you "check" for things like that?) when dogs are bred, what CAN be done? I now realize that my question whether you let the breeders know was sort of irrelevant given your huge experience with it and your knowledge. Apologies for my ignorance! Do you have any suggestions about where to start when you want to breed? Of course one can (and should?!?) talk to the breeder they got the dog from, to find out about anything that may be in the lines, but how else can you find out about such things? Please feel free to start a new topic about it, maybe in the Breeding section? If and when you have the time, of course. And of course everyone else is very welcome to join in too.... |
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