Introductory Post by Chris Bohman

[chrisbohman]

Hi @chrisbohman
,
Welcome!

On your youtube you have a post referring to Wegman's, I'm in Rochester, NY Wegman's hometown, whereabouts are you?
Chris

 

[DobieLover]

Gorgeous "puppy" in your avatar!

My "puppy" will be celebrating her 9th birthday this Saturday. For a pure Dobie, she's considered quite old. I've only had 2 out of 6 hit double digit age.
She's still doing great but is showing signs she'll go by way of 3 of her predecessors.

 

[triciayoung]

My "puppy" will be celebrating her 9th birthday this Saturday. For a pure Dobie, she's considered quite old. I've only had 2 out of 6 hit double digit age.
She's still doing great but is showing signs she'll go by way of 3 of her predecessors.

How do Dobie's decline?

 

[triciayoung]

Welcome. I would love to see pictures of your flock.

 

[DobieLover]

How do Dobie's decline?

40% die from DCM - dilated cardiomyopathy. A Dobie's heart health is so bad that they have their own charts for echocardiogram result interpretation.
Three of my previous 5 died from it. Two had sudden death.
If a Dobie has a heart murmur, they are going to develop it, IMO. Bella has had a few bouts of arrhythmias that scare her but don't hurt. I recognized the signs of it from one of my previous girls that had let me know her heart was beating erratically. She did make it to 10.5 years but had to be euthanized due to the inability to re-repair a torn CCL due to her heart condition.

 

[triciayoung]

40% die from DCM - dilated cardiomyopathy. A Dobie's heart health is so bad that they have their own charts for echocardiogram result interpretation.
Three of my previous 5 died from it. Two had sudden death.
If a Dobie has a heart murmur, they are going to develop it, IMO. Bella has had a few bouts of arrhythmias that scare her but don't hurt. I recognized the signs of it from one of my previous girls that had let me know her heart was beating erratically. She did make it to 10.5 years but had to be euthanized due to the inability to re-repair a torn CCL due to her heart condition.

That's awful. Do they have beta-blockers and ace inhibitors for dogs? I know they have lasix.

 

[DobieLover]

That's awful. Do they have beta-blockers and ace inhibitors for dogs? I know they have lasix.

Yes. That's part of the drug cocktail they go on when they develop symptoms. The other one is pimobendan. It helps the heart beat stronger.

It's obviously the least positive thing about the breed. But the way I look at it is I'm going to give each one of my dogs the absolute best life I can possibly give them and whatever happens health-wise happens. They will have known love and will have experienced a wonderful canine life.

None of us are getting out of this alive!

 

[chrisbohman]

Welcome. I would love to see pictures of your flock.

Sorry for the delay, I was away from this sight for a while.
In the behind the fence image, from left to right:
Princess, Fredi, Lynn, Henrietta & Ricky
In the overhead view, my girls are, by location in image:
Fredi (light grey), Henrietta (black & orange), Lynn (dark grey)
. . . . . . Ricky (light grey)
. . . . . . . . .Princess (orange)

 

[chrisbohman]

My "puppy" will be celebrating her 9th birthday this Saturday. For a pure Dobie, she's considered quite old. I've only had 2 out of 6 hit double digit age.
She's still doing great but is showing signs she'll go by way of 3 of her predecessors.

She is a beauty. I wish her healthy years.

 

[Bsmac]

(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
I am new this April to Chicken "Husbandry" LoL

(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
I started with 6, one of the Easter Eggers was actually a rooster, so I had to rehome him.

(3) What breeds do you have?
A Sapphire Gem (Lynn), an Americauna (Henrietta), an Easter Egger (Princess), and two Lavender Orpingtons (Fredi & Ricky).

(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
I get to watch and interact with the girls.

(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Watching Ice Hockey, surfing the internet, gardening, TV & Movies.

(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
I live with my partner Nancy, she is retired. I am 58 and work in customer support. We have a 7 year old Poodle Mix.

(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our, and decided to awesome community?
I have a book Backyard Chickens, and I have stumbled across articles/ posts that are from this site and I decided to join so as to be able to connect with numerous like-minded chicken-philes, many of whom will have more experience in raising chickens.

Hello! Welcome to BYC! Enjoy your time spent here