# Dogue de Bordeaux dies at Crufts



## Cliffdog (Dec 30, 2010)

Apparently the other day, Marley the Dogue de Bordeaux died at Crufts from laryngeal paralysis, at only 3 years old. According to Terrierman's Daily Dose the median lifespan for DDBs is only 5.5 years... so I guess it wasn't that young by Dogue standards.
Just spoken to the... | Facebook


> Just spoken to the owner of Marley, the Dogue De Bordeaux that very sadly died yesterday. Marley was three years old and seemed to be in excellent health earlier in the day. On the way out of Crufts she collapsed and vets were quickly on the scene. Laryngeal paralysis was the diagnosis and the decision was taken to let her go as quality of life would have been very poor if extraordinary means were used. This was the first anyone knew of Marley having any health issues. Marley had had her hips done under anaesthetic about a year ago and until yesterday there had been no sign of any health problem but the Crufts vets felt this was a ticking time bomb and it could have happened at any time. Happening at Crufts meant that vet's were close and suffering kept to a minimum. It was devastating to Marley's owners but the have vowed to find out everything they can about laryngeal paralysis so that they can help prevent this happening to anyone else. My Googling shows that it is often idiopathic - I've come across it in Dalmatians. I am sure we all send them our love and support on such a very sad and traumatic event. If you see any comments suggesting overheating being the cause please direct people to this statement as there was nothing Marley's owners could have done differently to save her.


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I am very, very sorry for that dog. But shouldn't a dog with hip dysplasia not be breeding?


----------



## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

Where did it say the dog had hip dyplacia? It says, that she had her hips screened and anaesthetic was used (which is common) for the procedure  I feel horrible for the owners of this dog.


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

twoisplenty said:


> Where did it say the dog had hip dyplacia? It says, that she had her hips screened and anaesthetic was used (which is common) for the procedure  I feel horrible for the owners of this dog.


It says "done," not screened. As in something was done to them, not just an exam. What would you "do" to hips that are normal?

I don't understand alot of fancy dog show talk, so maybe I misunderstood.


----------



## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

The only way to find out if they are normal is to have them x-rayed and screened/scored by an orthopedic (OFA/OVC/PennHip). I read it as the dog had the hips health tested last year and during the procedure anaesthetic was used and their were no signs of laryngeal paralysis during this procedure.


----------



## CoverTune (Dec 20, 2011)

Yeah, I read that as the dog had the hips screened. xellil, what they do is sedate or anaesthetize the dog so that they can position the hips properly for x-rays to check for dysplasia, as it's a rather uncomfortable position they have to put them in. There is really nothing that can be done to dysplastic hips, they cannot be fixed or treated.


----------



## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

It was probably just a standard radiograph for OFA. Two years is when its done and submitted, so timing is right. They probably would have retired and sold her if she hadn't passed muster with the OFA.


----------



## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

CoverTune said:


> Yeah, I read that as the dog had the hips screened. xellil, what they do is sedate or anaesthetize the dog so that they can position the hips properly for x-rays to check for dysplasia, as it's a rather uncomfortable position they have to put them in.* There is really nothing that can be done to dysplastic hips, they cannot be fixed or treated*.


Actually there are several different types of surgery that can be performed. You can have TPO surgery, complete hip replacements or Femoral head and neck excision. I know of several dogs who did great after having their hips fixed


----------



## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

5.5 yrs???? giant breed or not that is no excuse.......
great pyrs live around 14 yrs. 

irish wolfhounds are another dog that dies as a puppy..i think 3 -6?


----------



## brandypup (Jan 23, 2012)

I would be devestated. Prayers to her owner and friends. What is laryngeal paralysis? It sounds like a suffocation. 

It does seem like 5 yrs is way too short EM's are 8-1o years and they are a very large dog.


----------



## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

FYI...

"The opening to the trachea (“wind pipe”) normally is pulled open on two sides when breathing in, and then these cartilages relax when breathing out. With laryngeal paralysis, the muscles that normally pull these open do not function properly. When an affected dog breathes in, the cartilages do not pull open—rather, they are sucked into the opening, or in severe cases sucked shut. Early in the condition, this creates increased noise when they breathe (called “stridor”); later, it can completely obstruct their airway, and they can suffocate."


----------



## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

I suggest for anyone interested to read the following concerning the condition...very sad indeed.

ACVS - Laryngeal Paralysis


----------



## danecolor (Nov 22, 2010)

brandypup said:


> It does seem like 5 yrs is way too short EM's are 8-1o years and they are a very large dog.


averages are tricky. just because the mean lifespan for a breed is 5 does not necessarily mean that most dogs will die around age five. i do not know if this is the case with DDB's, but an "average" of about 5 years could mean that some dogs with congenital defects die very early (around 1 or 2 or 3 years) while others live a full, healthy life of 10 years or more. the "average" would then fall somewhere in the middle, giving the impression that the breed never lives past 5. now, given, if a significant part of the breed is dying young as puppies, there are definitely some issues that need to be addressed in the breed.

it is always one of my pet peeves when someone approaches me and says something along the lines of "oh, a great dane! how beautiful! too bad they only live to 6/5/4 years old, huh?" they usually end up exaggerating the average lifespan on the low side to begin with. then, on top of that, i have known numerous great danes, both from responsible breeders and in rescue who live well into their early teens. when you combine good breeding with good daily and preventative care and nutrition, I would be surprised to see a dane not make it to age ten. sadly, some do die very young due to things like heart issues or bloat. 

anyway, that is my little rant/perspective, not directed at anyone in particular. it is very tragic that this DDB died so young, and even worse that it was in the public eye. i bet the owners are devestated.


----------



## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

My previous dog, Labrador Retriever, had this condition (laryngeal paralysis) towards the end of his life, and it was VERY obvious that something was going on with his breathing. Although he was old, and dying of lymphoma, the change in the sound of his breathing was pretty horrific. In the beginning, I put his hoarseness and breathing struggles down to 1) the hot weather; 2) his advanced age; 3) his cancer.

Nope. Apparently, this condition is not uncommon among labs. Even so, my vet said that there was a surgery to correct this. It involves surgically cutting and "pinning back" the collapsed flaps of the trachea or laryngeal flaps so that they remain always open. The problem is, there is a reason that they open and close-- one of which is to filter out unwanted air particles/ bacteria, etc. that might be floating around.

In my case, that would have compromised his failing health further, as he was already struggling to fight his own battle with cancer...
Plus, putting him under anesthesia...

So my question is-- how could the owner/breeder of this DDB not see/feel/hear his breathing struggles before bringing him into the show ring?

I don't believe that one minute the dog is breathing fine... and then the next minute his trachea collapsed. That's not my understanding of the condition.


----------



## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

Exactly, what I was thinking...how could she not have been showing any signs...from what I read it can be very slight signs but still. It would be horrific if they ignored and only focused on showing the dog.


----------



## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

so if your lab didn't have cancer would the benefits of the always open trachea outweigh the risks of bacteria coming in? Nice to see that it is not as immediate disease as crufts is making it out to be...so owners have options as long as they have a trusted vet and not the crufts ones who are oblivious apparently


NewYorkDogue said:


> My previous dog, Labrador Retriever, had this condition (laryngeal paralysis) towards the end of his life, and it was VERY obvious that something was going on with his breathing. Although he was old, and dying of lymphoma, the change in the sound of his breathing was pretty horrific. In the beginning, I put his hoarseness and breathing struggles down to 1) the hot weather; 2) his advanced age; 3) his cancer.
> 
> Nope. Apparently, this condition is not uncommon among labs. Even so, my vet said that there was a surgery to correct this. It involves surgically cutting and "pinning back" the collapsed flaps of the trachea or laryngeal flaps so that they remain always open. The problem is, there is a reason that they open and close-- one of which is to filter out unwanted air particles/ bacteria, etc. that might be floating around.
> 
> ...


----------



## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> so if your lab didn't have cancer would the benefits of the always open trachea outweigh the risks of bacteria coming in? Nice to see that it is not as immediate disease as crufts is making it out to be...so owners have options as long as they have a trusted vet and not the crufts ones who are oblivious apparently


That's a good question. If he had been diagnosed with this condition at, say, 5 instead of 12 1/2 years, (and did not have cancer), I would have done some more of my own research-- and probably gotten a second opinion...


----------



## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

xellil said:


> It says "done," not screened. As in something was done to them, not just an exam. What would you "do" to hips that are normal?
> 
> I don't understand alot of fancy dog show talk, so maybe I misunderstood.


Don't feel bad xellil, I thought having your hips 'done' was an operation too. (like having your boob's done!). 
I learn't something today.


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

MollyWoppy said:


> Don't feel bad xellil, I thought having your hips 'done' was an operation too. (like having your boob's done!).
> I learn't something today.


Well you know, as disabled and mutated as alot of these dogs are, I was suspecting the worst!!! 

Of course, it's a moot point since the poor thing died. Although I do think that is probably something caused by inbreeding, also. No dog should have an average lifespan of five years. That's just extremely sad.


----------



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

MollyWoppy said:


> Don't feel bad xellil, I thought having your hips 'done' was an operation too. (like having your boob's done!).
> I learn't something today.


Generally, if someone says they had their hips done, this means screened. For example, I will have my boy's hips done when he turns 2. This means screened.


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> 5.5 yrs???? giant breed or not that is no excuse.......
> great pyrs live around 14 yrs.
> 
> irish wolfhounds are another dog that dies as a puppy..i think 3 -6?


My brother and his wife had two wolfhounds and their lifespan is supposed to be 9 years. Right on cue, they both died of cancer at 9 years.


----------



## Cliffdog (Dec 30, 2010)

It really depends on the Wolfhound. As in all breeds... some are more robust and healthier than others.


----------

