# Older Hav's



## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

I was just thinking there are so many puppies here-- not a lot of talk about older Hav's. I was hoping some of you with pups over 4 or 5 could let us know what to expect. Any health issues? How do their looks change? Do you change what they eat? Tell us your special moments with your steadfast companions. 

I don't have a story of my own-- but Cash's breeder told me a story of Cash's grandma-- The breeder said she was a very vocal dog and one day, the breeder was having a bad day and was pacing with her hands on her hips complaining a lot. And Cash's grandma started imitating her, whining and pacing and strutting as though she had her hands on her hips. My breeder stopped in her tracks and exclaimed to her daughter "she is mocking me." Way to go grandma.


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

My oldest is not 4 yet, so I dont have much input, although I can say that she has slowed down a bit & likes to sit and watch a little more than before. I too would be very interested in hearing from people with older Havs so know what to expect. Thanks for brining this up!!
Laurie


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

Great thread idea!I'd be very interested in this as well!:biggrin1:


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## LuvMyHavanese (Apr 13, 2007)

Dreamer is 6 years old. Though i have not had her very long i can only tell you the way she is now. She is a very loving sweet dog(arent they all?). She does sleep more than Tripp but gets this burst of energy & she goes wild. Its so cute. But most of the time she is a very well behaved, calm, serious dog. She is a total lap dog. Loves to be as close to me as possible.

She does not have a great appetite(except for treats) & can hold her pee for HOURS! She LOVES to chase birds, squirrels etc...& loves to roll in wild animal poopuke: . She is a great watchdog but only barks if necessary. She has also been (and still is) very healthy. Since she is black/white, her color, I dont think, has not really changed. She has truly been a wondeful blessing to us. She is my :angel: 
Sorry if this doesnt answer your questions.


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## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

My oldest (Daisy) is 3 1/2, all 7 3/4 lbs of her! She is a true couch potato/lap dog.
Just last night we were outside enjoying the fire pit in the backyard. Daisy was on my lap enjoying it too! We call her our "old soul". She seems to worry about everyone. She still loves to play chase and wrestle with the other dogs. She still lets me know (very loudly) if someone is outside or knocking on the door. She is by far the laziest of them all. Sometimes when we wake up in the morning, she will come down the hall...pause....turn around and go right back in her crate for an hour or so.
I have had no health problems with her. I got her from Linda Wannamaker in South Dakota. She does get yucky gunk in her eyes that stinks, but thats it~ (I have meds I use for it sometimes). She is in full coat (all the way to the floor!) and has the easiest coat to care for of all my dogs (except Jesters puppy coat), although it was a kinky matty nightmare as a puppy. I kept her in a puppy cut for a couple of years and even tried cording her. It's a fairly easy to care for coat now, hardly ever mats. 
And she is in LOVE with my parents. She just can't get enough of them!
She eats Innova adult (sometimes with Evo or Natures Variety raw kibble mixed in). She is a funny eater, one kibble at a time.
And yes, her look has really changed. She was a solid black and white puppy, and now her black has changed to a pewter silver color. But she is still beautiful to me!


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

awww. I love daisy. she sounds great.


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## mckennasedona (Feb 20, 2007)

McKenna turned 3 last April. She is a wonderful girl. Full of energy and ever curious. She is definitely a dog that uses all her five senses to explore her world. She has wonderful expressions and sometimes it's as if we can read her mind and put words in her mouth. She is not a lap dog unless she's sleepy. She cuddles right next to me in bed. She can run like the wind and on the beach there aren't many Havs who can catch her. She loves everyone and figures that everyone (human and dog) should naturally love her back (an enthusiasm we have to curb). For her first year, she had the most sensitive tummy. A couple bites of something odd and she'd be in trouble. No such issues now though. As for her coat, she's in a puppy cut because her nickname is or was Magical Matting McKenna. She's a cream color and hasn't changed. As for health, with the exception of a reaction to her rabies shot, she's been very healthy. We love her (and her half sister) to pieces and can't imagine our lives without them.

Susan


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

Susan,
Would McKenna still matt now at her age?:biggrin1: 

I'm hoping they grow out of that!

Katie,
Your Daisy sounds like a true sweetie!I know just how she feels!There are many days I get up and just want to turn around and go back to bed!:laugh:
Do you have any photos of her to show?I'd love to see her coat!:biggrin1:


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## MaddiesMom (Apr 1, 2007)

I had a Havanese that was 8 years old before Maddie. We had her as a pup. She was a sweetheart and a true velcro dog. She was also black and white, but her black silvered some as she got older. She was extremely intelligent with a huge vocabulary. We took to spelling in front of her, but eventually, she learned the spell words! Like a true Havanese, her favorite spot was on the back of the couch. I can say that she definitely became much calmer and lost the urge to play all day long as she aged. Some of that may have been from patellar luxation, but she could run like the wind. She had playing bouts 2 or 3 times a day, but the rest of the time, was content to stick by us and do whatever we were doing. I've had multiple breeds of dogs throughout the years, but without a doubt, the Havanese is the best!:first: When she passed way too early from liver disease, we knew that the only breed for us was another Hav!


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

awwwww. She sounds lovely. Maddie was lucky to find a "trained" Hav owner. Jeanne, do they know why she had liver disease?


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## MaddiesMom (Apr 1, 2007)

Thanks Missy. She was a sweetheart. The only symptom she had was drinking alot of water. I took her to the vet right away for a blood test. It came back with elevated liver enzymes. We immediately had a biopsy done, and her liver was fibrotic (hardened) so there was no definitive answer. She died 3 1/2 months later, after seeing specialists, trying different meds, etc. I suspect she had CD (chondrodysplasia). They only tested her litter for eye problems (CERF), as I assume they didn't know as much back then. She had patellar luxation (both knees) and her legs were bowed in the back (I don't remember the front looking as bad). Whether she was born with a liver defect also, I don't know. But we had over 8 years with the little love and I'll always cherish them.


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Oh My!! Jeanne you are breaking my heart!!! Lily is almost 4 and I cant even imagine only having 4 more years. How sad for you that you only got a few years with her. Although I am glad to know that she had a wonderful family to be with and take care of her till it was her time!!! 
Laurie


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## Barney's Mom (Nov 24, 2006)

*Barney is 2 and...*

we got him, as a rescue, at age 18 months....he is healthy, eats well most of the time, runs like the wind almost daily and is quite a charmer once he feels safe with you!

One strange problem has been with us since day one though...about every other week or so, he pees in the house! Now, he has been getting down from our bed at night and going in the house...so it's back to the crate for him at night and we were loving having him in bed with us! Any suggestions as to why this might be happening? Or, what we can do about it? He goes out about every 2 hours during the day and evening...so it isn't because he "needs" to go...we go to bed at 10:30 and get up at 6...he can do this!

He is an eater, as long as he likes what he is eating! He loves carrots, green beans, snap peas, cucumbers and bully sticks! He also loves the freeze dried liver treats. He is very shy around strangers, but we think this is because he was in a rescue situation - the rescuer said he was "soft"...but whatever he is - he is ours and we love him.

Marge and Barney


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## MaddiesMom (Apr 1, 2007)

My first havanese never had an accident in the house past age 5 months. But during one period of time, she wanted to go out alot during the day and she whined until we got up during the night to take her out. I knew it was unusual for her to get us up, so I took her to the vet. She had a UTI (bladder infection). Barney could just be doing it for some psychological reason, but you might want to drop a urine sample off at the vet to rule out UTI.

Laurie- I'm sure your Lily will live to a ripe old age. Just because I had a bad first experience, I don't doubt the overall hardiness of the breed. That's why I didn't hesitate to get another! :biggrin1:


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## Barney's Mom (Nov 24, 2006)

*How many times outside?*

Hey Jeanne,

Thanks for your thoughts about an UTI...I will get that done early next week.

Just for my own sanity...how many times do your dogs "need" to go out each day? I am a'thinkin that I probably take Barney out more than I need to!

He did stay in his crate last night...all night with no whimpers!

Marge


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## Elin (May 5, 2007)

My dogs are 7 and 9 years old. Isak (7) has a problem with his hips or behind leg, but the vets can't figure out what it is. But he can still run and play and he goes for walks for up to an hour. Theo (9) seems to be very healty. He doesn't run as much as he used to, but he still does the occasional "runlikehell". He can go for long walks and he never gets tired of searching for leftover duck food along the river (not that he's allowed to eat it). Theo has become a little more stubborn than he used to be. Isak has become less stubborn. 

They are not young anymore, but I wouldn't call them old either. Isak's great-great-grandfather died this winter, and he lived to be 18 years old!


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## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

A few of you asked for pictures of Daisy...here are a few from yesterday~
She is tiny, only about 7 3/4 lbs so don't let all that hair fool you!:biggrin1:


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## Doggie Nut (Oct 20, 2006)

What a dainty princess!


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## susaneckert (Sep 7, 2006)

:whoo:  :clap2: AWWWWWW how can any one not love that face


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

Oh what a little beauty Miss Daisy is!She has such a long coat!Does it still matt,or has that stage been long over now?


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## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

Yes, she still mats a bit, if she scratches or something. But they are usually pretty easy to comb out. Nothing like the blowing coat stage...
Her puppy coat was a nightmare, tiny ringlets that matted like crazy!
I had her in a puppy cut starting when she was about 9 months old, and in 2005/beginning of 2006 I had her corded. The cords started to get stinky so I cut them off and she had the shortest worst puppy cut ever! So I vowed to not touch it for a year...and...now you see what can happened in that time!


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

Wow that coat really grew fast!I never would of thought it could grow that quickly.Quincy's seems to have stopped or at least slowed down?Not sure.I bet she looked cute in cords!That is something I have thought alot about...but I read they are difficult to dry and keep dry...otherwise they mold.True?


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## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

Here is the Daisy timeline~
Starting with her baby pic...do you see the "black and white" puppy I thought I was getting? She has changed colors so many times is crazy~ Silly Havanese!
Next is her around 9 months old....see the kink to her coat? And she matted like crazy and HATED to be brushed..
Then you will see the puppy cut that I did on her for about a year...
Finally her cords. I wasn't super pleased with them because her whole body didn't cord, only some of the hair. But I think I would try cording again...just maybe with a different dog~ I love Daisy's long hair now!
*hummm...the pics didn't show up in the order I entered them, sorry!***


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

How cute, very interesting to see the cording! Logan starting his blowing coat so he was groomed (almost buzzed) yesterday. The cut is ok, except for the places that she had cut to the skin, but I asked her not to touch his ears or tail. Now he looks like this tiny pup with a huge head!! I am tryng to decide if I should cut his face back myself, or does anyone know, does the body hair grow faster than face hair?????


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## TnTWalter (May 9, 2007)

*Katie...*

pics are so cute. Love to see how they change. That puppy cut is VERY cute. I know that I'll be doing a puppy cut. Do you have a description of it anywhere? Or could you post one? Thanks.

The cording looks cool but doesn't feel so nice. Kim Simcox is cording one of her's and it looks cool but didn't want to pet her too much.

Trish


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

Boy,Miss Daisy has changed alot,hasn't she?With a havanese I guess you never know!All the black as a puppy,light and now dark again!Awesome!:biggrin1: 
She looked really cute in every picture to me!
The cords are cute!

Thanks for taking the time to post these so we could all look:eyebrows:


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

Katie,

Daisy is a little princess.  Have you shown her or is she too small?


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## whitBmom (Nov 27, 2006)

Thanks for sharing those pictures of Daisy. She is such a pretty pup, and it is really interesting to see her coat "journey". Maybe I may keep Oreo in his puppy cut until the blowing coat period ends. He is 7 months now and will be 8 months on Aug 5th - time flies!!


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## Doggie Nut (Oct 20, 2006)

Loved the photos! She has the "coat of many colors"!


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## Cosmosmom (Jan 12, 2007)

So sorry to hear you lost your Hav as well . It is so hard to lose on of these dogs .. We weretotally devastated when we lost our wonderful dog Asta ..Tulip Asta's fiancee just turned six and she is still adorable and still as bright as can be . She had surguries on both her legs and you would never know it to see her prance around the boys . 
As soon as she hears my voice she starts to look for me - we are best friends ..
She loves her fancy collar and her pearls .. the boys gave them to her for her 6 th birthday .. She has not had them off since she got them .. She does not sleep in them but puts them on first thing in the morning .... 
Whenever she sees me she looks for Asta and then she realizes for some reason he does not come to play with her anymore . Sad!!
She is still not crazy about the boys !!


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Katie! Daisy looks so gorgeous! I haven't seen her in a long time....the last time was when you'd cut her down after the cording  She is quite glorious!!

Thanks for sharing the photos!

Jane


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## RedHeadedGator (Oct 4, 2006)

Our girl, Zoe (the front one in our avatar pic) will be 5 y/o next month. She is a very calm girl, spends most of her days sleeping on our bed and making sure that everyone else stays in line. We raised her as a Princess and she likes it that way! She still gets that "runlikehell" feeling every once in awhile and I love watching her run across the yard! She started off as a dark sable, then turned a very light cream color, with black stripes down her ears. Just got a puppy cut again a couple of months' ago and now her coat is coming back in much darker, almost a pretty strawberry blonde along her back, and not as straight as it was before. I will say, too, that when she is in full coat, she hardly mats at all. Now, as a puppy, wow! the matting was horrible!! Amazing how their coats continue to change throughout their lives! Her health has been great for most of her days with the exception of several UTI's last year, just to find out that she had kidney stones and had an operation to remove them. All went well but she is now on the "CD" prescription diet. Does anyone know about the Science Diet CD? It seems that no matter how little we give her, she continues to put on weight ...


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

You have pretty dogs too!That Zoe looks like a sweet girl!It is interesting to hear of her coat/color change.Did your other havs get stones too,or just Zoe?


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

My Lily had several infections as well and she ended up with crystals in her bladder, which if not removed could turn into the kidney or bladder stones. She is on the vet SO diet only. She is not supposed to have any other food/treats/bones other than the SO. Since her sister & brother are both related to her thru the same father, Lexi is on it too, and Logan will go on it when he is 10 months old. Since she has been on the SO diet, she has not had any crystals. I think the CD diet is the first step at treatement as if I understand you can buy that over the counter - right? If it does not work, your vet may perscribe the SO. And yes, it does seem that no matter how much you give them, they are always hungry - and Lily is 17 lbs!!! So......


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## RedHeadedGator (Oct 4, 2006)

So far Zoe is the only one who had the problem. I think I was incorrect, though. I do believe that it was crystals in her bladder and then when they did the surgery, that had to open her bladder up to remove them. This might sound gross but the crystals they removed, they put in a little bag for me to see, and they were pretty neat and colorful looking. The Science Diet CD is available at the vet's office only. A friend at our vet's office said she thinks that the CD is very high in fat and she's going to speak with the doctor to see if there is something else we can put Zoe on which is a little lower in fat content. I'm also thinking that since Emma (the little black/white one) is her daughter, that maybe I should put her on the food, too, even though she has never had any problems. 

Yes, they are ALWAYS hungry!! Even after a big bowl of food!


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

I would ask the vet about the SO diet. Maybe it is not as high in fat as the one you are using. Lexi & Logan never had problems either, but since they are related & just figured better safe than sorry! Thankfully Lily did not need surgery - she went on special diet with meds & they disolved on their own. I would check it out.
Laurie


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## RedHeadedGator (Oct 4, 2006)

Laurie - Thank you for the information! I just got off the telephone with my vet's office and before I could ask them about the SO, they said "we're going to try the SO". :whoo: They also said that they are not sure if Emma would ever end up with the crystals but that it was no problem to put her on the food, too. This is what we will try. I always feel it is better to be safe than sorry and I would hate to see little Emma go through the surgery if I could have possibly helped to prevent it.

Emma just turned 2 y/o in April and Zoe did not end up with the crystals until she was over 3 y/o.


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

I am so glad you are going to try it out. Lily will be 4 next month and she has been on this for about 1 1/2 years now, with no problems. I hope it works!!
Laurie


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## RedHeadedGator (Oct 4, 2006)

:bounce: I'm going to the vets after work today to pick up our first bag of SO, so I can start the change over with their old food. I never thought of asking, but do you give your little Lily special dog treats, too? Zoe does not get a lot of treats, maybe the equivalent of 1 small milkbone a day, but now I'm wondering if I should not give that to her.

Hopefully when I get home with the new food, she will look like this :hungry: (But of course she would - she's a Hav!)


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Yes, unfortunately I do have to give them all "special" treats. But I have to say they are not very special when I am making them. My vet feels that Lily cannot break down minerals in normal food, so the SO comes in wet as well. I place it on a cookie sheet, cut it up into small pieces & cook it. That is the treat that my guys get. They love it, but it stinks the house up something horrible!!uke: I have started to give her a chewy bone, or bully stick every so often, but only like once or twice a month. 
Laurie


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## RedHeadedGator (Oct 4, 2006)

I actually ran to the vets over lunch today to p/up the SO food and asked my friend there about treats. She gave me a bag of "Lite" treats and it says something on the bag about "DCO" (the bag is out in the car so I'm not sure of the brand right now). She did tell me not to give Zoe any milkbone treats and therefore I will be sure to not give any to Emma also.

I can't even imagine the smell of cooking the wet food! Yuck!! 

We shall see if the two girls love their new food tonight! Keeping my fingers crossed!


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

If you do two cans at once, it gives you treats for a long time. I just cook it when the kids are out of the house & I can open the windows. It is a small price to pay for their health! Good luck with the SO
Laurie


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## RedHeadedGator (Oct 4, 2006)

Well, the two girls pigged out tonight, which was a pretty good sign. I mixed 1/2 the new food with 1/2 of each of their old food. Of course, they could possibly change their minds in a week or so - who knows! I may try the wet food / treat recipe that you make, Laurie - just have to figure when I will be able to open the windows here in Florida! Hot, hot, hot!


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

All I can say then is Candles, candles, candles. I do also burn candles & it clears out after a while! I am glad that they ate the food, mine have been on it for a long time & still love it .


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