Little Lottie

05-10-2007 ~ 30-09-2008

Click here for Lottie's Video's

Lottie is a Zincer  (L.A.D - Lethal Acrodermatitis) who has come to us from a very reputable breeder, Her breeder didn't want her PTS but did not have the space or the time to keep this special little girl. We feel honoured that she has been entrusted to us to give her the time, care and love that she needs. We know we may not have her for long but we do know that she will have a good quality of life and a very happy one to.

The only way I can describe a Zincer or LAD in layman's terms is she is similar to a Downs Syndrome/Autistic child. They are full of character and fun and demand nothing more than love and attention. Lottie also has a Grade II heart murmur so we do need to be careful just how much pottering around she does. There is further information at the bottom of this page.

If we didn't have Phoebe here we probably wouldn't notice the difference. At the moment she is gaining weight but slowly, she does play but not in the same way as Phoebe she doesn't tear arse around like a fruit loop, everything she does is slow, she doesn't really take up much time to be honest (I expect this may change as she gets older but who knows) She already likes routine, she knows when its dinner time and if not fed will throw a tantrum, she stands and shouts at me stamping her little feet or throws herself around her bed again shouting, its quite funny to watch. She will also stamp her feet for attention and has a different shout for this, well more like a whimper. Her medication at the moment is not very expensive. She eats the same as Phoebe (just less). I would say at the moment she is up for 1 hour (ish) out of 4 and sleeps for about 10 hours at night. We do of course have to keep her safe as she has no fear of anything so she has a pen in our lounge that is 6ft long x 3ft wide and this gives her plenty of room to play and wonder about. She cannot be toilet trained to the garden as its to cold for her and Zincies cannot easily hold there body heat so she is being paper trained in her pen and is quite good, we can hopefully toilet train her in the summer. She wears a little t shirt everyday to help keep her warm and has a jumper after her wash as she does feel the cold, she also has a coat for going out to vets or visiting. I do believe because she was started early on her medication it gave her a boost and has made it easier for me to keep her skin as good as it is now. I hope that with careful monitoring we can keep the inflammation under control.

I am proud to know Lottie's breeder and because of shared information she was able to make the decision to allow Lottie to have a chance of a happy and content life. Not everyone is able to keep a Zincie or know someone well enough who can, and not every Zincie is able to enjoy a quality life, it is at least now being talked about and people are beginning to ask questions and be honest about their own breeding. Perhaps we will see a few more Zincies in the future and better still perhaps with honesty the gene will be weakened in time so that no one will have to make a decision.

I don't think there is any shame in having a Zincer and being honest as to whether you can allow him/her to continue. I do however think that people should find out a bit more about them and learn from others experiences. These little bullies are real little gems, they love to love and cuddling is a high priority on there list of things to be done daily. Another Zincie I know who is now about a year old loves to socialise and really enjoys going out to fun days where she really struts her stuff or visiting people and she finds it delightful fun to have visitors to her home. Yes, they do get grumpy when tired but who doesn't and yes they do have a hard bite and for some reason cannot grasp bite inhibition and they don't really bark but growl which is where I believe people get those two things confused with aggression. So long as they have the medication they need and are treated well they are happy, sweet little bullies and in my opinion deserve a chance to enjoy that happiness. They are a set up to heartbreak but what dog isn't.

Lottie's Diary

8 weeks old

 Lottie has arrived at our home and has a little pen to keep her safe, she is already on medication which her breeder started her on at 7 weeks old. She has Prednisolone (Steroid) and Cephalaxine (antibiotic) plus her feet washed in babies cradle cap shampoo and cradle cap cream applied. She has been to the vets and had her first puppy jabs with no reaction and worming and spot on treatments. My vet is very interested in Lottie as he has not treated a Zincer before, I know he will research and do his utmost to keep her as comfortable and as happy as we will. Lottie is eating Puppy Pedigree Chum and Puppy Beta with water added to both as she has difficulty in lapping water so adding to her food ensures she has enough fluids, and makes it easier for her to eat.

13 weeks old

Lottie is doing well. I have changed from cradle cap shampoo and cream to Malaseb and still wash once a day, I use Aloe Vera Gel instead of the cradle cap cream and if she has a flare up she has Fuciderm Gel which usually clears it up n a couple of hours, she has a buster collar on when she has Fuciderm to stop her trying to lick it off, she doesn't mind the collar to much, bless her. She is now eating raw tripe and I am adding a type of smoothie that I make which is all fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs plus Aloe Vera tablets crushed in her food and Evening Primrose Oil capsule. She still sleeps a lot and now weighs just over 4kgs. She has started o show an interest in toys however nothing holds her attention for more than about 30 seconds, but it is nice to see her play. We have moved her into the big pen and she quite enjoys having lots of space.

4 Months

Wow, what a difference a month makes, Lottie is so funny now, she is awake much more and very playful and adventurous , she has a little run and loves to climb, her favourite place is the coffee table shelf. She also pays with a little Lakeland Terrier who comes round to visit most days, the little LT is very gentle with Lottie and Lottie can almost keep up with her. Her attention span is still only about 30 seconds but we play doggy dominoes with her baited with cheese and its great to see her little mind thinking and working out how to get the cheese, this also holds her attention for much longer. Lottie still loves visitors and does remember people, and she still loves her cuddles. She doesn't throw as many tantrums now that she has me in a routine that suits her, unless of course I am late in doing anything. Lottie is still on the same medication as above, we are going to try and cut down on her steroids and see how she goes so next month I will let you know., fingers crossed that it works. I have taken her of the tripe and put her back on puppy as the tripe was making her nose quite sore, we shall give her it again when she is a bit older. She is now eating without making to much mess and doesn't get much food stuck in the roof of her mouth, she has also learnt to lap water quite well. A lot has changed in the last month and it's lovely to see a bright, happy and cheeky little bullie emerging in Little Lottie. Her weight is just over 5kgs.

5 Months

Lottie is doing very well, she has gained just over a kilo in weight and is now 6.3kgs, she seems to be getting long rather than tall, she is about 9 inches in height. She is now on half a steroid every other day and a piriton on non steroid days and there is no change in her at all, she has been on this for a month so we will give her another month and then if all is well we will cut down to the steroids to every 3 days and piriton on non steroid days. She is now eating raw meat without making her nose sore, plus eggs and fish and brown bread, she is eating really well and enjoying her new diet immensely, hopefully the new diet will help her to fill out a bit. Lottie is venturing outside much more now she see's the back door open and whizzes off, she can manage the back step down but still hasn't quite worked out getting up to come back in, she follows Phoebe around like a shadow. I am using Canesten for Athletes Foot on her feet and we seem to be having good results so far, instead of the skin going hard it stays soft and brushes off easily, perhaps this is the reason why she is happy to go outside so much. Lottie is still very vocal and still throws tantrums for attention especially when I am on the phone.

6 Months

Lottie is thriving well however she seems to have stuck on her height and weight and has not changed from 5 months. We have had to stop the raw diet and go back to puppy food, it seems on the raw diet her skin did not do well once we established her puppy food back her skin has cleared up again. Perhaps she cannot tolerate raw food so at this stage puppy is best. Lottie has had a great time this month with a visit to her Zincer friend Lucy where they both toddle around together without a care in the world, and a big vet visit for hip X-rays and blood tests, both came back with completely normal results, so on the inside Lottie is just fine. Medication for her skin and well being is still required daily. I have changed her foot cream to Neutrogenar Foot Cream for damaged and cracked skin and that's working a treat, I think lotions and potions will be changed from time to time as she seems to get used to one and then it stops working, so we shall just to and fro from one to other as to what suits her best at the time.  Lottie enjoyed her vets visit she so loves getting lots of fuss and is not particular on who gives it to her. She is still happy to potter around the kitchen or sit and watch the goings on of her home and she still loves going next door to play with her friends Maggie (Lakeland Terrier) and Cilla (West Highland White Terrier) and of course she still loves romping with Phoebe  :)

7 Months

Lottie is still doing well, we have been able to reduce her steroid to one tablet every other day, we have also started to give her Herbaticus Herbal Supplements and her skin is doing fabulously, lets hope it continues to do so. We also only bath her when she needs it and only cream her feet every 4-5 days, the Herbaticus seems to be working very well with her at the momnent. Lottie is still a very happy and very cheeky little girl and follows Phoebe everywhere. She is now eating Chappie and choice table scraps added here and there, she also loves fish any type and cheeses remains a firm favourite. Lottie absolutely loves being out in the garden in the sunshine and you should see the dirty looks I get if she gets up in the morning to no sun, it's as if I have taken it away :)

8 Months

Well the summer is here and Lottie, true to Zincie form loves basking in the sun, she will lay out in the garden for as long as I will allow and isn't best pleased when I bring her in to cool down and certainly isn't to pleased if she is disturbed, the filthy one eye half open look you get should you disturb her at all is hilarious!! All in all she is still a very happy little girlie and still pottering around doing her own thing, she still loves visiting and having visitors and demands nothing more than your full attention and can shout quite loudly if she doesn't feel she's getting it!! Lottie still weighs in at 6.5kg so still a tiny girl but we have managed to get her steroids down to 1 every 3 days so will now work on one every 4 days, we are not sure if it's the warm summer days that are keeping her well or if she has settled down on her medication and herbal supplements now, time will tell. Lottie has been out to a couple of fun days and really enjoyed herself everyone who has met her just can't help but adore her and she is very happy with that, we are thinking of getting her a doggy stroller so that we don't have to keep carrying her she will walk but takes forever to think about it and then has to keep stopping to investigate blades of grass flowers or passers by :) She is not in her pen anymore but has a big bed in the kitchen which she shares with Phoebe, Phoebe is very gentle with her and can play on Lottie's terms, Lottie does like to snuggle down with Phoebe who I think just keeps her extra warm ;)

9 Months

We have finally put on weight!!! Lottie now weighs in at 7.3kgs after yet another change of diet to a mixture of James Wellbeloved puppy and Butchers Tripe, she loves it. We have also managed to have NO steroids now for well over two weeks and that can only be a good thing, we keep them at hand in case of a flare up but so far so good. Feet are only being washed as and when needed and Aquias cream being applied daily to keep them soft. So all in all a good month for Lottie. She is not particularly happy with the weather at the moment and looks at me as if to say "Stop it" when the wind blows on her face, she doesn't mind to much about going outside in a light shower but anymore than that is a no, no. She is still happily investigating the garden and has taken to eating grass but takes about 10 minutes selecting which blade she prefers first, oh she is such a funny little thing. New pics below :)

10 Months

Oh well, we are back on the steroids as Lottie's feet cannot cope without them. We will try and wean her off again when she is a bit older. She is still putting on weight and is now 8.5kgs so we are sticking to the JWB and Butchers Tripe. Lottie is still a very cheeky little girl and still gets up to mischief given half a chance, she has learnt to open the airtight dog food container and help herself to her food, she throws her bowls around the room whenever the opportunity arises or if she is hungry she throws her litter tray around the room, anything to get my attention. We have got Lottie a pushchair so that she can enjoy going out to the park with Phoebe, she sits in it like she is royalty watching the world around her, she really enjoys her trips out and loves to be pushed around the square by the local kids who all love having Lottie out to play.

11 Months

Lottie started the month well still be the happy content little girl she has always been, we had struggled with an infection in her feet that just wouldn't heal and then over the last week Lottie began to go downhill, she was always tired, she didn't want to play anymore, even Phoebe couldn't encourage her into a romp. she had started to cough so we guess her heart was struggling, she was also gagging quite a bit. On 29/08/08 she developed a rash that quickley spread over her body, we think her body was just starting to shut down so on Tuesday September 30th we let her go to Rainbow Bridge. We are of course heartbroken, we knew we wouldn't have her long she was just 5 days short of her 1st Birthday and we already miss her dreadfully. There is a huge zincie hole that will be very difficult to fill.

30th September 2008 Little Lottie went to Rainbow Bridge to collect her little golden wings

xx Night night little Lottie, sleep tight our little princess xx

Thank you to Sheree for allowing Lottie to have a fantastic year of fun and love and to Juliet Shaw for all the help and advice along the way. xx