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Even though my Mason has been in doggie heaven since Sept 07, he had the most expressive eyes

Good morning all:  We had V.P.I. pet insurance a couple of yrs ago. We had the cheapest plan & the coverage was not good. If I recall the insurance covered anything resulting from an injury or accident. Obviously the best & most beneficial plan is the top plan but not everyone can afford it, which was our case. My advice is really researh each insurance co. & their plans to determine what is best for you & your dog. WE are currently expecting a new Doberman puppy in July so we have been putting any extra money in a vet fund for "just in case" 

Boy your story sounds just like mine. Here is our story; Mason started out with 1 symptom, coughing. This occured on a weekend, so Monday morning I took him to the vet. I thought he just had some sort of infection & antibiotics would take care of it. I was thrown for a loop when the vet wanted to check his heart. He was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy March 07, a disease which I had never heard of until that day. I also never knew that Dobes have a high risk for the disease. The vet did an EKG & took an x-ray his heart & showed my how enlarged it was. He then scheduled an echocardiagram with a cardiologist for further examination. Mason was immediately put on meds. approx 7 kinds, some were people meds which I got at the drug store. The most important heart medicine came from England as it is not approved in the U.S. & cost about 130.00 for a months supply. Mason had 2 echos & went for a vet check every 1-2 weeks to check his heart rate which was much higher than it was supposed to be. The vet said no excercise for Mason (well you try telling that to a Dobe) We decided to still play with him & take him on walks without over doing it. We left him rest on his walks & he left us know when he had enough. We were determined to let him enjoy the rest of his life. Mason was put to sleep Sept 07. The comforting thing is I trully believe he was ready. The symptoms Mason had were ocassional coughing, heavy breathing & tiring out much faster than usual. A lot of dobes have the disease before any symptoms develop. Dobes with this disease can live 6 months to a few years. I did a lot of research on the internet on this disease. If there is any other info. you want please feel free to contact me. Your dog will be in my prayers.

Here is a pic of Mason. I hope this is not too sad. We miss him so much, but it helps to look at his picture plus it makes us that much more anxious for our new puppy. He loved his tennis balls.

Hi everyone, I just registered so this is my first post so I hope I am doing this right. My husband & I are getting a Dobeman pup in early July. This will be a 2nd Dobe. Our first Dobe (Mason) was put to sleep Sept 07. at the age of 7.5 yrs.  He had Cardio Myopathy. Needless to say it was heartbreaking for us & it has taken us from Sept to be ready & strong enough to take a chance on another Dobe. We have been tossing around the idea of getting 2 puppies & would like some input for those of you who have 2 Dobes. Basically we want to know the good, bad & the ugly.
Thanks, Sharie