Birthday Boy!

haidinyak
Jul 25, 2019
5 min read

Updated: Aug 20, 2019

www.instagram.com/jenthegreatdanemom

July 14th we celebrated Zeus turning one and I can't believe it! My little guy isn't so little any more, but he still acts so puppy to me. Zeus is still enjoying experiencing firsts and his birthday was no exception. We started his big day with a drive over to his favourite pet store, Rens. He gets so excited walking in and greeting everyone at the front and the people just love to give Zeus all kinds of attention and snuggles which he just eats up! We let him walk around the store and pick out some new toys and treats (for Ares too). And then we had to get him a life jacket for Mike's cottage. We tried 3 different styles on but we decided to go with one that had room to expand as I've heard and read that these big guys grow for up to two years. I don't think our big guy will get taller but he may expand a bit more. We decided to get him a life jacket because most bulldogs are not good swimmers and Mike's cottage has quite the drop off the dock. I'm so worried he will fall in or not realize how deep it is and jump in after someone. Here is a link to some of Ren's life jacket options: https://www.renspets.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=life+jacket&button=search&authenticity_token=udY4CbGCBwBZAJCLHEcCD4lEpd052vsKexJRBZaHs7vBjdL4H8fhru6MgKRBmYFxI34zQVefR7X1pB5Dkgfjyg%3D%3D

After lots of pets and showing off what a good boy he is we took Zeus over to Petsmart. There we took another look at life jackets to see if anything was comparable, but they just don't have the large sizes like Ren's did. Then we did another walk around and Zeus got more snuggles, birthday wishes, and a free cookie before heading home to make a pupcake, as every year I make the boys a pupcake for their special day. The cake is all natural and completely dog friendly. The Danes go crazy for it and when we celebrated Ares gotcha day Zeus ate some cake. This time however he didn't seem too sure about his cake, he just wanted to eat the big birthday cookie off the top. I had a feeling it was because he was on the spot with a hat and the video going. because the next night when we offered it to him he ate the cake right up. Here is a link to the dog cake recipe: https://www.lovefromtheoven.com/spoiled-dog-cake-recipe/

We ended the day playing with all his new toys, especially one from his Auntie Kelly, Uncle Steve, and buds Latte and Abby. He loves to play tug of war with us and they got him a new rope toy with all the squeakers to keep him interested. The other thing we tired new was bubbles! I was really hoping Zeus would enjoy chasing these and he did not disappoint. Those bubbles didn't stand a chance and it's been so hot lately it was a great way to tire him out in the pool in the yard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiqf2uxFMR4

As our big guy fully comes out of the puppy stage we've been noticing some big changes with him these last few months. One thing we thought would never happen has finally started and marks our big guy growing up....he lifted his leg when he peed! Only a dog mom would be excited about this I think, but sure enough a month before his birthday Zeus surprised us while out on a walk one day when he lifted his leg and marked a tree. He usually only squats on his walk so this to us was a sure sign he is no longer our little puppy. Zeus has also gotten taller these last few months, almost like a last growth spurt but I can still pick him up if I need to. We often get comments on how tall he is for a bulldog, even an Olde English type, and even the vet commented on this at his yearly visit. Another thing we have noticed is he eats a little less now. We are on the last bag of kibble food and are getting ready to switch him over to the raw food diet Ares is on. The directions on the bag shows him eating a little less then 4 cups a day as his metabolism slows down so it is taking a bit longer to get through this last bag. I will make sure to do an update on the raw food diet once we switch him over.

One of the joys of turning the big 1 is another vet visit. Zeus if finally over all his puppy shots and now will only need yearly vet visits for his rabies and boosters. At the vet we did another weigh in and Zeus is now a healthy 84 lbs. I was a little concerned but the vet made sure to check everything out and said he was doing just fine. He was very impressed with how tall Zeus was for his breed and mentioned the nice long legs and said that it was really good because most bulldogs have the short legs and this would help Zeus have less health issues later on. Then we got him up on the exam table and the vet looked in his ears and eyes, looked at his teeth and gums, and listened to his heart. Everything got the all clear! Then Zeus had to get his shots, two of them. He was such a good boy the whole time just trying to kiss the vet. He didn't cry out or try to jump off the table, all the staff was very impressed with him and excited to sneak in some Zeus snuggle time. Our total for this visit was $123. But thankfully that will be the yearly price from now on unless emergencies happen. Our vet bill was broken down as follows:

Consultation fee: $75

Rabies Defensor shot - $10

DA2PP Booster: $9.75

Fecal exam: $28

So even though our Zeus is showing us what a big boy he's becoming he is still enjoying being playful with his brother, snuggles with mom and dad, exploring new places, and making all kinds of new friends. We could not have asked for an easier year with a growing puppy and we are so excited for all his adventures in this next year to come. Now we are off on holidays to enjoy cottage so I will leave you with some photos and videos until the next update with all our summer adventures. Enjoy!