Chloe was rescued by the Upper Midwest Great Dane Association when she was five months old. She and her litter mates were removed from a chicken coop where apparently they were born and left.. and starved.

The fate of her parents is unknown, though we believe two colors (merle or harlequin) were bred which often creates genetic abnormalities such as vision and hearing impairment in the offspring.

Chloe's vision and/or sight is not impaired, though she does have some structural challenges due to her breeding as well as bone malformations due to her being left in the coop where she could not stand or move freely.

Upon rescue at 5 months of age and weighing only 24 lbs (average for 5 month old Great Dane is 65-85 lbs) Chloe and her litter mates were taken to the vet and each given 7 vaccinations and then dispersed to various foster homes throughout the midwest.

I adopted Chloe at 8 months of age and at that time she was still malnourished and underweight and was presenting with demodex mange with associated staff infections. I believe her immune system was stressed due to the vaccines inappropriately given to her at the time of rescue as she was a starving and deeply traumatized puppy. In foster care she was fed commercial grade dog food which in my opinion, had little nutritional value and further compromised her immune system.

It took 18 months of good solid nutrition, holistic healthcare and plenty of exercise and play for Chloe to achieve good, if not excellent health.

At 4 years old, Chloe lost her mate, my giant 200 lb male Great Dane, Oz.

Shortly thereafter Chloe became lethargic, lost her appetite and slept almost around the clock. Eventually she was diagnosed with Lyme's Disease and entered into a holistic healing program that resorted her health and vitality. (I believe the grief at the loss of her beloved mate retraumatized her and weakened her immune system therefore making her vulnerable to infection).

Lastly, I believe Chloe is susceptible to environmental toxins due to her compromised immune system directly related to her miss - breeding, hard start in life, and highly sensitive nature. In my opinion, she will always need extra holistic support to keep her immune system healthy.