UDINE DI BARBOCHOS REIAU DE PROUVENCO
BORN: 22-05-2003
DECEASED:25-06-2012
It was in 2000 we heard about the Barbets for the first time.
Friends told us about them.
We then visited the kennel Poppenspäler on La Léobonnerie of the breeder Georgii in Bélâbre (France) and we immediately in love with the Barbet.
We have been on the waiting list for 3 years.
On 22 May 2003, a litter was born.
Georgii tributed that litter to Madame Pêtre by registering it under her kennel name.
So a litter of Poppenspäler was named: Di Barbochos Reiau de Prouvenco.
After 6 weeks, we went to see the pups
Udine came directly to us. We did not choose Udine, but Udine actually had chosen us.
We had to stay overnight in Georgii's guesthouse. This was Georgii ‘s way to judge whether we were suitable for Udine.
We apparently passed the “test”.
At 8 weeks we came to pick up Udine.
Georgii just came from the vet with her: she had something for which she needed a shot of antibiotics. That’s why she could not be vaccinated the second time.
He offered us to choose another puppy, but we most certainly wanted Udine.
We took her with us to Holland and had her vaccinated there. Everything was good and healthy according to our vet.
That was the way Udine came into our lives. A cheerful and fine dog. From the beginning she was very dear and very special to us.
Udine had all characteristics the Barbet is known for: curious, love for people, love for children (although she did not grow up with kids) and easy with other dogs.
A lovely relaxed dog with a natural leadership accepted by all existing and new dogs in our pack.
She was not dominantly present. On the contrary: she had a natural authority.
She could be on her own, but preferred to be in our neighbourhood, close to our feet or on the couch.
If she wanted extra attention or something, she made that very clear. Then she started to "talk": barking at a certain tone and manner.
Hunting training was not in her “issue”. If she had an exercise well done, one time was enough. As if she wanted to say: you've seen I can do it so why repeat?
We have bred with Udine because we were convinced that she as one of the few real authentic Barbets could contribute to the survival of the Barbet.
She proved to be a perfect and caring mother.
She had a litter of 14 pups in 2005 (2 pups were born dead).
In 2007 she had a litter of 13 puppies.
In 2010, her third litter, was 10 days premature.
Of the 16 puppies she only 1 survived: Kontar.
He could not drink alone but had to be kept alive by tube feeding.
Udine understood absolutely nothing of this. She could not give her motherly love in a normal way and was totally upset for a week.
Even when other dogs in our pack had pups Udine wanted immediately "help educate" in a very loving way.
In December 2011 Udine had an inflamed uterus and that had to be removed.
This obviously changed the status in the pack: Belle battled for the leadership, particularly at moments of stress.
We made sure to minimize those moments or separate them in those situations and that helped to keep everything under control.
Early June 2012 Udine was sick and she did not eat. Because more dogs sometimes had the same symptoms we waited for some days before we went to the vet with her.
He could not find anything wrong on the outside, so he took blood samples to find out if there might be problems inside.
The results were shocking: severe kidney failure, at least 75% of her kidneys did not function.
The next day we went immediately for a second opinion to the Veterinary Faculty of the University in Utrecht.
Over there they also did blood tests and discovered a bacterium that also could be a cause for the high kidney values.
To cure this Udine got heavy antibiotics for 4 weeks and kidney diet and some medication for nausea and phosphorus.
If the bacterium could be illuminated, there was a chance the kidney failure could be stabilized.
But Udine did not want to eat the kidney diet. Also other liquid food she did not want to eat.
We forced her to eat and it seemed to help for a few days.
Greet went with Fenka and Udine to the woods and Udine was cheerful and played and swam with Fenka.
But this lasted only for a short time. She spat the food all out again.
She also stopped drinking by herself so we had to put it in with the help of a syringe.
Friday, June 22, 2012, she was urgently hospitalized on the Intensive Care of the University, where she was on a drip to prevent dehydration and to flush the kidneys.
Through the webcam, we could follow her. Seeing her lying there was very hurtful.
The infusion did not help. Sunday was known that her kidneys did not get the fluid anymore. It went directly to her belly.
On Monday, they investigated whether a tumour might have caused it but that was not the case.
Then we heard what we feared for: nothing could be done for her. She was extremely sick
Our world collapsed. A powerless rage came up. Why her being so young?
A week ago she played happily with her granddaughter Fenka in the woods and swam. Unbelievable, unimaginable.
Kidney failure is just a silent assassin: you do not know when it started or what has been the cause; according to the specialist that cannot established.
Perhaps Belle already felt or smelled it a long time ago and got triggered to take over the leading position, who knows?
We took her straight home so we could say good-bye to her within the intimate circle of her home, surrounded by her love-ones. It was touching that the little Fenka was laying for a moment with her head close to her grandmother's head.
We finally called the vet to help to put her out of her misery. After he had left with Udine it all felt so empty, unreal and intensely sad.
This heavy pain will probably wear out over time, but the irremovable image stays.
Our Udine is no longer physically with us but lives on in our hearts.
Maybe she meets Georgii up there and finds peace with him.
Udine (right), 1 year, together with her brother „Franz” (as Georgii
called him), on La Léobonnerie
Udine’s first litter in 2005
Udine loved puppies. Here she is nursing two Lagotto pups
of Duchy
Caracteristique picture of Udine, taken in 2007
Udine’s beautiful head
Udine in beautiful pose
Above 3 pictures of Udine swimming, having fun and playing
with her grandchild Fenka, just a week before she passed away.
Really weird and unrealistic to understand.
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