Bailey's Page

Weight: 26
Breed: Other
Age when diagnosed: 12

Tumors:

To say that Bailey is my hero is an understatement. Bailey came into my life when he was only a few months old. He was the most adorable Westie puppy that I have ever seen. I was still living with my parents at the time and he was not only my dog but the family dog. We already had a 4 year old female Westie named Maggie so she was thrilled when we brought a "brother" home for her. Bailey was not your normal Westie. He was the biggest Westie that anyone has ever seen. We call him MooseDog. When I moved out on my own four years later, Bailey and I were inseparable. We did everything together. There wasn't anyplace I went that Bailey did not follow. He was my best friend, my companion.

Bailey turned 12 years old on December 4, 2007. On May 13th, 2008 Bailey started limping on his right leg and didn't want to walk any more than he had to. He was still a very active pup and didn't act like a 12 year old dog. Since he had reconstructive ACL surgery on his left leg two years ago, my first fear was oh no, not the other leg. I gave it a couple of days and then I called the vet to get him checked. She said his knee felt fine and he may just have twisted his ankle or pulled a muscle. She sent me home with some Tramadol for the pain and said to give him a couple of days to rest. The weekend came and went and Bailey stopped eating, slept most of the day and didn't want to get up and do anything.

I called the vet again on Tuesday morning and she had me bring him in for some blood work and x-rays. I went back to pick him up that afternoon and she said all the x-rays looked normal. We would have to wait for the blood work to come back but she thought it might be neurological - he might have a herniated disk.

The next couple of days Bailey become more lethargic, still wouldn't eat and now he was crying more and his breathing had become very shallow. He would just lay there and cry and shake in pain. By looking in his eyes, you could see he was was in a lot of pain and something was really wrong.

The blood work came back and I can remember the phone call when she was reading back the results. She was reading one of them when she said I guess he could have a tumor. I didnt' really think much of it. Since he still wasn't getting any better, the vet asked that I bring him back him for some more tests. She did another x-ray of his pelvis and found a tumor on his right pelvic bone. I was completely devastated. I just sat at home and cried. How could this be happening. He was just fine a couple of weeks ago..running, playing and eating.

I went to pick Bailey up at the vet's office and she suggested that I take Bailey in to get the tumor biopsied. I met with the surgeon the following Monday and as soon as he met with Bailey he said he was too weak to go through with the biopsy. The x-rays did not show that the cancer had spread to his lungs but given his current state, the surgeon felt something more was wrong with him. He told me to take Bailey home and give him a couple of days off of the Tramadol to see if he gets any better. A couple days passed and he was doing a little better. He still was not wanting to eat or do much of anything but I felt that I had to so something. Since there was still a chance that the tumor could turn out to be Valley Fever, my vet suggested that I go ahead with the biopsy. So on Thursday, June 5th, Bailey went in for the biopsy. When I picked him up that night from the vet, he was completely out of it. I figured it was because of the pain medication they gave him. He tried to go to the bathroom but was unable to do so. I was up with him all night. He wouldn't stop crying and panting. I called the surgeon the next day and told him about Bailey. He said it was normal for him not to be able to go to the bathroom and it may take a couple of days for his system to get back to normal. The weekend came and he still wasn't able to go to the bathroom. He wasn't moving, wasn't eating and just was in so much pain. Then Saturday night I noticed that his entire right leg was completely swollen. He wasn't putting any pressure on it and was just dragging it along when he tried to walk. He had no control over it. I called my vet that Saturday and she inserted a catheter on Saturday and Sunday to relieve him. Monday came and he still wasn't able to go. He now had not eaten anything in 3 days. I tried every canned dog food I could find, I made him chicken and beef and every other combination I could think of but he didn't want anything. Even giving him his pills have become a chore because he was no longer interested in eating his treats. I called the vet again and she prescribed some medication that would hopefully get him going to the bathroom.

Then Monday afternoon, I received a call from the surgeon. They received the biopsy results back and it was osteosarcoma. Because of the location of the tumor and because of Bailey's age, surgery wasn't my best option. He suggested that I meet with the oncologist to discuss radiation. As much as I tried to prepare myself for the diagnoses of cancer, my heart still sunk into my chest. I was not ready to let my best friend go. I called immediately to make an appointment with the oncologist. I was scheduled to meet with them at 12:00pm the next day. Monday night he just laid there in pain crying. Every time he would try to get up, he would fall over. Every time he tried to move, he yelped. I laid on the couch by him that night wondering how much more pain I could put this poor dog through. He had brought me nothing but joy every day of his life. I loved him more than anything in this world and I could see it in his eyes that he was so much pain and didn't have the fight in him anymore. So Tuesday morning, I called the vet and told her that I didn't want to put Bailey through anymore tests, or radiation or pain. He deserved peace and joy.

At 11:50am on Tuesday, June 10th, I released by angel from his pain. It was by far the hardest thing I have ever had to do and I miss him terribly every moment of every day.

He brought so much joy to my life and things will never be quite the same without him. But I know he is now running with TWO good legs and is pain free.

I love you Bailey. You will always be in my heart.

Pictures

Bailey Bailey