More about Bailey...

September 25, 2003

Bailey had another 2-week follow-up appointment with Dr. Goodman at Murrayhill Vetrinary Hospital on Wednesday the 24th. Although she has been getting walks twice a day, her muscle tone is not what can be expected a month after her surgery so it was suggested by Dr. Munjar that Bailey get some hydrotherapy and get that little girl to working her legs more and build up some more muscle. She has not been very good at putting weight on the right leg and that is concerning as she needs to use it to support herself when the second hip procedure is done.

She is in great spirits, though. She will be 10 months old on the 2nd of October and she has gone through 3 major surgeries already and is the sweetest, happiest, and most spoiled dog there is. I also recently noticed that she has all of her "grown up fur" the puppy fuzz is missing and she almost looks like a full grown Golden. She was just shy of 6 months old when she came to live with us, her foster family. She is growing into a beautiful golden lady.

With her hydrotherapy scheduled for Monday the 29th of September, she will be a hard-working dog. She is in the race to get better so she can have her second surgery and hopefully be ready for her forever home by the first of 2004. What a way to start a new year.

Bailey barks 'hi' and gives tail wags and wet sloppy licks to everyone who is helping out with her surgeries and recovery. Thank you everyone.

September 3, 2003

Bailey was spayed by Dr. Milner at The Milner Vet Hospital on July 20th. Her next surgery appointment was with Dr. Timothy Munjar for the OCD arthroscopy surgery on her shoulders. That surgery was performed on August 6th. At that time, we also had Dr. Susan Kirschner, who is also at the Veterinary Referral Center of Portland, take a look at her eyes, as an earlier exam had shown a possibility of cataracts.

We had some good news and some bad news that day. First of all the good news, only the right shoulder had to be operated on as the left had healed itself with less exercise and adult dog food rather than puppy food which can cause the bones to grow too fast. That was the good news! The bad news was two fold, one was that when Bailey was under anesthetic for the shoulder surgery her hips were x-rayed again to make sure they were both still candidates for the rebuilding of the socks. It was found that both hips had deteriorated to the point where rebuilding was impossible and the only choice now was to remove the femoral head on both legs. This surgery can be very successfully done, so this is not a problem but it does eliminate any possibility of hip replacements down the road. However it looks as if the femoral head surgery will work just fine and replacements unnecessary.

The other bad news that day was that when Dr. Kirschner examined Bailey's eyes it was found that there are cataracts on both sides of the lenses on both eyes, so future surgery will be required. Dr. Kirschner has very generously offered to give the future adopters of Bailey the same discount she would give us as a Rescue. We certainly do appreciate her generosity as Bailey will not require the surgery for a year or more.

So with the spay and shoulder surgery behind her, Bailey's next surgery appointment was with Dr. Laird Goodman at Murryhill Clinic for the removal of the femoral head on the right leg. I was the fortunate one to be able to spend a little time with her, taking her for her surgery. What an incredibly happy little girls for all she has been through and still has to go. I dropped her off the morning of August 28th. She spent the night and when her foster, Ross, picked her up it is easy to say that once again Bailey came through like the champ that she is.

Bailey is now home recovering and doing very well. She is allowed out of her x-pen to walk around without a leash as long as she stays calm. She can even go outside and have short sessions outside without a leash too.

As you can see from above, Bailey has certainly made her rounds with many wonderful veterinarians in the Portland area. She is becoming very well known and may even have to become an honorary member of veterinarians.

All we can say at this point is "Way to go Bailey!". We have no regrets taking this girl in to the loving arms of Golden Bond Rescue. Nor have we looked back to reconsider whether we did the right thing in making her a healthy and pain free dog. Other people must feel the same as we continue to receive generous donations for her fund. Golden owners are truly remarkable in that they support their own. We can't thank you all enough for your help with this remarkable girl. She is a treasure, not just for the money we put into her, but because of the precious gem she continues to be. We love you gal!

Previous reports

Bailey came into Golden Bond Rescue as a sweet and endearing five-month-old unspayed puppy who had been diagnosed with OCD and needed shoulder surgery. The owners gave her up due to finances as they felt they had already spent too much money on her and just couldn't come up with anymore.

Bailey's veterinarian agreed to help Golden Bond Rescue with the cost of the surgery. At the time, it looked like Bailey's medical care would not be major and that the recovery period would be fairly quick and easy.

After Bailey became a Golden Bond Rescue dog, the foster home noticed that she seemed to have some hip problems and felt she needed to be looked at by a vet. After x-rays were taken, it was determined that not only did Bailey have shoulder problems, but she also needed hip surgery. All x-rays were gathered and a complete physical was given; during this exam the doctors saw the possible beginnings of a cataract in one eye. The good news is that Bailey is young enough that she does not have to have hip replacements, but rather is a candidate to have the hip sockets rebuilt so the ball of the femur will fit into the socket properly.

Since Bailey was already a Golden Bond Rescue dog there really was no other option but to proceed with the surgery. While waiting for the shoulder surgery, her spaying was scheduled and she is fully recovered.

Shoulder surgery is scheduled for July 24th with about a four to six week recovery period before the individual hips will be rebuilt. During one of these surgeries, her eyes will be examined again to determine whether there are, in fact, the beginnings of a cataract.

Golden Bond Rescue is asking for help paying for Bailey's surgeries.

To see her is to absolutely adore her so the question of will we do this has never even been asked. It just has to be done for this sweet and endearing Golden Retriever named Bailey.

Bailey had her vet appointment with Dr. Munjar this morning. A quick reminder, she is young enough, 7 months, to have her hip sockets rebuilt rather than replaced (at least one for sure), and has OCD of the shoulders so the old cartilage has to be scraped out so new will form. There is also a possibility of a cataract. We will have the eye doctor check this out when she is in for the other surgery. And she needs to be spayed! She has that appointment. on Thurs., July 10th.

Her second surgery date will be July 24th. At that time, Dr. Munjar will do both shoulders and x-ray again to see which hip should be done first. After a few weeks one hip will be done and then probably about four to six weeks later the second hip will be done.

Erin and Ross Maunu are fostering her through all of this. They take her to all appointments and keep her in tow at home. Luckily she is a very sweet and calm puppy and she loves Dealer and Gulliver. So a huge thank you to Erin and Ross for all they are doing for her. They started fostering her on May 31, 2003.

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Last Updated: Monday, November 13, 2003
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