***Too long for you to read?*** Short version: Rescued Bailey the end of Feb. from a NC shelter, where she was dropped off to be euthanized due to being over 20 lbs overweight. We have been on a slow weight loss journey. A slipped disc left her paralyzed last weekend from the waist down. Rushed her to a neurologist in Massachusetts and proceeded with emergency surgery. Final bill was $10,429.12 and we are asking for some help.————————————————

Hi, my name is Ali and I’m fundraising for sweet Bailey.

Bailey lived in North Carolina up until 6 weeks ago. Her family fed her table scraps most of her life and then brought her in to a shelter to be euthanized. She is about 8.

A New England friend of mine works with this shelter down south and asked if I had an interest in Bailey, as she was taking a trip down that weekend to rescue some puppies and kittens and could grab Bailey too. The answer was obvious.

Besides weighing 39.68 lbs when she should be an 18 lb beagle, she was healthy on paper and just needed a second shot. On 2/19/22 I met Bailey and took her home. We got checked into my vet 2 days after and were set up on a very slow, pretty delicate, weight loss diet/journey. She was doing great & each week, (sometimes by the day) we got to see new energy and happiness shine through that thicc coat! I was meeting a new dog some days. I wasn’t aware what doggy depression looked like until I saw Bailey getting a new taste for life. We knew from the beginning that she was tough. She had a huge will to live. She wants to run, she wants to play with the other dogs. Her body just won’t let her. The stiffness in her neck does show that she sadly, has been large for some time. We were told even when she does lose the weight, she will never fully regain that neck movement. It’s hard for her to look up or too far side to side.

Last weekend, Bailey’s journey was put on pause. Friday March 18th Bailey was laying around and wasn’t her usual happy go lucky self we had come to know. The vet had called to check in on how she was doing on her everyday pain med, so I said “fine” but then did let them know she just was seeming ‘blah’ today, though with no symptoms, they just made a note of it. Later that evening she had started to have diarrhea, and of course, our vet had already closed. I called our local Emergency vet just to check if the medicine she was on could be causing this, and to make sure they recommended just staying on it. The answer was yes, stay on the meds, so boiled chicken and rice it was for the upset tummy. The next morning I was able to talk to my vet. We had some new symptoms on top of the crappy mood she was all of a sudden in. Her back legs were wobbly and she looked kinda drunk when she went outside to pee. She would stumble all about. They saw us immediately (Saturday 3/19) and saw that her left back knee had slipped out of place. My vet put it back in, but said it did not want to stay and was sliding back out. They had her wobble out to me from the exam room and then she plopped down in my lap. We were sent home to rest and she got a shot of a stronger pain med before leaving.

The next morning (Sunday 3/20) I find that she is attempting to scoot around on her bum, but sadly is so overweight that she was not all that successful in pulling herself with her two front legs. Her attitude was back to Bailey par and her tummy was much better but she wasn’t able to walk. She was catered to for the day and I tried holding her up outside to go potty, but no luck. I would tickle her toes and played with her tail & it didn’t feel right. I said “what if she needs a doggy wheelchair is all, we can do that.”

The next morning I called my vet as soon as they opened and told them of the changes that we had seen in just one day of leaving the vets office. I was put on hold and then told to come in whenever I could get there, that there was probably nothing they could do and would need to send us to a specialist, but we could be seen anyway and discuss euthanasia. My heart dropped. I then had in my head and was preparing myself for, potentially, my last day with Bailey.

They pinched in between her toes very hard and she yelped. Couldn’t move anything waist down but still had partial feeling. We were told that every hour at this point was crucial and that this was an emergency case. They sent us on our way towards Manchester, where we ended up in Massachusetts, while they made calls to let them know we were coming.

We walked into Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital where there was a gurney at the front door to place her on and we headed right to the Neurology Wing. They placed Bailey on the floor while the doctor poked and prodded. The doctor said it was a good sign she still had some feeling in the back legs and was confident that she had a slipped disc that needed to be removed. The sad news was that her tail and her anus were already 100% paralyzed. She told us it looked good for her recovering and walking again after surgery, though they were 50/50 if she would ever gain back function of going to the bathroom on her own. Because she was not leaking pee all the time she felt that she did still have control of her own bladder. I was told what I would have to do for Bailey on the daily if she recovered but never was able to pee or poo on her own. It was all fine. The main concern here for me was Bailey’s quality of life & her being able to be the dog she has wanted to be for so long - healthily mobile, all on her own 4 paws.

I was extremely concerned for her going under anesthesia with how overweight she is, and that did not seem to be a concern for them at all. Was told that Bailey was a fine candidate for the surgery. You can’t put a price on that.

Bailey came here to New England for a new start, another chance. She deserves nothing but the opportunity to have that. Bailey deserves to walk, run, & play, like the healthy dog she is capable of being.

There were zero complications and it was in fact, a very large slipped disc just hanging out in the right side of her lower back. I was called multiple times daily with updates, always good ones. They hold all patients for two nights after surgery and wait to see them use their bladder on their own before sending home. Bailey stayed a total of 4 nights after surgery day because she is a stubborn girl with a strong attitude and did not feel like peeing on anyone’s lawn but hers. She finally caved and I was able to pick her up 5 days ago on 3/25.

 

This dog has been with me about six weeks now and I feel as if she has been a part of my home for a lifetime. I love her endlessly and she has the sweetest most playful soul. Recovery is going to be a long, slow road & that is just fine.

I am here to ask for help. Any bit will truly make a difference. The total bill with Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital to give Bailey another shot was $10,429.12

 

& If all you are able to do is share this link for Bailey, (anywhere on the internet) we will be forever grateful.

Thank you for taking the time to read.

& Thank you for all the kind thoughts and words as we went through this roller coaster of emotions. I am very glad Bailey’s recovery is off to a good start.