Hi, my name is Stephanie. My husband, Cole and I have had our dog, Bailey, since she was a three-month old puppy. Originally, Bailey was Cole’s family dog, adopted by his mom to bring joy to their whole family. However, Cole and Bailey bonded immediately and they’ve been near-inseparable ever since.

Bailey, a Siberian-Golden Mix, grew up making friends with everyone. Whether at the dog park, on the street, or on a hiking trail, Bailey never met a two or four-legged creature she didn’t like. Always playful and full of energy, she’d play tag with anyone who wanted to join (including humans, dogs of any size and, of course, the odd cat here and there). However, no matter how rough you played with her, she’d always be gentle in return. So gentle, in fact, that a three-year-old falling all over her didn’t even faze her. In any case, it’s impossible to explain exactly how special she is. All I can say is that she charms every single person that meets her.

Which is why, when we woke up one Saturday morning in late October 2023 to find her shaking uncontrollably and struggling to move, we were absolutely terrified. We took her to the vet as soon as we could. After a thorough checkup, the vet told my husband that they believed that it was related to the joint issues that we’ve been treating her for. They gave us a prescription for Adequan and recommended some additional maximum strength joint supplements, noting some muscle wasting in her back legs. We immediately started her on the treatment and prayed for improvements.

Unfortunately, her symptoms only got worse. The following weekend was the most excruciating of our lives. Bailey completely lost control of her ability to move and shook uncontrollably. We knew that she was in incredible pain, but felt absolutely helpless to make it better. Her loss of control was so acute, she peed all over herself multiple times. I remember begging God to take her pain away and give it to me instead. We still had no idea what was going on. At the vet, they were still trying to figure out the extent of the issue. In the meantime, though, they gave us Prednisone and Gabapentin to help her manage the pain.

For a short while (about three to four weeks), the Prednisone and Gabapentin worked to return her to a bit more of her usual self. She had some of her energy back and was able to eat and walk with relatively low levels of difficulty. We were grateful, but still had no real answers.

In early December, Bailey’s bloodwork results came back. Her calcium levels were elevated to a significant degree, which the vet advised could mean a lot of things. In the meantime, the vet advised lowering Bailey’s prednisone dosage. Additional testing indicated a mass on her thoracic spine, so X-rays were conducted to more thoroughly identify the mass.

It could, given the symptoms, very well be cancer, we were told. We tried to prepare for the worst.

When the results came back, we were relieved. The mass, according to the radiographs, was advanced spinal stenosis. In other words, bone spurs. These were making it painful for her to walk, explaining the pain and weakness in her back legs. As for the elevated calcium levels, we needed to continue to monitor with the lowered prednisone dosage.

While this was good news, it still didn’t explain everything. We kept monitoring Bailey, giving her meds and tweaking frequency and dosages. Despite the prednisone, she was refusing to eat. She barely moved most days, shook constantly, and her symptoms weren’t getting any better. In fact, on days that she did want to go for a short walk outside, she would occasionally lose the use of her legs and fall face-first. We were at a loss for how to help her and it was devastating.

In April of 2024, six months after we first started seeing these symptoms, I took her into the vet for yet another checkup. I requested another set of bloodwork to check her calcium levels again. This time, she couldn’t get out of the car by herself. The vet techs were astounded by how much she’d deteriorated.

The office was extremely thorough. Noticing that her calcium levels were now incredibly elevated, they sent a blood sample off to the lab for detailed analysis. The vet, now more certain, said that her guess was that it was one of two things — cancer or a lesser-known issue called hyperparathyroidism.

The wait for the results was excruciating. Cole and I were once again having the difficult conversation of what to do if… If it’s cancer. How treatable is it? What’s the prognosis? We both couldn’t - can’t- stand to see her suffer. She’d already lost 20 pounds since October.

It was a little after 5 pm when the vet called, just a day after we’d gotten a second blood sample for the lab. She explained that she had good news and bad news. Good news: Testing confirmed that Bailey is suffering from hyperparathyroidism. There’s a tumor (about 85% chance that it’s benign) on Bailey’s parathyroid gland. The parathyroid is responsible for the hormone that regulates calcium levels in the body. When this gland becomes enlarged, the body produces too much calcium. This imbalance leads to difficulties absorbing calcium, leading to extremely weak and brittle bones. It can also cause extensive kidney problems. Almost all of the symptoms Bailey has been experiencing correlate with hyperparathyroidism. We finally had our answer.

The thing about hyperparathyroidism is that it’s very treatable, which is great news. The most effective treatment by a long shot? Surgery.

Here’s where the bad news comes in. The surgery is, above all else, very expensive. This is due to the fact that it doesn’t just require a surgical procedure. Due to the removal of an enlarged parathyroid gland, the body has to regulate itself again. While it’s adjusting, close monitoring is required to make sure that the levels don’t rise or drop by life-threatening amounts. This means that Bailey must be hospitalized after the surgery until her levels regulate.

All of this, of course, is very expensive. Since the surgery must be done by a specialist and the immediate aftercare is extensive, we were given a total cost of approximately $10,000.

Cole and I do have some money saved up that we’ll use towards this surgery. But, it’s not enough. That’s why, we’re hoping you’ll consider donating to help Bailey walk again. This is a very treatable condition, which makes the situation that much harder.

So, please. Friends and family, if Bailey’s ever left a positive mark on your life, please consider donating. If she’s ever nuzzled your side or laid her head on your lap, gave you kisses or played tug-of-war. Or, if you’ve ever had a dog that meant everything to you, that you’ve had the honor of loving… consider blessing Bailey with another chance. Everything that you donate will go towards Bailey’s surgery and recovery.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Love,

Stephanie, Cole and Bailey