On About Day 70 of Grace for Bailey

I'm grateful that we are rounding the corner to another week. Last week was quite a week for both me and part of our pack. On Friday our foster girl Ginger had her spay done. It all went well. She's home and resting.

Most of the drama was Bailey. And I've been feeling the emotional fallout from it since. It began when I got home from work Tuesday evening, and found Bailey laying in the same place as she was when I'd left for work more than 10 hours before. My dog-walker hadn't gotten her up and outside, and my brother and husband had no idea about any of it when they'd arrived home before me.

~Bailey not feeling well~

Being in one position for so long had made Bailey sick, and she was refusing to move. We got her up and moving and outside, but she continued getting sick and was having problems breathing. By bedtime she seemed brighter, so we opted to monitor her overnight. It was a mostly sleepless night for both of us.

By the time the sun was coming up, I was exhausted and stayed home from work. I called Bailey's vet when they opened, but they were unable to see us until late afternoon. I didn't want to wait that long, so I called my Mobile Vet, who could see her a few hours earlier.

Having someone else see Bailey turned out to be a good decision. Mobile Vet decided to take x-rays.

With all the coughing up of fluid, we thought she might have pneumonia. But she does not. 

The x-ray below was taken with Bailey on her back. I've "enhanced" the x-ray so you can see that the darkened area in between the two arrows is her trachea. You can see that there is a curve. It should of course be straight/smooth. The tumor which is on your left has displaced that.  This is why Bailey has breathing problems. When she's in the same position for too long, fluid pools in that curve and obstructs her airway, and she coughs. If she's up and around, it helps to open up her airway and allow any fluid to move through.

Mobile Vet took the time to talk to me about everything that he thinks are options for Bailey's care. There are not many, but Mobile Vet thinks that a visit to the oncologist is a good place to start. His thought is that a bronchodilator may be something Bailey may benefit from. So, next week, Joy and Bailey will be off to see the oncologist.

And as we start a new week, Bailey is doing much, much better and is hardly coughing. Her appetite is back, and Mobile Vet gave me some new ideas for helping to keep Bailey's airway clear. My hope and optimism that all but vanished mid-week has returned as we continue on our "days of Grace with Bailey."

On a much lighter note, I hope you had a good Valentine's day! 

Here are a few photos used to mark ours. 

~Ginger~

~Rhett~

~Joy~

Thanks for stopping by - Have a good week!