Bailey on the Mend

Bailey made it through her surgery with no issues and 10 total tumors removed: 4 in her "bad" ear, 4 on her back and 2 on her bum. Yesterday she had all the staples and sutures removed and everything is healing just fine. We've added antibiotics and tagamet to her medicine regimen, so we are back up to lots of pills every day.

Speaking of lots of pills...Bailey also just started holistic meds. My good friend Tracy from high school is a DVM and recommended Teapills for Bailey's cancer. I told her to send them on, talked to my vet about them and now Bailey is taking TWELVE per day (they're based on weight, hence the quantity). This is going to be her dosage for good, unless we encounter any issues. I've only had her on them for two doses so far, but we haven't seen any side effects (which is a good thing since she is soooo side-effect-prone).

My goal, as with the prednisone she takes as maintenance med, is to reduce the growth rate of the tumors, keep them from ulcerating and getting itchy, and giving Bailey a general better quality of life. I know there are no guarantees and that I'm not going to cure her cancer, but if I can make her happier and a little healthier, I've got nothing to lose.

And, since Bailey gets her medicine wrapped in tiny pieces of bread twice daily, Millie is also loving this surge in pills, enjoying her bread "blanks" at medicine time.

Sweet Bailey

Had to share this cute pic of Bailey. Despite the cold weather, she and Millie love being outside. The knot on the side of her face is one of those mean mast cell tumors. But, she's still cute!

Water Dog

Being the co-parent of a Basset Hound for the past 11+ years, water has strictly been something Bailey uses to quench her thirst. When she hears the tub water running or sees a hose coming near her, she promptly runs, er waddles, to the nearest, hardest-to-reach corner and huddles down in hopes you won't be able to pick up her dead weight. Fortunately, her mind can easily be changed with a short path of treats leading to the general vicinity of the bath-zone. Once you get her there, she is OK with the scrubbing part, but whines and whimpers throughout the rinsing like she is being abused (and especially hates the sight and sound of the water coming out of the spout into the tub). But, once she is all clean (and gets her reward treats), I know she agrees with us that it does feel good to be clean.

Golden Retrievers, on the other hand, are water dogs. Millie has learned a lot from Bailey in their short five months of being siblings, but the fear of water is not one of them. From day one, Millie has loved all things to do with water, and especially the water coming out of the spout in the jacuzzi tub. It fascinates her, and she tries to consume as much as she can as fast as she can because she knows it's just a matter of time before the "waterfall" will be turned off. She patiently sits in the tub, drinking as much of the soapy water as she can and looking forward to the final rinse off.

I've been anxiously awaiting the warmer days of late spring so that I could get Millie a pool to play in outside. After much arm-twisting and promising that I will not let it kill the grass, Brent finally caved and bought one for her. As I expected, she absolutely loves it. She was a little leery of it at first, but it took no time for her to get in and start "swimming." Just like bath time, she has the most fun playing with the water hose when the pool is being filled...chasing the streams of water in the air and swatting at the splashes they make. But, she's also enjoying just wading and cooling off.

Someday soon, I hope to take her to a "real" pool or lake or river or ocean. I can't imagine what she would think about crashing waves at the beach. And who knows, maybe after a summer of watching Millie enjoy her pool, Millie can teach the "old" dog that water is not such a bad thing.