November 4, 2012: Bailey is a six-year-old purebred Golden Retriever who melts the heart of everyone she meets.This docile, pretty girl came into RAGOM when her family moved out of state and was unable to keep her. She lived as an outdoor dog, sharing a large enclosure and deluxe dog house with a white German Shepherd (who went to another rescue).
Although she was not formally housetrained, Bailey naturally prefers to do her business outside, and she has been flawless in the potty department in the week she has been with me.Here's how wonderful Bailey (or as I call her, "Bailey Mae") is:
What Bailey isn't so adept at is stairs. She had such trouble going down my staircases that I wondered if she was having issues with her sight, depth perception, balance and so on. So when we went in for her wellness check, I asked the vet to test her reflexes.It turns out that Bailey Mae has some kind of neurological issue with a cranial nerve that is affecting her motor control. This can be caused by a number of different conditions--some of them treatable--so we are hoping for the best diagnosis. I will be taking Bailey to a neurologist as soon as we can get an appointment.In the meantime, I am helping Bailey Mae go down the stairs by lifting her body with a harness. Now that she has not fallen for a few days, she must think she's pretty good at it, because now she wants to scramble down the stairs at the same breakneck pace of the resident dogs. If I didn't hold her up, she'd certainly be rolling down the stairs instead of running.
Bailey Mae tips the scales at 71 pounds--about 10-15 pounds overweight--which can't be helping her coordination. For the last few weeks before moving, her family was cleaning out their freezer, and Bailey Mae was treated to steaks every night. She apparently packed on a few pounds as a result. To her dismay, steak is not on the menu at my house! She has proved to be a picky eater, so she's probably losing weight already. (Although from what I'm reading, loss of taste may be related to her neuropathy, and if so, it would explain her lack of appetite and would suggest I need to feed her more palatable food.)Her symptoms are subtle. She can climb stairs without a problem, but if she slips, she has trouble recovering. On flat ground, she can walk and run--she even fetches. She's not the fastest, most coordinated kid on the playground, but she can still play the game.
She's a happy girl who is still learning the sounds and routines of indoor life. She startles easily from loud noises inside, and on my hardwood floors, she can struggle to recover her footing if she has been put off-balance. For this reason alone, Bailey Mae should go to a calm home with older children only. I don't think she would do well around young shrieking whirling-dervishes.And because of her balance issues, a one-story house with carpeting would be ideal. She can manage 3-4 stairs, just not long staircases.Otherwise, she is the kind of dog who could fit in to a number of lifestyles, including that of a single person who is away at work all day. Bailey Mae does not mind being alone, but is always happy to have human companionship.I hope to have Bailey Mae seen by a neurologist soon. She certainly deserves to be more comfortable and confident about her footing. Stay tuned.
| Golden Retriever | Born: April 2006 |
| Female | 60 lbs |
Status: Adopted
November 4, 2012: Bailey is a six-year-old purebred Golden Retriever who melts the heart of everyone she meets.This docile, pretty girl came into RAGOM when her family moved out of state and was unable to keep her. She lived as an outdoor dog, sharing a large enclosure and deluxe dog house with a white German Shepherd (who went to another rescue).Although she was not formally housetrained, Bailey naturally prefers to do her business outside, and she has been flawless in the potty department in the week she has been with me.Here's how wonderful Bailey (or as I call her, "Bailey Mae") is:
What Bailey isn't so adept at is stairs. She had such trouble going down my staircases that I wondered if she was having issues with her sight, depth perception, balance and so on. So when we went in for her wellness check, I asked the vet to test her reflexes.It turns out that Bailey Mae has some kind of neurological issue with a cranial nerve that is affecting her motor control. This can be caused by a number of different conditions--some of them treatable--so we are hoping for the best diagnosis. I will be taking Bailey to a neurologist as soon as we can get an appointment.In the meantime, I am helping Bailey Mae go down the stairs by lifting her body with a harness. Now that she has not fallen for a few days, she must think she's pretty good at it, because now she wants to scramble down the stairs at the same breakneck pace of the resident dogs. If I didn't hold her up, she'd certainly be rolling down the stairs instead of running. Bailey Mae tips the scales at 71 pounds--about 10-15 pounds overweight--which can't be helping her coordination. For the last few weeks before moving, her family was cleaning out their freezer, and Bailey Mae was treated to steaks every night. She apparently packed on a few pounds as a result. To her dismay, steak is not on the menu at my house! She has proved to be a picky eater, so she's probably losing weight already. (Although from what I'm reading, loss of taste may be related to her neuropathy, and if so, it would explain her lack of appetite and would suggest I need to feed her more palatable food.)Her symptoms are subtle. She can climb stairs without a problem, but if she slips, she has trouble recovering. On flat ground, she can walk and run--she even fetches. She's not the fastest, most coordinated kid on the playground, but she can still play the game.
She's a happy girl who is still learning the sounds and routines of indoor life. She startles easily from loud noises inside, and on my hardwood floors, she can struggle to recover her footing if she has been put off-balance. For this reason alone, Bailey Mae should go to a calm home with older children only. I don't think she would do well around young shrieking whirling-dervishes.And because of her balance issues, a one-story house with carpeting would be ideal. She can manage 3-4 stairs, just not long staircases.Otherwise, she is the kind of dog who could fit in to a number of lifestyles, including that of a single person who is away at work all day. Bailey Mae does not mind being alone, but is always happy to have human companionship.I hope to have Bailey Mae seen by a neurologist soon. She certainly deserves to be more comfortable and confident about her footing. Stay tuned.
Christmas has come early for sweet Bailey and her new furever family. Congratulations to Kathy and Gary S, Bailey's new family. She is one very lucky little girl. They are such a great match and will all be very happy together.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
We are so happy to report that Miss Bailey is doing very well here with us. She has no trouble with the steps, and goes up and down then like normal. Her balance seems to have improved in the week since we got her, which was what we had hoped for, and expected. She is more active everyday, and loves going on our walks, and does a nice job with just a flat collar. Another thing we have learned about her, is that she LOVES to play ball. She will chase it, and brings it back to you. Sometimes when the whole crew is playing, she will grab it, and roll on it to show the others that it is her ball.
She is one beautiful, loyal, and faithful companion. She has had some medical issues, and is still dealing with minor results of them, but she has not, for one minute let that affect her living a fulfilling, active life.
I took her to the vet, and we have her on Clindamycin and Rimadyl, to help with the possiblilty of an inner ear infection, and any swelling. She also is getting a daily application of artificial tears to her left eye, as she does not blink this lid, and do not want it to dry out. Her prognosis is good, and Dr Mckee is very very much convinced that she will continue to get better. Bailey melted the hearts of everyone at the clinic. They all thought she was one special girl, and they were right.
Bailey Mae saw a neurologist last week, and we were all set to begin a battery of tests to diagnose her, when suddenly...
She began to get better on her own!
It appears Bailey had Idiopathic Vestibular Disease. With this condition, something interferes with a dog’s vestibular system, which senses the position of the head and body in space—essential to balance and orientation. There is no apparent cause for this condition, and usually it goes away in a matter of days or weeks, often leaving no residual effects.
After digging into Bailey’s background, I learned that she had had a bout of vestibular disease a few months ago, but it went away in a few days. Because she had received no medications or tests, it did not show up in her vet records, but we learned about it from a conversation with her previous owner.
Bailey’s condition must have been mild, because she never exhibited the off-balance, “drunken sailor” walk that many dogs with vestibular disease get. She just had problems maintaining her balance on my long stairs, and took an occasional wrong turn in the house because her sense of direction was off.
Because I was concerned about Bailey’s safety on my stairs, I requested that she go to another foster home. By the time we found the right place for her, Bailey’s condition was almost cleared up.
Regardless, Bailey Mae is now in very capable hands and only has to manage a few carpeted stairs in a split-level home. But I wanted to give everyone this great news before turning her updates over to her new foster in Rochester.
With the mystery of her balance/coordination issue now solved, I’m sure she will quickly find a forever home. She is a great dog who’s impossible not to fall in love with. Here are some more photos of this wonderful girl.
