Well.. a Bailey shocker!
 

Today he had all his "fun" tests done, Cardio thing and Chest x-rays
After taking a look at his innerds the vets have concluded....




Nothing:sad: Other than the fact that there is NO way Bailey is approx 4 years old. They said they would be shocked if he was under.... get this... 9:eek: and would not be suprised at all if he was more around the 12 mark.

His heart is slightly enlarged on the right side and he has some weird "leaf like veiny things" on that same side.:shrug: They believe it may be calcium deposits of some kind ( or something like that.)
The results from the ECG will be in tomorrow.
So... in a nut shell, Bailey is not a really sick young guy, he's a rather healthy old guy.
:confused:

Obviously someone lied about his age at some point.:frustrated:

Well thats all I have for now.

well knock me over with a feather :eek: :o

i guess... this is good news then? i mean not really cuz if he's already a senior, his good years are counted but... at least you know now. And can deal with whatever happens.

poor old guy... some humans really suck! :frustrated:

but there are many more :angel: to make up for it! :highfive:

Oddly I can handle him being a mildly sick old dog more than him being a very sick young dog.

His excersise restrictions have been lifted, thank goodness too because I brought him for his possibly FIRST swim ever. And like a duck ( or a cocker) he LOVED it.

Basically he just isnt allowed to chase Meiko anymore:shrug: but is allowed to run around on his own then stop when he's tired ( he wont if Meik is running too)

At least things make sense now.:)

Wow! That's alright news I guess:shrug: Good that there's nothing really wrong with him, but bad that he's way older than you thought. At least Bailey's in a great home for his golden years:cloud9:

Wow...that's a shocker! :eek: How long have you had him? I know sometimes when people are trying to rehome an older dog, they will lie about the age thinking they will be adopted more easily if they are "younger". At least there's no serious health problems, and I'm sure he has many good years left!!

:eek: Wow! Of all the news you might have been expecting, I'll bet this wasn't on the list. Huh!

All in all, good, though. Not good that he's so much older than you'd been told, but very good that he's so healthy for an older dog that you never thought he might be an old dog. :shrug:

Now you just have to convince him to act his age, and not chase the youngesters around. :D

:thumbs up for no serious issues and no expensive treatments, and :highfive: for a good vet team. (and lots of :grouphug: for Bailey's mom for going through all of this!)

:eek: I'm happy he's healthy, but it must had been quite a shock to learn he's about 12 yr old ! :confused: Thank dog he found you :angel: :grouphug: so take it easy Bailey !

Well at least you know that maybe you did some good running him and all like a four year old ;)

You made sure he got MORE than enough exercise and all that you have to make sure now is not to run after Meiko :) this is a good thing!

Glad to hear he's doing ok though :D

Megan

Funny how perspective changes, isn't it? This is such great news! Bailey gained a few years but his health improved and he has a great place to spend his retirement. :thumbs up He really is a very lucky dog to have found his :angel:. :D

The funny thing is though... now that I really "really" watch him and think back. The signs of him being older are indeed there.
He cant jump up onto things very well ( takes a few tries but I thought it was because he was "pudgy":shrug: ) He does tire quick enough when just trotting around ( he stops to take a little breather here and there) and he isnt ignoring me... he cant hear very well.:shrug:
Being a blondie its hard to see his little greys on his face ( I just thought it was white markings)
I feel so dumb actually:laughing:
Some one, somewhere REALLY lied about his age. Or perhaps because he has been in so many homes ( apparently could be more than first thought) people along the way just never thought to add:shrug:
Now I cant call Puppy " old man" anymore... thats B :rolleyes:

[QUOTE=erykah1310;430332]So... in a nut shell, Bailey is not a really sick young guy, he's a rather healthy old guy.
:confused:
[/QUOTE]

I'm so glad it wasn't bad news and that the little guy can get back to his regular life in his fabulous, caring, forever home :thumbs up .

Maybe you should get him a little wagon and attach it to Meiko and he can keep up that way :D .

Sometimes it's hard to tell... I've had this experience not so long ago, sometimes you don't know their condition until the last minute... it would be easier if they could talk. :frustrated:

[QUOTE=SableCollie;430340] How long have you had him? [/QUOTE]

I got him and Charlie I think it was late november??? I had them before Christmas anyways.

[QUOTE]Maybe you should get him a little wagon and attach it to Meiko and he can keep up that way .[/QUOTE]
Great idea:thumbs up I'll just go run it by Meik first!:laughing:

Well that is good news for sure. Atleast he isn't as sick as you had feared.
It is too bad that he is older than you thought, but out of everything you were thinking about, this is great news:)

I'm so happy things are looking up for Bailey, in an odd sort of way.

Too bad our bodies (and our dogs bodies) don't always behave the age we think we are. In Baileys case he probably thinks he really is 4 but his body is showing the wear and tear of being much older. I hope Bailey has many more years to grow old and enjoy all of life's pleasures. Keep up the puppy spirit 'ol Bailey!:dog:

That's amazing. I'm glad the puzzle pieces now fit...

Well now for the conclusion of the rough past few months.
I just got this email today from the vet.
Its not bad at all.
[QUOTE]Hello Erika,

I will be giving you a phone call tomorrow (Monday) in case you don't get this email, but I wanted to give you an update on some of the test results on Bailey.

The cardiologist has examined both an EKG strip from Bailey and also the radiographs we took. I was concerned about some of the changes on Bailey's heart radiographs. While the EKG turned out to be normal (ie - Bailey does not need a pace maker) there are significant changes to both the right side of the heart and some nearby lung tissue. The heart muscle of the right side of the heart is thickening / ballooning and the large blood vessels to the lungs are moderately congested. Ok, in english now - the right side of Bailey's heart isn't working as effeciently as it used to, and as a result the blood vessels to and from that side of the heart are also a bit thickened. These vessels are the ones that supply the lung tissue with blood and capture oxygen to deliver to the rest of the body.

During normal activity, Bailey wouldn't even notice the difference. However, when the heart starts beating harder/faster with exercise, the blood isn't getting back and forth from the lungs as quickly as it should. This is causing Bailey to feel 'faint' during those times and the heart tries to beat even faster to compensate, but is still inefficient.

Bailey's heart does not appear to be in 'failure' - it is still functioning normally under normal circumstances. I think Dr. Danyluk may have also shown you some other mild changes we saw on the radiographs that indicate that Bailey is likely older than we thought - my guess is around 10 years. These changes had to do with the bone structure of the ribs and spine that give us clues to a dog's age. If we take that into consideration, the changes in Bailey's heart are really not that unusual or surprising.

So where to from here?

First, we keep an eye out for worsening of Bailey's condition. As I said, the heart isn't in failure at this point. If that happens, Bailey will become winded/faint even with mild exercise (stairs), may begin to cough regularly, or lose appetite. If you see any of those signs, we will start giving Bailey medicine.

To support the heart muscle now, we can begin Bailey on supplements to keep the heart muscle strong. These would be 1/2 the adult dosages for :
Co-Enzyme Q-10, Taurine, and Vasculin on a daily basis. These vitamins can be purchased at any groccery/pharmacy over the counter. You will likely find a combination product Q-10 and Taurine which is fine with me. Just give him half the adult dose on a daily basis. If you cannot find them, we have a specific canine product here for that.

A low sodium diet is recommended.

As for exercise, I wouldn't restrict him. Bailey still needs to keep active and enjoy life. Perhaps limiting the wrestling matches would be appropriate and if Bailey has an episode, try to calm him quickly.

Ultimately, Bailey will eventually require medication to help with his heart, but for right now I don't think things are severe enough to warrant it. These medicines have side effects of their own, so we weigh the benifits and risks.

The good news is that much more serious heart conditions in even younger animals. He seems to be compensating quite well and only experiences problems during intense excitement. The bad news is that he is older than we thought, and the problem is not something we can 'fix'.


I will give you a call on Monday to discuss this further, but feel free to reply back with questions if you have them.

Dr. Lariviere
[/QUOTE]

That ends the Bailey saga for now. As he ages he will need some meds, but thats fine.
Im pleased with the results. FINALLY some answers:)
Thanks for all the support everyone.:grouphug:

Glad you now know what is going on and that he is healthier than you thought!

I'm so relieved that it's age and not severe illness. I really was worried that Bailey was going to have the same thing Joey had.

Poor little guy though. Someone was definitely remiss in keeping track of the important things for this doggie. I'm glad he has a loving mama now !:goodvibes:

That definitley caught me off guard too! I was hoping you'd get some good results.....and in a way I guess you did right?
I'm glad he is aging gracefully with minor "old age" complications that can be somewhat contained and treated, then for him to be as young as you thought with something serious ailing him.

Erykah,I was wondering today how Bailey was doing,I must have missed your post completely.
If Bailey is about 10yrs old,he is the same age as "my"Bailey:dog:
I am really glad you got some answers,mixed with a big surprise,at least now you can go on from here and treat him like the little old boy he is.
Hopefully he'll have several wonderful years with you:pray:

So glad it's not too serious ! :grouphug: :highfive:

I don't even like to think that 10 is getting "old"! Den-Den is 9 now. But, Den-Den3 lived to be 18, so really, 10 isn't really that old. Give the little "geezer" a tummy rub from me.:D :love:

Glad it's not to serious.10 years old.he looks much young.atleast you have the answers to what was happening with him.:grouphug:

WOW.... a real shock indeed. :eek: As cpietra said, "the puzzle pieces now fit". Glad he's pretty healthy for a senior. :highfive: Doesn't this make him older than Charlie? :confused:

Hugs for you and Bailey :grouphug: . I'm glad you have such a receptive, caring vet to help you through all of this :thumbs up .

Isn't that amazing ?! He's quite the go-er for a ten year old to even WANT to chase after Meik let alone keep up with him.

And it's funny how things make sense with hindsight. I always thought Ceili was ahem, "slow" and a bit of a "princess" as she never learned to jump from a sit or climb and preferred to preen in the middle of the park after a couple of throws of the ball ~ truth was her hips were bad from puppyhood and she [I]couldn't[/I] do any of those things.

I'm glad to hear Bailey is in such good shape for an "oldster" !

[QUOTE=rainbow;431624] Doesn't this make him older than Charlie? :confused:[/QUOTE]

Yup Charlie was 8 I believe, but he LOOKED old.:eek: and had little or no desire to do much, Charlie was much more content chillin on the couch or the bed but Bailey was the little "punk" picking fights and causing chaos:shrug:

Charlie
[IMG]http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h154/erykah1310/Bailey%20and%20Charlie/Charlepetsave.jpg[/IMG]

Bailey
[IMG]http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h154/erykah1310/Bailey%20and%20Charlie/Baileypetsave.jpg[/IMG]

Maybe it was just cause Charlie was more of a red than a buff, the greys showed more:shrug:

Erykah,What happened to Charlie,did he too find a good home?

OH sorry Chico I havent been doing the forum thing too much lately.

Charlie was adopted right away, there was a wonderful older couple who had been on a waiting list for a Cocker Spaiel for 2 years, they immediately fell in love with Charlie and adopted him. Sort of ironic that they would have picked the "older" one (who was actually the younger one).

Charlie did end up with a wonderful home. He is the senior king of the castle, a happy ending for all involved ( especially the couple who waited so pateintly for their "perfect" dog):thumbs up