A Reprieve

shassWe took Shassi to the vet and asked about euthanasia and whether it would be kinder at this point. After the vet looked at Shassi and heard our description of what her life was like, she was of the opinion that Shassi was not ready to be put down.

Shassi is still eating well, she is showing some interest in her walks and she is not stressed as long as she is in familiar places. She is sometimes incontinent, but she is not messing herself in the place where she sleeps. The vet said that the constant pacing circles and “not being there” is normal for dogs suffering dementia and Shassi is likely a victim of that.

Shassi has failing kidneys and a heart murmur, but for a dog at the far end the breed’s normal lifespan, she is actually doing very well. I am very happy that Shassi will be with us for longer and hope that she might reach her 16th birthday after all.

Sometimes it’s nice to be wrong. For now, at least.

6 Comments

  1. I bet you still needed the kleenex.

    Well, take it one day at a time.

    Perhaps Shassi should be the “honoraryand venerable advisor” to Tierce the Baron?

    Good thoughts to all from Sukoshi and me.

  2. I was checking your website several times today as i said many many prayers.

    *hugs to you and yours. Scratchings to the furbabies..

  3. I regret that I didn’t tell you much earlier, but old shibas need unsaturated fatty acids in their diet. Because they were taking them easily from fish for thouthands years they ended up to need external supply of these fatty acids.

  4. Each time it is more difficult to let them go…Enough said! i get my Shiba fix with your sites and Jenna and Snickers ,daily. Bless you and your Shibas. Love, Pat

  5. I think you need not to worry about “when”.
    Shassi will tell it to you by some kind of ways.
    In our case;
    One day my dog stopped eating or drinking.
    When I was going to drip water into her mouth,
    she growled at me.
    “Wth, leave me alone!”.
    I understood she wanted to go.
    Shibas will be shibas till the end.

  6. I’m so glad to learn that Shassi is still with you. One of our past Shibas “Buddy” also had dementia. At one point it was so bad that for several hours, he would stand by the door and go in and out the doggy door as if he had forgotten what it was that he wanted to do. But then there would be days where he was very lucid and wasn’t in a foggy state. Just remember to be sure to keep the gates still latched tightly. Our Buddy got out and went missing for two days. Luckily our neighbors found him and he came home happy to see us again.

    Then one day, he just couldn’t move anymore. And, that’s when we knew it was time. As you know, Shibas are stubborn/tough little dogs. And, a senior Shiba remains that way and begins to live for their owners. It’s a sad thing to see and realize, but they truly are loyal companions. Treasure your time with Shassi. Hugs to you all…

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