Getting old sucks

Eleven years ago, Ed showed up at home with an adorable, almost 5 month old, shiba puppy. One of my favorite memories is walking in the door on my birthday to find her bouncing around my feet. She was a total surprise and it made me jump for joy right along with her. I never knew how much this dog would mean to me or how she would change my world. Her incredible spirit, endless personality, and her ability to rule to world with "kish-a-tude", made her my canine soulmate. I've looked for that personality in every shiba I've come in contact with, but there will never be another Kishi. They broke the mold when they made her.

And in a way, it's good that mold has been broken. And let's hope that it was thrown away, too. Because even with her unforgettable personality, her health problems throughout the years have weighed heavily on us. From the time she was 2 years old, it has been one health tragedy after another. As my vet recently said, "nothing she has will kill her, but all combined, she sure doesn't feel very good."

So the latest in the string of health issues for Kishi... you can add anemia and glaucoma to the list. The anemia isn't expensive to treat. Although it probably means there is some underlying problem that hasn't been discovered yet. Unfortunately, Treating the glaucoma is expensive. And it doesn't matter what option I pick, the price is in the hundreds to thousands of dollars to treat. Right now we are treating her with pain medication and eye drops. I'd like to say that is the cheapest way, but long term, it won't be. Surgery or removal of her eyes would be the next steps but I can't even fathom that.

So it sucks when your pets get old. I'd love to go back 11 years to when she was bouncing around my feet. I need a reason to jump for joy.