Goodbye Soshi

My dog of (nearly) 14 years has become extremely sick of late. She has been deteriorating the past couple of months with kidney failure and possibly renal failure as well. Because she has kidney disease, she drinks a lot (from the toilet) and she has to excrete frequently and she doesn’t have control over this. She has been urinating on beds, chairs and all over the floor the past couple of months, but it has gotten worse over the weekend.

She just stands there in the middle of the room sometimes and looks confused and weak. She can’t stand very well, she can’t sit down or lie down without pain and taking a long time to do so. She can’t really walk up stairs very well without stumbling or tripping.

She hasn’t been eating much of anything over the weekend and I’ve had to nurse and coax her to get her to eat anything. I’m really worried about leaving her at home alone and I’m seriously considering putting her to sleep either today, or tomorrow. I never would have wanted to do it, and want to see her last as long as she can, but I don’t think she’s in good condition and I’ve tried everything to improve her condition.

She means a great deal to me and she will have been 14 years old about now. I got her about a month after my brother died in 1993 and she helped lift my spirits and recover from my loss.