Good, Bad, Disappointing, & Good

First the good. Then the bad. And then the disappointing. Finally the good again.

The good! Kobe's latest test results do support the thought that his kidney failure is a slow progressing one. We will continue to keep an eye on his blood work and have it completed every 6 months just to be on the safe side. My vet even thinks that we are fortunate to have accidentally stumbled upon this, as the change in his food will help keep him healthier for longer. Most dogs get diagnosed later in the disease, when food doesn't have quite the impact as it is having on Kobe.

Now the bad. Over the past couple of months we have noticed some pretty significant changes in our boy. If a dog could win an award for housebroken-ness and predictability, the Kobe of 1998(ish)-2008 would win gold (yes, he predictably 'guards' me from all things dangerous- tin foil, flashing lights, car horns, kids, anything on wheels..the list goes on). Our poor guy seems more like a puppy now than ever- having accidents in the house, restless at night, anxious and under my feet all the time, and chewing on things he hasn't chewed on since he was a year old.

My vet informs me that these are all classic symptoms of senility. My baby boy is no longer a baby. Worse, he is slipping into the human equivalent of Alzheimer's. According to my research, by dogs aged up to 11, 1 in 3 dogs show symptoms. And dogs 11-16 (Kobe's age group) 2 in 3. At least Kobe's statistic is in the majority. I'm sure there has to be loads of information and support on the interwebs for me to comb through in the next days and weeks.

The disappointing news is that one of the best things you can do for Kobe's cognitive deterioration is to keep the house as stress-free and as predictible as possible. So, this puts a pretty significant hold on fostering.

The second good? There's a new shelter opening up only a block or so from my office. Since the puppies can't come to me- I will go to them. Hopefully I can volunteer at this new shelter (or another if need be) to help relieve the guilt I feel for not fostering. Hopefully I can impart some of my experience on a new shelter's volunteers...or at least still help the needy dogs in some way.

Maybe this blog will evolve into my experiences as a shelter volunteer...I guess I'll have to think of a new name.....