Remembering Shanti

The other day, I came across one of my write-ups about my first “official “ hospice dog. I took her in right before Christmas several years ago.

Shanti, a little chihuahua mix, would have been euthanized at the local shelter due to a myriad of health issues and her advanced age.

Let me tell you that people rallied for her so that I could bust her out and tend to her.

Shanti was my first dog with advanced CDS — canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome.

It was no walk in the park, mainly because I experienced increasing sleep deprivation and fatigue.

Shanti got agitated and restless at night, which was most nights.

There is no one treatment or cure for CDS - CDS is a slowly progressive disease.

In her own words:

Wow, my life sure has changed! I no longer live behind prison bars; I am finally not lonely or afraid of being forgotten anymore.

Yeah! Consider yourselves licked in the face. I am so much happier now.

I want to eat all the time and get yummy food with some strange morsels. My mom calls these “supplements,” whatever that is. I also go on long walks with my big dog brother, Jonah. Boy, does he need to run to keep up with me? Life is GOOD.

Unfortunately, my memory is not what it once was. I often get stuck in corners and don’t know how to escape them. Who invented corners?

I also run in circles at night, many, many circles, and I hardly ever get tired. Sleep? Nada. My head starts buzzing when it gets dark.

Clinical signs:

Disorientation — Getting lost in familiar places, stuck in corners, staring into space

Interaction changes — Suddenly clingy or avoidant, not recognizing familiar people.

Sleep pattern changes — Wandering the house at night, sleeping more during the day

House-soiling — Urinating or defecating indoors when they were previously house-trained

Anxiety — Increased anxiety, new phobias, irritability, aggression

Life would be perfect if my heart weren’t as big as a baseball. The vet says that I have heart disease and a grade 5/6 murmur. You see, this makes me uncomfortable and scared; that’s why I have a hard time settling down.

My person is exhausted because she needs more beauty rest than I do. At least, that’s what I think. These days, she gives me a pill at night; she says it is a “sedative.” I say, as long as it’s yummy, I take it!

I still wake her up in the wee hours and want to snuggle; then I jump around because it is so hard to be still. My other fur siblings are calm and quiet at night. I wonder how they do it.

Mom believes my spirit is not resting because of my enlarged heart.

My heart is big because it’s filled with love and has grown in size.

One of our human friends did a strange — but I must admit — wonderful thing with me. It’s called a soul retrieval. Please do not ask me what that is; I have no idea. All I know is that I was more relaxed afterward, which made my mom (and me) happy.

After all these years of misery, I am not treated like a dumb dog anymore but like someone with a soul.

They say it takes a village.

It takes an ocean of love, and I gave and received love a million times in return. What a blessing!

I learned so much about living with a CDS dog. It expanded my capacity to be present with an open heart, even when maxed out.

Would I do it again? Yes. Do I want to inspire you not to get discouraged when you have a pet with special needs? Yes.

Is CDS challenging? Yes. Does every animal deserve dignity? Absolutely.

Shanti experienced the sunset of her life in my home, and I am so glad for that. She passed away in the Spring of the following year.