Meet Kiyoshi the Akita - Runstreet’s Newest Team Member

Comic by Alisa Harvey.

Please check out the miraculous story of our mascot, Kiyoshi the Akita wonder dog!

I adopted Kita Kiyoshi  , a 5-year-old Akita, from a rescue in July 2020. She’s quickly become my best friend and pandemic buddy. She’s so easygoing and calm, she gets along with everyone- human and canine. 🐕

Kiyoshi (or tumbleweed as we affectionately call her due to her constant cloud of loose fur) was diagnosed with oral plasmacytoma, a form of mouth cancer, in early September. The vet said these cancers almost always stay in the mouth but they do go deep into the jaw and teeth, causing pain and difficulty eating. With complete surgical removal, including removal of teeth, Kiyoshi will be cured. We are lucky that this type of cancer does not spread to other areas of the body. 

UPDATE - KIYOSHI GOT HER SURGERY AND IS DOING WELL!!!! ❤️🐕 THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE SUPPORT! You can follow Kiyoshi’s travels and adventures at @kiyoshi.nyc on Instagram.

Now a year after her surgery, Kiyoshi is happily sniffing her way around Brooklyn, meeting new canine friends and attracting many human admirers. We very rarely see other Akitas in New York City but we did meet a super friendly female Akita in Brooklyn, which was awesome!

Kiyoshi’s health is great and we continue to monitor and manage her EPI with home-cooked diet and vet supplements as well as pancreatic enzymes. I am happy to say Kiyoshi has gained weight and even more ocnfidence (if that is possible for an Akita) and she is up to 75 pounds now.

Kiyoshi even runs with me around Brooklyn and we recently went on a trip to Montreal, Canada, which she loved! We are training for our first 5K together.