Kabosu, the internet sensation that spawned the “doge” meme and dogecoin, has been diagnosed with leukemia and liver disease

Kabosu, the internet sensation that spawned the “doge” meme and dogecoin, has been diagnosed with leukemia and liver disease.

Kabosu’s owner Atsuko Sato shared a series 

of Instagram posts over the holiday giving people updates about the dog’s health after it took a turn for the worst.

The pup’s owner, Atsuko Sato, posted an update video on her health to her Instagram, showing shots of Kabosu laying on the floor of their home, eating and drinking while wrapped in blankets and slightly limping as she walks across their living room. Sato ended the video with a shot of her resting with Kabosu and her cat.

In her caption, she wrote, “Kabosu’s disease names are acute cholangiohepatitis and chronic lymphoma leukemia. Right now, the liver level is very bad and jaundice appears.”

She added that there is hope for recovery, saying, “antibiotics will definitely improve [her health]” and that Kabosu “has an appetite” again and “can also drink water.”

Despite her owner Atsuko Satō’s concern earlier this week, Kabosu is now on the mend.

‘I’m amazed how quickly she bounced back,’ Ms Satō told her 422,000 followers, many of whom have expressed well wishes.

‘The Miracle of Kabosu couldn’t have happened without your warm wishes and prayers.’ 

The kindergarten teacher from Japan said after five days of looking seriously unwell, Kabosu was able to finish a full meal, drink plenty of water and ‘no longer requires diapers’.

‘I took her for a five minute walk to the park today. She looked happy in the sun and fresh air.’

Concerned fans said they were ‘crying tears of joy’ after learning of the happy news.

‘Best news of 2022,’ one person said. 

Kabosu stopped drinking or eating on Christmas Eve, prompting the visit to the vet. She was prescribed antibiotics for her conditions.

The Shiba Inu became an overnight celebrity in 2013 when a picture of her went viral, sparking an influx of ‘doge’ memes.

Later that year, her likeness was used to launch Dogecoin – a cryptocurrency which was initially meant to be a joke but soon became popular in its own right. ‘It’s a moment that’s evolved and taken on a life of its own over the last decade — being shared millions of times and creating an entire community around the Doge meme.’

The Dogecoin currency was officially launched in 2013 by software engineers Markus and Palmer. The currency is considered the first ‘meme coin’ and ‘dog coin’. 

It has become a valuable asset following the endorsement of Twitter owner Elon Musk. 

In April 2021, Dogecoin traded as high as $0.346254 after Musk appeared on Saturday Night Live and declared himself ‘the Dogefather’.

Prices shot up by 40 per cent the following year, in April 2022, amid suspicions Musk was going to incorporate the ‘joke’ cryptocurrency into Twitter after he purchased the site for $44billion.

Last year, Markus confirmed that the coin had been invented as a joke. 

‘I’m half detached, but it’s weird that something I made in a few hours is now part of internet culture,’ he said. 

‘It’s amusing to see Elon Musk talk about it. It feels silly, but there’s this huge upwelling behind it.’ In a post the day before, Sato noted that she was taking Kabosu to the hospital for a check up because she had stopped drinking and eating on Christmas Eve.

“To all of you who are worried, Thank you very much😊,” she said.

Thousands of comments flooded the post wishing the Shiba Inu well. One commenter said, “I wish the family strength and a pain free process for Kabosu. We love you Doge. You defined an entire era and generation on the internet. Good luck!” Another said: “Kabosu the world is rooting for you.”

In 2010, Sato posted an image of Kabosu laying on her stomach with her paws crossed while seemingly shooting the camera a knowing look. The image spread like wildfire on several internet websites like Reddit and Tumblr, along with text of what they imagined the dog’s inner monologue would be.

Sato said she is still stunned by the far-reaching impact of Kabosu’s picture, writing on Instagram last year: “Never in a million years would I have imagined the impact that my photoshoot of Kabosu would have on the internet.”

“It’s a moment that’s evolved and taken on a life of its own over the last decade,” she added, “being shared millions of times and creating an entire community around the Doge meme.