A tribute to my furkid - The Chopa Story

This is the story of my kid, Chopa. It was back in December 2018 that my sister shared with me that there was a litter of puppies up for adoption. They were abandoned somewhere and were picked up by a local pet clinic. The picture was sent to us and immediately we fell in love with the little pups. All the pups were adopted except 2. One was a female and another male. They were a mixed breed of sorts and we felt there was some labrador blood in them. They had silky black fur and a tinge of white on their chest. 

Day 1 with us

So after a discussion with my wife and sister, we decided to take one of them in. Initially, we wanted to adopt the female but my sister's friend said that when they were there, they felt that they had a connection with the gal. So we decided to take in the male, well, we were ready to take in either one of them. So on the 1st  of January 2019, we got him home. He was a scrawny little fella, he was around 3-4 four months old and was a really shy boy. So much so that, he was facing the wall most of the time trying to hide his face on his first few days. My wife, my sister, and I are One Piece fans and we felt that he reminds us of one of the characters in the anime named Chopa. Hence we decided to name him after that character. The character was one that was kind-hearted, timid but fiercely loyal. Which, suits him perfectly. 

Tony Tony Chopa from One Piece anime

The first few weeks he was really shy, we would put his food outside of his cage and he would take a small bite and run back to his cage to nibble. We would always try to sit near him to let him know that we are here for him and we are his family. We tried to hand feed him his meals at times to introduce us to him. Then after about 2 weeks, we succeeded to get him to come out and play with his toy with us. Slowly he warmed up to us. Fast forward to a month later he had his first bark. It was not those squeaky puppy bark but a nice glorious BARK! We were so happy because that was the first time we heard him bark. It was then we knew he broke from his shyness and accepted us as his own family. 

Started warming up and cuddling with me

By then, every morning he would start to greet me when I came out and in the evening he would run to the gate when he sees my car. He would wag his tail furiously with a smile. That always melt all my stress away when I got home. 

His very first smile at me when I got home

Naturally, he is still that shy boy, it was noticeable when we bring him out to events or parks. He was basically like me, an introvert. He loves being in his comfort areas or he will just stick to people he was close with. He always has his little corner at the house that he would go to till his last days. 

At times when I was stressed from work or had a bad day and when I got home, he would always sit next to me and listen to me. Somehow it seems like he understands me, he would lick my hands and rub his head on my legs as if trying to comfort me. He would look at me and give me a smile and at times invite me to play. It as if he wants me to just let go of my stress and play with him. He would lie down and wiggle and I knew he wants me to tickle him and give him his belly rub. I remember once after work and I was really down and he came and comfort me... I looked at him and wondered, I can't imagine if you were gone. Who is going to listen to me and comfort me...? I dare not imagine that day to happen.

My daily morning kiss

One thing about him is that he was not one of those overly enthusiastic or hyper dogs. He will be active at times and does his 400m dash as my mom always calls it but most of the time, we will sit or lie calmly next to me or my wife and take his nap. Every now and then he will wake up and gives us a kiss.. well a few licks and then goes back to his nap. As if to check if we are still there.  

His timid and calm nature naturally gives all of us at home a sense of calm. My mom who has a slight fear of dogs due to previous experiences started to warm up to him, so much so it changed her perception towards dogs. Even my neighbors fell in love with this little fella. The vet who treated him told us he is one of the easiest ones to handle. During checkups or his vaccinations, he would just sit there quietly and calmly. Unlike some others who will squeal or bark or howl. He just took it calmly. 

Like I mentioned, he was a timid guy and during the festive season, we would bring him to sit next to us because of the loud fireworks. He would try to hide under me or my wife's legs and after a while, he would sleep knowing that he is safe and secure. To the extent we automatically knew that he would be scared and will bring him in to sit with us during the festive eve.

His first Hari Raya eve

Now about 1 year ago he had a tick problem. We manage to solve the problem and everything went to normal. I've always heard that it is normal for dogs to catch tick issues. In fact, some dogs have it a few times in their lifetime. So I thought it was ok. But not for my kid. 6 months ago things started to go wrong. First, we noticed some red spots on his belly. Initially, we thought was a rash or an insect bite. We brought him to the vet and they tried giving him some cream. But a week later the spots came back. The vet felt it was not right because it started to look like small hemorrhages. They took his blood samples and found out that his platelet has dropped to almost zero. We asked what was the cause and the vet shared that it was possibly caused by the tick fever. The virus caused his body's immune system to go haywire and started attacking itself. The doctors were trying their best to figure out the root of the problem. 

Things started to get worse when the hemorrhaging gotten bigger and our clinic told us to better go to a hospital for a further check as they have more complete facilities. It was since then we were going in and out of the hospital every 2-3 weeks and the vet at UPM was also trying very hard to solve the problem but the problem kept persist. His platelet will always fluctuate every visit, one week high, one week low. It was also puzzling for the doctors. 

After a few months, in December, my boy started to feel lethargic and started to have blisters on his back. He started bloating as well. We were trying very hard to be hopeful that this is just a phase and things will get better. He was still his usual self but his fur was shedding and his blister became worse. Yet he still does his usual of sitting next to me and getting excited when seeing me in the morning or when I come back from work. But something felt different, he was not as agile or active as he used to and he would always just lie down. I feel his exhaustion at times. 

By now we were a little worried, we tried spending as much time with him but most of the time he would just sleep or hide in his favorite corner. 

It was until last week we noticed that he didn't look too well. He started to lose his appetite and he looked like he was having difficulty breathing. We immediately called his vet and we were told to bring him in immediately, one week earlier than our scheduled appointment. 

We were informed that he has to be moved to the ICU and 3 days later on Friday, the hospital called and asked us to go there urgently. I dropped everything and quickly rushed to the hospital. On my way there I told myself, oh god my kid is dying. Please let this not be true... please please, please. My hands were constantly trembling and the journey to the hospital seems to take forever. I wanted to be there for him as we know he is always very timid and loves to be with us during times when he was scared. With all the strangers I know he will be scared, I just want to be there for him like I always do, but the drive there seems to take forever!

When we reached the hospital what we saw struck my heart so painfully. He was on double oxygen and a puffy blanket to keep him warm. The doctor told us that his situation is very critical as his liver has started to shut down and his lungs have most probably going to go next. They diagnosed him to have Cushing Syndrome, a hormone disorder. Basically his hormones have gone upside down. We were asked to make a decision. It was the hardest decision we have to make. Signing the papers was even harder. It was just so hard... 

We went close to him gave him a pet, a big hug, and a kiss. He opened his tired eyes, tried turning his head, and gave us his usual lick but it was so weak. He drifted back into his sleep and we could see he was struggling to breathe. His blood pressure was very low and his oxygen is low. As the doctor was administering the jab he opened his eyes one last time knowing that it would be his last time to see us. We knew he didn't want to go... I knew he was scared... but... a moment later... he... was... gone... forever...

my heart shattered to a million pieces...

My child, my boy, my son, Chopa was gone. He was just 2 years old. Too young to suffer this and too young to go.

Perhaps God loves him so much that he took him back to heaven because he was an angel. He was our angel. He saved us so many times... and we know that now he is at peace and not suffering anymore. 

I will always miss you and love you, my child... goodbye... and thank you!

RIP Chopa

(*I have decided not to post his later photos as I want to remember him when he was at his healthiest)