To all Pip's friends and angels I am deeply sad to report that Pip has not been able to stay
with us as we had all prayed that he would. He has gone on to heaven, to Rainbow Bridge. It was truly unexpected,
and I am devastated and heartbroken. I want all of you to know how much we appreciate your love and support, and I want
to tell you exactly what happened to our darling Pip.
He went through the surgery last Tuesday. The surgeon is a wonderful man and doctor.
He does many of these specific procedures and is extremely well-known. He lectures all over the world, and in all his
practice has only lost one patient before Pip. We could not have found a more perfect doctor for Pip. Like everyone
else he too fell in love with Pip.
Pip survived the surgery beautifully. The doctor reported to me that day, and again the
next that he was "quite pleased" with how things went, even though he was only able to install two of the usual four pins
in Pip's neck because Pip is so tiny. He was so happy with the results that he had even taken video of Pip standing for the
first time a few days after surgery. Each time I phoned I was told that Pip was recovering well....playing, interacting
with the staff, who of course also fell in love with him. They all threatened to steal him. Pip had such a way
about him; he was love incarnate. It was impossible not to love him.
We were very excited to pick him up on the following Saturday. He seemed a little down
when we got him, a little tired, but we thought it was probably the pain medications. Then, on the 1 1/2 hour drive
home he became more and more lethargic. I realized that I could waste no time and rushed him straight to Laurel Pet
Hospital to get him checked out. It seemed to me that he was hypoglycemic. Sure enough, Dr. Calsyn concluded
that he was. He gave him a shot of dextrose and some karo syrup. This appeared to correct Pip's problem.
He sat up and looked at everyone. I breathed a big sigh of relief and took him home. I thought the crisis
had passed, but he seemed to grow weak again. He refused food, but drank a lot of water. I thought that was a
good thing, because, as such a very tiny dog, he could dehydrate quickly. Then suddenly, he threw up
all the water he had drunk. I began to panic inside. I knew that Pip needed more care than I could provide at
home, and so I scooped him up and drove him to a nearby emergency hospital, a very good one. After examining him the
doctor there reported that Pip's body temperature had dropped from what it had been some hours earlier at Laurel Pet.
His blood sugar was still a little high from all the dextrose he had been given, but that was not a problem as it continue
to drop until it reached normal. He was also a little dehydrated.
The vet recommended that I leave him for the night in order to get the best care. I
was concerned but comforted myself with the idea that he only needed a little longer recovery period and that after more hospital
care he would come around and be the way the surgeon had described him post surgery. The emergency vet placed him
in an incubator to raise his body temperature to normal, and put him on an iv for fluids etc. As I kissed him goodbye,
he looked quite comfortable in his little bed. I phoned several times during the night and always got a good report:
he was doing very well, no problems. The emergency doctor phoned me the next morning at 8AM before leaving his shift,
and told me that Pip seemed very stable. He had been interacting with the staff, even giving kisses, but he
recommended leaving Pip another night just to make sure that he would be beyond any sort of possible new crisis. I was desperate
to have him with me, but thought it was in his best interests to leave him there so that he could receive all the care
that I did not have available at home.
Around 11AM that same morning I arrived at the hospital to visit him. I waited around
20 minutes, and was then escorted in the back to his little incubator. He seemed to be cozy and comfortably sleeping
on his side, but when I touched him he did not move. I was stricken. This could not be! He had been
recovering and was stable all night! I screamed for help. The doctor and techs rushed over, grabbed him up and
began cpr. His heart was still beating but he was not breathing!!!!! It was a terrifying moment. I
felt that I too could not breathe.
They continued the cpr, gave him epenephrin shots, administered oxygen. I stood over
him, comforting him and telling him how much I loved him while they worked on him, but it was not to be. My darling
beautiful precious Pip was never to regain his breathing. After a time they brought him to me. He was as beautiful
as he had been in life. I could not believe he was gone. It was just not possible. It was just not right. Everyone
had loved him so much. He had been so very lucky. All things seem to point to his life ahead. But that was
not his destiny. He was such a special little boy. And such a little fighter. His darling, smiling, happy
face, always looking up at me, will never leave me. My heart is broken, but it is
also filled with the joy that Pip brought. I have had him cremated, and will treasure his ashes for the rest of my life. He
runs freely now in heaven and I know that he is playing with the rest of my precious babies who have gone on before him.
May all of you who prayed for him and donated to make his chance possible be blessed. I
am so sorry to bring all of you such sad news. God gave him such a short life, but in that short life he made a lot
of people smile, and reinforced my belief in the kindness of strangers. God bless all of you.
Heidi
