Goodbye my sweet little Chip

Chip

May 21, 1998 – July 26, 2010

It took me almost a week to get myself together enough to try to compose a blog or at least a resemblance of one.

The day started out pretty normal. Chip hadn’t been feeling all that great but it wasn’t anything that I was “seriously worried” about. I pretty much figured like most of the other times, Tracy would be able to fix him. I called his fabulous Vet (Tracy) and told them he was still not feeling well. I explained to them that he had now stopped eating, and was going both ends. It even seemed like his arthritis was a bit worse, but then it could have been just me. You know how mom’s hate to see their children sick. So since they are a great clinic they fit us in that night at 6pm. I felt that we were lucky to be squeezed in. Somehow he figured it out and at the last minute got underneath one of the beds. I figured this was a no win situation. Usually there is no way in the world HELL would be able to get him out. No amount of food, prodding, begging, nothing will get him out. Well, I am not even sure but we got him out. Strange… an omen I say.

Off to the clinic we went. We were taken right in, which is strange for having been fit in. I was ok with this. We waited but he was fine. Chip likes walking around in the exam rooms. He is pretty calm there, I guess because he is so used to being there, he knows the surroundings and the people so he is not so uncomfortable, which I am thrilled about. All of the peeps that are there are GREAT people and are good to both of us.

So Tracy (Dr. McFarland) comes in, and we she checks him out. We she reviews his chart. It hasn’t been that long ago that he had his thyroid removed. Yet he still had issues. We still had to have him on thyroid meds, now his heart was galloping; his swallowing was becoming an issue. I could go on. This was a little guy that basically from the moment I chose him I knew I was saving his life. He was known as the ‘Million Dollar Kitty’. Within the first year of his life we she had to do a colon surgery (I can’t even begin to think on how to spell the correct name for the surgery at this time). Chip seemed to have stomach issues, and then we found he started having seizures, and arthritic, and then thyroid issues. This poor little guy has been fighting his whole life. I thought for sure when we came in there, that Tracy would review everything and we she would figure it out, fix him and we would come home and all would be peachy in our household again.

The more we kept talking the more options we kept running out of. And then she saw it. He got up and moved. Normally when we would come in for a visit, he would put on his “MANCAT” attitude and he never let her see him limp or walk with any sense of pain. Even though I told her, she never saw it firsthand. Well… let me tell you when she saw it firsthand, she cried and realized that she was not able to fix this unfortunately. We talked cried some more. I called my mom (Chip’s grandma) so that she could talk to him one last time and say goodbye. Since we hadn’t even had this in our thought process we weren’t there.

Tracy came back and we started the procedure. I won’t go into details. All I will say is that he was ready. I am glad he will not be hurting anymore. He will now be able to eat whatever he wants and not have to worry about gaining weight (thyroid issue), he will no longer have seizures, he can chase and bully as many dogs as he wants (he enjoyed doing that to his sister, Tee-Tee). I am pretty sure he will see his Grandpa, and his older brother (Thums, even though they never met, he heard a lot about him), and his Nana (my grandma). I told him to tell everyone hello and we love them.

I have had to leave him there before for surgeries and it never bothered me as I trusted everyone. Course I was one of the only ones that would come and visit him 1-2 times a day while he was there. But tonight, tonight was different. It was sooo very difficult to leave him. It was like if I didn’t leave him, then he wasn’t gone. I know it doesn’t make any sense, but that is what I felt. I knew it wasn’t true, but it was so hard to leave him. I knew Tracy would take very good care of him. I had no doubt in my mind or heart of hearts it was just one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.

I had originally wanted to have some pics of him from when he was just an itty bitty baby…but those pictures are not digital (i.e. on the computer) so that would mean I have to go through boxes of pictures and I am sorry but I am just not ready to do that. I still have several of his things here and I think about him daily.

We are getting him cremated and we will have him with us at home…where he belongs.

He was dressed up as a Piggy for Halloween one year.

I just thought he looked so regal.

 

Chip- Up close & personal. This was one of my first pictures that I took when I got my new camera (then)  He was my model.

Chip waiting "in line" to be fed.  It was funny with him and his sister!

Here is a full length of my baby.  He came to me barely weighing 2 lbs now almost 20lbs.

 

His last day... sweet dreams... see you soon.
I love you