2020 It Is.

Hello 2020. It’s better late than never I know to welcome the year of the metal rat. 

2019 has been a rough year for the family after losing three of our precious furry friends and nearly lost one more before the year came to a close. We lost a couple of our senior dogs during the first quarter of last year and one more three days before Christmas, our gentle giant German Shepherd, Jagger who was only 4 years old from heart worm, a deadly illness which afflicts 1 out of 200 dogs per year based on statistics. 

A couple of weeks prior to that we almost lost our 7 year old cat from infections brought about by his wounds after having a catastrophic fight with a stray cat and yes was let out despite my strong resolve to never let the cat out since he’s very susceptible to illnesses even if he’s neutered compared to outside cats but to no avail my sister let him out after he begged incessantly. He’s overweight which is common to neutered cats and was also a great disadvantage compared to outside cats since he moves slower. We were devastated after his wounds started pussing just 3 days after he came home all wounded. Thank God we rushed him to the newest veterinary clinic in town on time where he was treated, stitched and was prescribed medications. I will not mention the name of the vet clinic but t’was really brand new, a full service animal hospital compared to the others we used to bring our pets to. However, they obviously charge way more compared to the small vet clinics around not to mention they offer a lot of unnecessary tests to your pets which makes the bills way more higher than it should. I thought, they weren’t as considerate compared to the other vet clinics we often visit wherein they will ask for the pet owner’s permission first before they offer any unnecessary tests to avoid the vet bills to sky rocket. So anyway, my cat was treated well except he had a bad case of sneezing and side effects from the injectible antibiotic administered to him and yet again thank God the vitamin C helped to rid off the side effects and he’s definitely well now except my sister and I made a pact to not send him to that vet clinic again and never ever let him out regardless of how pathetic and cute he looks when he begs!

R.I.P Jagger 2016-2019, ILY.

Then, weeks later, I was devastated one morning when I saw Jagger, our GSD heaving and his breathing reminiscent to our dogs before who all died from distemper many years ago. His breathing was laboured and is obviously abnormal. So, we rushed him that same evening to the same vet clinic we sent our cat to and we were told t’was bacterial infection, no kidney problems or whatsover which somewhat set our minds at ease although they were doubts at the back of our heads because he was never better despite the many antibiotics prescribed to him. Days later we rushed him back again to that same vet clinic because we saw his enlarged scrotum and swollen feet and that’s when we heard the real bad news, he has heart worm which can be really deadly if not treated properly. Jagger’s doses of antibiotics were increased, a heart worm medication was prescribed to be taken once a month and other medications so forth were given to him but to no avail my elder sister found him dead one unfateful morning just days before Christmas. 

We were totally aghast because he’s being treated well and monitored properly how come he still died? We asked for the vets explanation and we were told that his condition might’ve been already severe when he started his treatment. We couldn’t wrap our heads around with what happened and we were left to just accept the fact that he was gone too soon no matter how hard it was to swallow. I loved that dog, he was the kindest despite his really huge frame, he thinks like a puppy and often leaves food in his bin to feed his little Mountain Sparrow friends who swings by all the time looking for food. I was really heartbroken and the thought I’m not gonna see him ever again tore me apart. That’s the problem with owning a huge breed dog, their presence feels more human because of how big they are, it’s impossible not to notice their presence and he’s a howler like a talky, whiny kid. I know he’s crossed the rainbow bridge just like the rest of our lovely pets in the past. I told my Mom to take care of him on the other side in case they meet or if animals do really have souls. 

I know a lot has already happened since last month considering it’s only the first quarter of the year. From the sudden eruption of Mt.Taal last January 12th which affected hundreds of people and animals within the danger zone, the outbreak of the 2019 Novel Corona Virus, the bush fire in Australia which almost wiped out species of Kangaroos, Koala bears to mention a few, and the recent passing of a basketball legend, Kobe Bryant and his daughter from a plane crash. My heart goes out to all people who’s hearts were broken this first quarter of the year from the calamities and sudden deaths of their loved ones. God is always here to guide us all. We just need to keep praying and hope these too shall pass. May we surpass all the trials this year brings forth moving forward.