Help Dr. Chips the miniature dachshund

Hi, my name is Aya. I'm not good at asking for help from others, but I’m at a point where I must ask for your support.

I need to raise a fund for my dog, Dr. Chips. It's quite a long story.... so please bare with me.

I am a dog lover and have two miniature male dachshunds. One of my boys, Dr. Chips became very sick one day out of nowhere. He lost interest in his food and became very lethargic. I took him to the Emergency Vet after he began vomiting and having accidents often. After examining him and taking some blood samples, they sent him home suspecting it was just a stomach bug. But his difficulties continued and became even worse quickly, so I returned to the emergency room the next day. During my second visit to the emergency room, they took x-rays and discovered a large mass near his intestine. They recommended that I immediately take him to the Veterinarian Hospital to have further exams and evaluation. While I was driving with him on the passenger seat, he looked so vulnerable and weak…I had never seen him like this before and I never wanted to see him that way again.

At the hospital he had an ultrasound done…they said he had a tumor outside his intestine and excessive fluid inside. They needed to perform surgery to remove it and to see if it had spread to any other areas. Otherwise his health would continue to deteriorate. They were trying to save his life at this point. It all happened so fast…just a few days earlier he had seemed like his happy normal self.

Luckily, his emergency surgery appeared to be successful. They were able to remove the tumor cleanly, drain the fluid, all without having to take out any of his intestine, and they believed it had not spread. Next thing, they said, was to perform a biopsy to find out if the tumor was cancerous. Next day he seemed better already, even eating breakfast. I thought and believed that I would just need to wait for him to heal and hoped to receive good news from the biopsy results. When he came back home the next day, he ate snacks and was able to go outside briefly. I felt so relieved.

However, when I tried to give him his medication with his food just a couple of hours later, he didn't want to eat at all. He is a very very big eater. So I felt then that something wasn’t right again. Soon after he began to shaking, then he didn’t want to move very much or even be touched. I called the hospital and rushed him back over. They weren’t expecting complications after what they thought was a successful surgery. But at this point I had a bad feeling. He had another ultrasound and the next thing I knew they were telling me he needed a second surgery. They needed to make sure his internal injuries weren’t compromised and something wasn’t missed during the first surgery.I was so scared I might not see him again.

Thankfully, he made it through another surgery. The doctors seemed to say that things looked okay inside and they drained a bit of fluid, but I didn’t fully understand, I was mentally and emotionally exhausted. I was just happy he was stable and recovering again. Next day I prepared special homemade meal with chicken, beef, carrots, and rice…some of his favorite things to devour and brought it to visit with him in the hospital. He ate a little bit and I spent some precious time with him. I was hoping he was coming back within the next day or so.

On the day I was expecting to bring him back home, the doctor called me and told me that he had stopped eating completely and was once again very sick. She was exceedingly concerned with his condition. I once again rushed to the hospital. There was a fluid once again in his intestine. Basically she gave me two options at this point. Either a third surgery…or to put him down. My heart was broken. I'd already cried so much but my tears were endlessly running down.

While holding him in my arms I felt his heart beating strong. I couldn't give up on him…I won’t. His life is too precious to me. I chose a third surgery. The doctor said his chances of surviving were 50%-50% and that he might not make it through the surgery. She couldn’t or wouldn’t tell me what she would do if she were in my place. But I had made my decision. She said he needed to to go into surgery right away. Once again I was afraid I might never see him again. I couldn't keep from crying. The last thing I said to her, as I placed him in her arms, was "Please…please save my dog”…although I knew what her answer was going to be, in my mind. That they would do their best.

A surgeon called me 5 hours later and let me know that Chips had made it through and was awake. They had corrected a leak in his intestine that resulted from the stitching not holding properly. The operation seemed to be successful. I was so happy that I would be able to see and hold him again. But I had to wait to celebrate until I could be sure he was going to recover. I was also anxiously waiting for the biopsy results. When the results finally came back…my heart sank, but I had to stay hopeful. Although it showed that his tumor was malignant, it was not the most aggressive kind. As I am writing this I am awaiting lab results that are testing to see exactly what type of cancer Chips has.

After his last surgery, he has been recovering very very well. So far so good. He has survived three surgeries in a short time period with his tiny body. He is eating normal, has good energy, and there haven’t been any setbacks. He is such a fighter and has come back to me. He is my life saver as well.

Almost 11 years ago, he came into my world and saved me during a very difficult time in my life. He gave me a purpose not to give up. To be honest, I feel I haven't been able to make him happy enough, because I work too much. So, I want to bring him back to health and make him happy.

Through all that’s happened, and Chips cancer diagnosis, I’ve realized that my dogs' lives are truly priceless, like family members. However, realistically, his medical treatment is very very expensive. Considering he will still need treatment moving forward to hopefully keep any cancer from coming back, he still has a long way until full recovery. Fortunately, I do have health insurance for both of my boys. It helped me a lot for this medical emergency. But it still requires more than I can afford. So, that's why I'd like to ask you for a help.

Also, I started thinking how about the other dogs and cats or other animals whose owners cannot afford to pay all of these medical costs for their pets? I don't need more than I'm going to pay for medical cost for my Dr. Chips. If somehow I raise funds more than I need, I'd like to contribute rest of funds to animal shelters or people who have difficulties to save their pets.

So, please consider to donate any amount.

Thank you so much for your love and care.

Aya Hashimoto Alexander