Rock'o: my 1st baby love - a tribute

Rock'o A. Manalac
Sep 29,2011 - Nov 11,2014

It's been a couple of months since the passing of my beloved 1st pet, Rock'o. And though ample time has passed, we still feel great pain for our loss. Rakrak was our very first pet and though there had been pets before who I also hold dear to my heart, Rakrak was just different. I know it sounds like a cliche' when I say that we've been through a lot together, but we really did go through a lot. He's witnessed major milestones in the family and we've really invested so much in caring and loving this pet.

2 months in to the marriage, Von and I decided that we are not ready for a real kid just yet. But we needed to test how responsible we'd be in caring for another living creature. So after a couple of research (blog post here), fate led us to Rock'o or Frankie du Pointe de lac as his papers would say. We came across his ad in Sulit and after negotiations we were able to bring him home. We had major issues with his breeder not being able to give us his papers. Let's just say, I started a full on war with the unprofessional breeder that ended up right in the chairman's office of PCCI (Philippine Canine Club Inc). It was ugly. But winning the battle for my precious little pet escalated my attachment to him from being just a pet to him being almost as our own.




We bought Rock'o a "girlfriend", Rock'xy, approx 6 months later. Through the days, we fell more and more attached and in love with our pet babies (blog post here). Our pets were the type who gets "washed up" everyday - flea powder, toothbrush, the works. They have their own bed to sleep in if they don't sleep beside us. We take them out every once in a while. We give them premium dog food to lessen their allergic tendencies. We were even able to take Rock'o with us to a trip in Baguio and La Union. I must say, they've lived the life.




But aside from the life we gave them was the life they gave us. Shar Peis are a sloppy messy breed and because of this we needed to give more attention and effort. He did not just let us achieve our goal to learn responsibility, he taught us more. From selfless giving to caring to unconditional love.
Rock'o though, was the sweeter pet among the 2. And he wasn't just sweet to us, he was sweet to people even strangers that we think he liked. After I've shared news of his death, a lot of friends shared special memories of Rock'o and it warms my heart to know that he not only touched our lives but others as well.

2014 was really an emotional roller coaster ride for us and Rakrak. He was very healthy when the year started (or so we thought), until we suddenly noticed him degrading... He grew thin, lost his energy and appetite. We had him checked right away. Initial diagnosis was Leptospirosis. For some unknown reasons and cause, he was infected by the virus. After numerous medications and confinement, he still didn't get any better. I remember driving by the vets during the wee hours and crying when I think of him confined there caged and alone. We had to send him to the lab for further tests until the vets discovered stones in his gall bladder. There was a huge risk for the stones to rupture so we were asked to decide right away if we'd authorize the surgery. We were told of a 50/50 chance of survival so we had to hold on the 50% chance that surgery would save him despite the huge amount it'd cost. We just had to do it.

The surgery was successful. However, with the surgery comes the maintenance. He stayed confined in the vet while his stitches heal for proper medication and care. When he was released we were advise that he would have to change his diet. His food need to be low in protein since he is already a stone former. It was difficult and expensive. But seeing Rock'o slowly gain his energy back makes the sacrifices worth it. He was recovering. Gained some of his weight back. His appetite was definitely back and he was somehow back to his playful self.

Then came the latter part of the year. I was very busy with work, with Bonchie, with Bonchie's upcoming birthday that I didn't notice him getting weaker right away. But when we did, we again took him to the vet and he was confined. They said it wasn't the stones, they said he had Erlichia this time, I don't really know what anymore. He was confined for more than a week. We visited him as much as we can. He was released and was instructed to continue medications at home. They said he was getting stronger, they said he was recovering, they said he was fighting. We wanted to continue fighting with him but I knew he wasn't the same anymore. Only a few days home, he stopped eating again. He had a hard time moving and walking. Though I kept praying that he gets healed, I also prayed that I no longer want to see him suffer. It was very difficult. There wasn't anything we could do anymore.

Then the day came. I was at the office, I had a very bad feeling the whole day. I felt like when I go home, I would no longer see him alive. But I did... When I came home, he was still breathing, his eyes were open but he's been crying. My mom said that he had been crying for some time, he sounded like a sick person gasping for air, trying to catch his final breathe. He was lying down by the door, I carried him and moved him to lay on a towel. I pet him and talked to him to not be afraid, to just let go, to not worry about us... I noticed that he stops crying when I am by his side. I left him for a while to get something to eat then he starts crying again. When I came back I noticed that he pooped and peed black liquid. I can no longer tell whether it was poo or pee, it looked the same though it came out from different parts of his body. I knew it was time. I woke Von up so he too can say goodbye. After several minutes, Rock'o was gasping his last breathe... He cried his last cry... and suddenly he was lifeless. I was there the whole time and witnessed the entire thing. It was the one of the most painful moments in my life and I couldn't stop crying.

He has been sick for a long time and whenever I imagine his passing there would always be this very painful pinch in my heart. I have also never imagined it to happen the way it did. It's been 2 months since he passed and it has been so difficult that it also took me 2 months to finish up this post. I can never find the right words to share his story until now...

Rest in peace my baby. Until we meet again. Mommy will forever love you.