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RIP Gabriel My Boy
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It’s very hard for me to write this post as I just buried Gabriel yesterday. But I believe I must write his story so he didn’t die in vain. His death has thought me my lessons and I hope this might save a few lives also. About two weeks ago, my friend who is a dog rescuer (she has more than 100 dogs) called me and told me that they’re going to have a neutering day and asked me whether I wanted to send my dogs for neutering. At first I said “No”, to be honest, I didn’t have the budget to send them for neutering, but my friend said it’s ok I can pay later. I also had doubt at that time because I’ve never sent my dogs to any other vets than the ones I’ve been going to for the past 7 year. Some people asked me why I went to that vet because they are more expensive, and why I gave my dogs 10 in 1 vaccination, why I give them good food. “They are JUST stray dogs”. Well, they are NOT just rescued stray dogs to me. THEY ARE MY FAMILY. MY BOYS AND GIRLS. I also actually didn’t trust the people from this Klinik Kembiri SPCA because I heard not so good thing before. I don’t know what the fuck happened to my head that day that I actually said yes to my friend. I think because my friend also loves her dogs and she really takes good care of them. And if she trusts these people, they might be ok. Maybe the SPCA Klinik Kembiri now is not as bad as before. I was WRONG. If my friend is reading this, I hope she doesn’t blame herself and feel guilty or anything like that. I never blame her. She’s among the nicest people I’ve known and she has a very good heart. All she wants to do is help others. But I’m sorry I can’t say the same thing with those people from SPCA who did the neutering. Maybe all of them are not like that, but if you’re in the same organization and you let this happened, what else can I say about you? The neutering was supposed to be on July 27th, but it was postponed because they didn’t have enough vets to neuter all the dogs… A sign that I’ve should have seen and canceled sending my boys. But I didn’t. The night before the neutering day, I also didn’t feel like going. My friend sent me a reminder, I saw it but I didn’t reply it straight away because I still had doubt (2nd sign). But somehow that morning, I thought just get it over and sent my boys. People want to help you and you shouldn’t say no. On Saturday, August 4th 2012, around 12.30pm, I arrived at the place and brought Gabriel and Indiana to the house where they were doing the neutering. I brought in Gabriel first, once I arrived, the vet (I think his name is Dr. Goh) came out with a syringe, and straight poke Gabriel with it. In my head, “that was fast” and I didn’t feel good about it (3rd sign). Thinking about it again, it’s totally different when I went to my vets. First, they would check my dog’s temperature, asked how old, is he ok and then take their weight. How the fuck do you know how much you need to inject the medicine if you don’t know the weight of the dog, right? Come on, I’m not a vet but don’t you think it’s common sense? I should have took my boys back at that point… but I didn’t. I’m so sorry Gabriel. I’m fucking stupid. But it happened so fast. After he injected Gabriel, he straight injected Indiana and a few minutes later they took both of the for the operation. While they were doing the operation, I was out with this Indian boy who was helping my friend taking care and cleaning her dogs. He said, “Itu satu doctor kan, dia buat banyak darah keluar tau. Yang lain takde darah. Yang itu tak bagus” (there this one doctor, when he did the operation, the dogs were bleeding quite bad, a lot of blood. That doctor is not good). 4th sign. I was very worried at that point but I tried to keep calm and prayed to God that my boys would be ok. Then they brought Gabriel and Indiana out. I sat beside them and silently told them how sorry I am for not giving them the best treatment for this. I’m so sorry. While I was waiting for Gabriel and Indiana to wake up, more dogs coming in for the neutering. My friend brought in a puppy who looks like my late dog, Shan Bong, and her mom also I think. I helped my friend to spray some tick medicine on this puppy. She looks young and her size is just a little bit bigger than my dog, Jersey. Then came that Dr. Goh with his mighty syringe and poked the puppy. On his way back in to the operation room I overheard he said something like, “that one looked big from far.” In my head, “did he just poke the puppy that he thought was big?” So, I quickly went to that puppy and she knocked off already! Usually it would take a while or a few minutes. I think it was less than a minute. (5th sign) Then, I saw Indiana woke up, but he went in after Gabriel, shouldn’t Gabriel wake up first? And then all the dogs that went for the operation AFTER Gabriel woke up but not my boy. I caressed him and called him. He didn’t move while Indiana already walking around. Around 5.30pm only he woke up but still half awake. At that time of the SPCA people went off already. I carried him to the truck and he laid down with his head on my bag.
I prepared a bed in the kitchen for him, then I carried him and placed him on the bed. He opened his eyes, looked at me. I told him I love him and I’m so so very sorry. I just sat with him for a few minutes, massaged his head, his body and he closed his eyes again. I put food near his bed but he didn’t eat. Only late at night he woke up and ate his food. I was so relieved. The next day (August 5th, 2012), he was at the kitchen gate when I woke up to see him. I knew he wanted to go out to do his business. So I let him out. I prepared the food for the rest of my dogs and they all ate except Gabriel. So I brought Gabriel in with his food, he didn’t eat. He just went to lay down on the bed. I spent a few minutes with him talking and caressing his body. I often talked to him because he’s the cleverest among all my dogs and I know he understand what I’m saying. Once a while I’d go to the kitchen and spent a few minutes with him. The whole Sunday he was just laying on his bed, he only ate again at night. But on Monday morning he seemed to feel better. He ate his food when it was meal time. He seemed to have more energy and I was happy to see him wagging his tail again. When he was outside, I heard a sound of palm leaf being dragged on the floor. I remember smiling as I knew it was him and he’s back to normal. He liked to play with leaves. When he saw me, he would grabbed the leaf and ran, asking me to chase him. That’s my Gabriel. Around 9pm I let him, Ross and Golek into the kitchen to sleep and let some of my dogs out to do their business. The normal routine. After I brought them in, I laid down on my bed for awhile as I’ve been sitting in front of the computer the whole day. A few minutes later I heard Gabriel howling. He used to howl every time I went off to work. I quickly got up and while walking to the kitchen, I told him, “I’m here Gabriel, I’m here”. Then I saw him laying on the floor, not moving with his eyes opened. I ran to him and called him. He’s not breathing and not responding to me. I hold his head up while calling him, at that point I already started crying. He took two gasps of air and that’s it. That’s it. My boy was gone. Just a few minutes before he looked at me and wagged his tail! How was that possible!!!!! I screamed and screamed his name but he just laid there. So, I let Ross and Golek out. Put Gabriel on his bed and tried to close his eyes. I sat there with him, kissing and caressing his body and telling him I’m sorry. I was still trying to figure out what had just happened and where should I bury him. I still couldn’t believe that he’s gone. Only if I had followed my instinct and stick with my principle, my boy would still be here with me. But I didn’t. I slept around 2am and woke up around 4.30 am to let Qachim out to do his business. I decided to bury Gabriel, under the tree outside of the house compound near the area where I parked my car. Since it’s a public area, later when I have my own land, I can bring him there. I don’t care if it’s just his bones. After I had a drink and two slices of bread I felt sleepy again and decided to go back to sleep. Then I dreamed. In my dream I went to the place where I planned to bury Gabriel. I was so surprised how beautiful it was. It was on top of a hill facing a stream that was surrounded my green hills. It was a garden. I didn’t know that area looked like that. It was supposed to be a monsoon drain. I even took pictures with my phone and in my heart I told Gabriel, “Gabriel it’s a beautiful place boy”. When I started digging his grave I woke up. Then I knew he’s in good place. Then I went out of the house to get the stuff to dig his grave and I saw the leaf on the floor.
Because he’d run to that leaf and ask me to chase him. But he’s not there anymore. But I had to be strong as I know it’s time to bury him. I started digging under that tree. Suddenly I smelled a very nice smell. I think it came from the tree roots I had to chop off in the ground when I was digging the hole. The smell is damn nice. I think that’s how heaven would smell like. I thank God for showing me all these signs from heaven. I think I’m blessed. It was quite hard to dig the hole because of the tree roots but I was determined to put him to rest there.
I gave him another kisses from me and his mummy. Told him we love him so much. Then I put him in along with his collar, his tennis ball, tug-a-war toy and a few sugar biscuits that I thought I wanted to give him but I was just too late.
He’s at the best place now. He’s with God.
This morning when preparing the meals for my other dogs, I started crying when I realized I cooked for 12. After I gave my dogs their meals, I went to Gabriel’s grave and talked to him for a while. I felt a bit better. I used to talk to him when I gave him his food. Now when I saw his brother, Jasper, I saw him too as Jasper looks alike like him, only he has different color. This reminds me that I need to move on because I have 11 more that I must take care of and I must make sure I don’t make the same mistake. The lessons I learned from this are… 1. Trust your guts So, if you love your dog as much as I do, if your dog is your family, I suggest you check who your vets are, read up and ask questions. Don’t leave the life of your loved ones in the hands who don’t care. Those who treat animals like a second class creature or who thinks that they have a magical power who can just know what to do and what medicine to give a dog or a cat by just looking at them. I’m gonna leave all this to God as I believe in God and Karma. What goes around comes around. As far as I’m concerned, they killed my boy. And I let them. It’s my fault. But I’m not going to dwell on this and I’m going to move on as a better person. I must make sure that this won’t happen again to my other babies. I also pray that it won’t happen to everyone else babies. It’s a horrible experience. Gabriel, I’m so proud of you, I love you so so much and I’m so so sorry. I miss you boy. Chetz Togom Here are a few videos of Gabriel which I’m very glad to have them. You can see how full of life and clever he is. I found out he’s damn clever Then he had parvo. It was quite bad, but he survived.. Another video of him. I just loved training and playing with him. I always told my best friend, “He’s my genius boy.” I’m so proud of him. Had so much fun with him.
    Chetz TogomCreator at ChetzTogom.com I'm a lover, an engineer and entrepreneur. I'm crazy about my partner and best friend and my 8 dogs. Whatever I do they are the first thing in mind. This is why I do what I do.
Being an engineer is awesome but even if I become the CEO of a company that is not mine, the fact is my salary won't be enough to have a life I dream of with my family. That's is why I also work on my online business. It took me a long time to find a system that would really help ANYONE who wants to make money online. It's kinda a miracle because I found it when I was really at the bottom of my life's journey.
If you have question about the system I'm using right now to make money online, do email me chetz@chetztogom.com or message me on FB http://www.facebook.com/chetzyusof.
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My heart goes out to you Chetz. I have only abandoned and shelter animals (dogs and cats) and they are the most appreciative.
I haven’t had the time right now to read the whole post, but I will when I get out of the shower (morning here). I’m interested in your whole story. I’ll re-comment after.
Thank God for people like you who take in these wonderful loving animals who have only been shown despair, hunger and hate. I love my dogs and cats like family as well, so I know how you are feeling.
I have to admit, as a grown man, losing one of my “family” members breaks me down to a stream of tears. I’ts called love and compassion which we both share for our family of furry fun.
I’m so sorry Chetz.
Rob Hegner
hi Chetz, so sorry to hear about Gabriel. i was almost in tears myself reading your story. your doggies are so lucky to have you… God bless you. take care and thanx for sharing your story, Nergis
Hey Chetz,
so sorry to hear about your story man. Yep our pets can reduce us to tears very easily. The vet you took him to sounds like a real cowboy place – stay clear in future hey.
Thanks for sharing your story man.
Paul – QSC
Chetz, I was so sorry to hear your news, and it’s heartbreaking to read this post.
It does show the love for your dogs though, and Gabriel was a lucky dog to have received it.
Best wishes,
Gordon
Chetz, thank you for sharing this story. It is a lesson for all of us. Gabriel was very blessed to have you as a companion!
i feel for you…. those irresponsible vets in klinik kembiri…..should take away their licence and cert! they don’t deserve to vet if they don’t take life seriously!
Hi Chetz,
I am so sorry for your loss. I remember how it was when I had to put Panama to sleep.He was my doberman.Take care and God bless.
Thank you so much for sharing what happened to your beautiful boy Gabriel. I know how hard it must have been for you to write all this. I feel your pain. May God take your heartache away one day for only he is that powerful. You are not to blame. Don’t beat yourself up. Forgive yourself Chetz. You gave him an awesome life. He will always remember you for that!
Things happen in life that we cannot prevent. Don’t blame yourself. I’m crying for Gabriel reading your post. But he’s in heaven now and I believe he’s happy watching you from there. Be strong for the other boys and girls, OK.
Hey Chetz, it’s me again. What do you think happened? Did they overdose Gabriel? My god I would never forgive them for their cavalier attitude towards treating your dogs. Or anyone elses for that matter!
Can you report them somehow in your country? This should not be tolerated at all!
You, like my wife and I, treat our “children” as though they are our children as we don’t have human ones. They become such an integral part of our lives.
I hope there is something you can do to prevent this from happening again.
Once again, my condolances,
Rob H
Chetz,
I am in tears. My condolences to you, your family and your canine pack. My heart goes out to you.
I am so sorry for your loss. I know how heart broken you must be. My husband and I have had many pets, all rescues, over the years. We have buried 16 and each one is as hard as the first.
May you find comfort and solace in the happy memories you had with Gabriel and the love you have with your other furkids.
I am so sorry about what happened to ‘Gabriel’. What kind of a vet is this Dr. Goh? All dogs and cats have to be weighted before anything else been done to them?? That’s the basic training, Even an intern vet would know what to do first ??? This act of not taking the neutering seriously is an heartless act. What you have observed in that SPCA clinic is unethical. It has Clearly shown that he has no LOVE and CARE for these animals. A volunteer will accomplish job with passions and proper process and so as a good vet will not take chance to risk the lives of any animals that been brought in for treatment and neutering or spaying.!!! Dr. Goh, I suggest you’d better think twice, the next time you jab anyone of these dogs and cats that brought in for your neutering …if you are what you are doing …is proper although there are so many dogs and cats that waiting to go through the same fate. Only if you realised that it is very TOUGH for a pet owner to loose a good, obedient and innocent pet???
I also treat my dogs like my own children as I don’t have human ones
. …And that’s quite normal!
Hi guys,
Thank you so much for the condolences and your kind words and support.
Some people said I should have done post mortem or do a complaint to the clinic.
The reason I don’t do that because there is no point as nothing will come out of it. This is Malaysia. Doing that will only be wasting my time, money and energy. Nothing will happen to SPCA Klinik Kembiri or that Fucktard.
The only way I believe I can do is to not stop telling Gabriel’s story so more people will know what happen to prevent their pets to be treated the same.
Again, thank you for your support.
Chetz & family
Dear Chetz,
I’m so sorry for your loss…that stupid fucktard of a vet at that “Butcher Clinic” will pay for this!
~ RIP Gabriel ~ May the angels keep you safe now…
I am so so very sorry to hear about Gabriel . I also lost one of my stray dogs a month ago and I really respect you for having the guts to dig his grave and bury him because I could not do it myself , my staff had to do it for me, it was too heart breaking for me.
I love my animals more than I love anything else in my life and yes they are my family/friends/sons/daughters and I will do anything to give them the best. I am born a buddist and I so believe in karma ( what goes around comes around) , god will take care of those heartless human because we as human cannot deal with them. I believe that Gabriel is in a better place now with baby ( my stray who passed away) . We have to carry on from here because there are more strays waiting for love and home , you have to be strong and please do take care of yourself and the 11 babys of your , god bless you.
I am so sorry for your loss. Gabriel was so quite and very blessed to have you and your love. Bless you, and thank you for sharing your story.
Dear Chetz,
I’m trully sorry 4 ur loss..my heart goes out 2 u..just know that ur an amazing person and ur excellent at what u do..i’m sure Gabriel knew it too..keep up ur good work & may God bless u..take care.
RIP Gabriel–u r in a better place now
Hi Chetz
I dread the day when any of my pets pass away – they are family. To have them “snatched” by someone elses incompetence……. I’m so sorry Chetz.
Kay
Before you jump to any conclusions with the very limited information given, you should know the other side of the story. In April, around 30 dogs were neutered. On the 27th-28th of July, 16 female doggies were spayed. All these were performed by Dr Goh alone, and all the dogs are accounted for and are healthy today. On a separate occassion on the 4th of August, 11 females n 13 male doggies were neutered by 4 vets, and the anaesthetics were administered by Dr. Goh.
This stats clearly show that Dr Goh is in fact a competent vet. Those mentioned above are only some very few occassions of the operation Dr. Goh did. He has performed over thousands of operations, and when one unfortunate incident occurs, he is suddenly deemed unfit of his title of a doctor? Or in the words of some people, a “fucktard”?
Please do not get me wrong; it is undoubtedly tragic that Gabriel passed on from this world, and I am honestly heartbroken that this had transcended. But I don’t think we can point our fingers at anyone. Without having an autopsy carried out, we will never find out the actual cause of death. For all we know, Gabriel may have had tick fever or heartworm issues. Note that I am not saying that he in fact did carry these diseases, but without an autopsy, we can never say for certain. Of course, there is the possibility that the operation did contribute to the death. But even so, I am sure that everyone here is well aware that EVERY operation has its risks, irregardless of how experienced the surgeon is. It is impossible to say that every single surgeons out there who has ever operated (on either humans or animals) holds a perfect track record of successful operations. Should we condemn every doctor with one unsuccessful operation?
I will vouch for Dr. Goh, as he is a noble and professional man, not to mention a passionate animal lover. He, along with the team at Klinik Kembiri, have helped hundreds of dogs and cats from the Bentong Farm Sanctuary, Meiji’s Shelter, and Kuala Kubu, to name a few. This one unfortunate incident should not taint their name, when all they did was help. There were no malicious intentions at all.
Here, Klinik Kembiri is trying to curb the overpopulation of strays in Malaysia, and yet some people condemn their initiative because of one unfortunate incident. No, the death of Gabriel is not a small matter and should not be overlooked, but I have to remind you that nothing is perfect. You may choose to heed Chetz’s advice to just opt for private clinics. If you can afford it, great. However, can anyone vouch that those private clinics too have not encountered deaths of animals after an operation? I doubt it. And tell me, how should the people who cannot afford private clinics deal with the neutering or spaying of their dogs? Should they just let it be and allow for the reproduction of more dogs, which will further add to the overpopulation of strays?
One last thing, and this is a question for Chetz: considering how Indiana was also a patient subjected to the same kind of treatment as Gabriel, how is he actually doing now?
Before I proceed, I would like to express my deepest condolences for your loss of Gabriel. We are also devastated to learn of Gabriel’s passing. Even as we grieve, please allow me to explain certain issues regarding Gabriel’s misfortune.
1. What was carried out the other day is called field surgery. In field surgery, it is near impossible to create a set-up as complete as in a clinic situation, but even so, we NEVER EVER compromise on STERILITY. We do field surgery to enable pet rescuers to neuter rescued animals on-site and at nominal rates, in order that the cycle of producing stray kittens or puppies may be broken. On this particular day, we were all out to help the dogs.
2. You came on our second visit, the week before we neutered Gabriel and Indiana. You were a great help, restraining the dogs and taking care of them whilst they from recover from anesthesia. That round was carried out on weekdays. Being the sole vet around, I was both the anesthetist and the surgeon. I spayed a total of 16 female dogs, and all had recovered extremely well.
3. We came again on Saturday, 4th August 2012, to neuter another 24 dogs. This time around, there were four other vets. So, I was the anesthetist and the other four were the surgeons. Let me vouch that we are all professionals with ample experience. The chance remark of one animal that bled during surgery was a female with complications and she too, recovered uneventfully.
Observation from afar allows us to observe the demeanor and behavior of the animals without incurring too much stress on them. We observe whether an animal is bright and alert or whether it is dull and depressed, and assess its general physical condition. Through experience, we can get a good estimate of its body weight.
The amount needed to induce anesthesia varies between animals. Two dogs with the same body weight and given the same amount of drugs will likely show different outcomes, depending on the health condition and the excitability state of the animal. Fractious, nervous or excited animals or an innate resistance means some will take a longer time or a higher dosage to achieve an optimal anesthesia plane. The depth of anesthesia maintained by “titrating to effect”, and hence, the need to monitor the patient throughout the entire surgical procedure.
For the same reasons, time taken for recovery from anesthesia differ between individuals. Generally, it progresses from blinking of the eyes, licking of tongue, flicking of ears, stretching of limbs, lifting of head, to full consciousness. In Gabriel’s case, he has recovered from anesthesia fully as he was able to eat, drink, play and walk around the house compound. Thus, it is entirely a grave mistake to conclude Gabriel’s death to be a result of overdosing!
Post-operative care is crucial to reduce incidence of suture breakdown and to avoid contamination at the surgical wound site. It just might have made a difference had Gabriel been kept within the safe confines of a large cage and given enforced rest.
4. We offered but you refused a post mortem check to elucidate the cause of death. Without any substantiating evidence in the form of reports from relevant resources, it is unjust to condemn the Klinik Kembiri team of what could be a totally unwarranted accusation.
5. Generally speaking, anesthesia and surgery carry inherent risks. Most, if not all, medical practices will request for signed consent before any invasive procedure or anesthesia is carried out. To minimize risks, owners may opt for full blood screening for their beloved pets, so as to gain reasonable assurance that the animal is healthy. Money thus spent would greatly assist the attending veterinarian in deciding if he should proceed to neuter the animal or defer the procedure till the patient achieves a healthier state.
6. My aim in writing to you is both to present my perception of the case as a vet and to clear the air among readers of the blog. In so doing, may we all be a little bit wiser, in life and professionally. Good day and thank you!
Dr Goh.
I’m not gonna type a long essay like you. But here’s one question. Do you think it’s right, or wise, or even for the matter, ethical to ESTIMATE a dog’s weight? I mean, I could tell you the moon is yellow but you can look at it an think it’s slightly beige instead. Where do you get the authority, or even training, to make ESTIMATIONS of things that are certainly measurable?
Have you heard of this drug called isotretinoin? Ro-Accutane in other words, used for the treatment of acne? It is prescribed based on somebody’s body weight, an amount of mg per kg. Would you think it’s right or ethical for a doctor to ESTIMATE a patient’s weight and prescribe the drug according to his estimation?
Or is that different because the patient is human? Not a dog.
Chetz, I am so very sorry for your loss. (I’m on the Joe Vitale Facebook list, in case you were wondering how I found you.) I have five cats and a horse, have lost many, and know how heartbreaking this is. Especially when the end leaves you with doubts. He knew that you loved him, and animals are so forgiving. Maybe this was his mission, and he needed to do this to teach all of us.
To Dr. Goh and to Mary, who said, “For all we know, Gabriel may have had tick fever or heartworm issues. Note that I am not saying that he in fact did carry these diseases, but without an autopsy, we can never say for certain”, I must ask, “Why weren’t these issues checked for BEFORE proceeding with surgery?”
Any vet worth his diploma would have done pre-surgical examinations, or they would have insisted on having another vet’s certificate of health before proceeding. Also, I agree with ProB—it is unethical to guess body weight and health from a cursory glance. You should have at least listened to the dog’s heart, given him at least a basic pre-flight check before administering the drugs.
It is a lame bag of excuses to shrug it off and say “Oh well, we’ll never know, too bad, if the owner had done this or that, the dog probably wouldn’t have died.” You are trying to pass YOUR part of the responsibility off onto the owner and make yourselves innocent, when you are NOT. You played a role in this, too.
Rest in peace, Gabriel. Good doggie. Run free now.
Gabriel’s passing is most unfortunate.. my deepest condolences goes out to you..
On the other, more general hand, people.. a pet owner’s responsibilities are not limited to simply feeding, poop-scooping, walking and talking to their pets. A responsible pet owner should take the initiative to send their pets for tests and regular check-ups, vaccinations at the very least. One cannot depend on any professional from any field to go door to door offering their services..
Yes, a vet is supposed to do pre-surgery tests, etc but knowing that the clinic only has license to neuter (widely publicized), as a responsible pet owner, one should get all the pre-surgical test done elsewhere prior to agreeing to any op. As a pet owner, one should also execute rights to ask about every thing performed.
A pet owner also has the right to request or refuse a proper closure in the event of death. A post-mortem would have been appropriate as it would’ve helped determine the actual cause of death (whether there were any underlying ailments, viruses, etc) which i believe would not have been over-dosage ‘cos the dog recovered and was back to routine. In this case where a post-mortem was offered at no cost but refused (why?), it should then automatically revoke the right of anyone to blame entirely on the surgery.
As a frequent user of this clinic’s service, i daringly say that all my pets that have been neutered by this Dr.Fucktard are all doing extremely well.
I have known the clinic’s and its field service for years (and it has been done similarly on every occasion – observe, estimate, pre-medicate, induce, monitor throughout) and this is by far the first case of death under such circumstances.. so by the death of one dog, Dr.Goh should not be deemed incompetent and called names, especially when a post-mortem is refused!
As for the rest, one should also not randomly judge another when one was not present on scene nor by only pondering upon one side of a story.