SINGAPORE: A local animal rescue group revealed that a dog Shrinivas Sainis Dattatraya was fostering vomited blood on the same day the Singaporean went missing after conquering Mount Everest. The dog has since passed away.
It has been three weeks since the 39-year-old climber went missing. On 19 May, Shrinivas used his satellite phone to contact his wife, Sushma Soma, in Singapore and informed her that he had reached the summit of Mount Everest. However, he expressed concern about his descent, warning her he was unlikely to make it down the mountain.
Shrinivas added that he might be suffering from high-altitude cerebral oedema (HACE), a potentially life-threatening condition caused by exposure to high altitudes. He eventually got separated from his teammates during the descent. While the sherpas who accompanied him managed to return safely, Shrinivas remains missing.
Last Tuesday, the ‘Chained Dog Awareness in Singapore’ (CDAS) Facebook page revealed that Shrinivas and his wife had been fostering a dog named Latte for the past two years. Although Latte’s health deteriorated, a blood test did not detect anything serious.
However, on May 19, Latte’s health took a turn for the worse. He suddenly vomited blood at home and had a seizure when sent to the clinic. It was later discovered that he was suffering from third-stage renal failure, and vets found a three-centimetre tumour suspected to be an adrenal tumour.
Several animal lover groups raised funds online to meet the S$10,000 needed for Latte’s surgery and recovery. The dog’s surgery was scheduled for 9 June, but his health worsened a few days before.
Revealing that Latte vomited again and could not eat any food on 5 June, those caring for him made the difficult decision to have him euthanised to end his pain and suffering on 6 June.
In a heartfelt Instagram post, Sushma said that Latte was locked in a small bathroom by his former owner before Shrinivas and Sushma fostered him. Revealing that her husband’s unflagging love gave the dog a new lease on life. Sushma wrote: “3 Mar 2021 – 5 June 2023. Latte was around much longer than that but she truly only LIVED after Shri came into her life.
“She was chained in a small bathroom for much of her life. When she was finally rescued by Chained Dog Awareness in Singapore and adopted by a family, she went on to bite them 11 times within a week only to be returned to CDAS after. Shri took her on after (I was in the US at that time) and they went on to develop a beautiful bond that also saw them leave this world at the same time.
“She bit both of us, bared her teeth angrily on a daily basis, and did not allow us to get anywhere close to her face. But towards the end, she started showing us love in many ways – sitting in on my practice sessions, barking for no apparent reason during his work calls, offering her paw to share our oat milk with us, sitting on our couch while we watched TV .. yes, you can tell she loved us dearly.”
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She added: “It was painful to let her go, but also profoundly beautiful to experience how her life was so closely intertwined with Shri’s. As I look at my empty home now, I feel full knowing how much love our hearts afforded each other.”