Friday, July 9, 2010

124. Fever, Anaemia & anterior abdominal pain 2-year-old male Shih Tzu

History

Shih Tzu, M, 2 years
Admitted on Jul 6, 2010, 9pm. Lethargy, not eating for 2 days. Fever and white gums and tongue. The domestic worker said that the dog was given (chicken +/or fish) bones by a family member recently.

Presenting signs
Acute abdomen (anterior). Bites vet when the anterior abdomen was palpated.

Blood test on Jul 7, 2010 - anaemia, dehydration and toxaemia
Low red cell count ( 4.1) and haemoglobin (10.4)
Low packed cell volume (0.3)
Low platelets (47). No platelet clumps seen but few giant platelets present.
Surprisingly, the WCC on admission was below normal at 5.4 with neutrophils 94% and lymphocytes 4% instead of a big increase.
Liver profile normal. Kidney profile - urea is normal. Creatinine is below normal.

Urine test on Jul 8, 2010. Full bladder catheterised to collect urine. There appears to be one urinary stone in the bladder on X-ray.
Catherised urine results taken after X-ray showing one urinary stone are as follows:
brown, turbid, SG 1.020 pH 7.0. Abnormal findings are as follows:
Protein 3+, urobilinogen 1+, bilirubin 3+, blood 4+, WBC 58, RBC 243, Crystals of amorphous phosphate 2+, triple phosphate occasional, bacteria 3+

X-rays on Jul 8, 2010.
Stomach is filled with radio-opaque granules. Some larger radio-opaque lumps are present in the intestines. These are likely bones.
Spleen is enlarged.

Diagnosis
Toxaemia. Impacted stomach and intestines and urinary tract infections.

Treatment on Jul 7 & 8, 2010
IV drip x 2 bottles (glucose saline + saline) x 500 ml each for 24 hours
Vit K1 2ml in drip
Baytril 1.0 ml, Tolfedine 4% 1.0 ml x 2 days in IV.
No fever on Jul 8, 2010. Dog more alert but does not want to walk or poop.

Stomach mucosa bleeding. Surgical removal of foreign bodies in the stomach is needed but highly risky. The dog is unlikely to survive the anaesthesia.
Goes home for the next 2 days for observation of pooping. Owner has been informed about poor prognosis if the dog does not poop or has more stomach bleeding

X-ray images x 2 showed stomach and intestine are impacted with radio-opaque foreign bodies

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

A needle and thread inside a cat's mouth

Going to an apartment to treat a ferocious cat with a needle and thread inside his mouth can send shivers down a vet's spine. It is like going to a lion's den. But Mr Hall said he could not put his cat inside a crate to bring him to the Surgery. So I had to make a house-call on a fine weekday evening. I drove to the Grand Hyatt in less than 15 minutes and such prompt attendance impressed Mr Hall. I parked outside the hotel after being given permission to do so as I told the valet I was treating Mr Hall's cat.

In the semi-darkened glowing lights of the lobby, I met my two assistants, Mr Aung and Mr Saw at the lobby. The receptionist in smart black jackets and well groomed ushered us into a lift and took us up to Mr Hall's apartment.

I knew what to do as I am an old vet and would finish the job in 20 minutes. But it would be best for my two assistants to get hands-on experience as they wanted to open their own practice in Myanmar next year. They are veterinarians if they practise in Myanmar but they are veterinary technicians or assistants when they work in Singapore.

PREPARATION FOR THE BATTLE
"What will you bring to this case?" I had phoned Mr Aung earlier. "Domitor and swabs to stop bleeding," he said. I packed my bag with Domitor, Antisedan, Xylazine, Ketamine, antibitoics, swabs, a pair of forceps, needles 21G and one-ml syringes. I forgot to pack 23G needles for use in the femoral vein injection as the cat has fine veins which bled in front of the Mrs Hall when Antisedan was injected IV using the bigger 21G needle. Experience is usually gathered after a case handled.

AT THE SCENE
Mr Aung is a hands-on man and he went for the cat. This cat was crouched tightly inside the master bathroom between the water closet and the wall. Mr Aung grabbed the scruff and got him out and placed him on the cat's white towel on the bed in the master bedroom. I had not briefed my assistants and was therefore surprised.

"It is best to prepare the sedative before catching the cat," I said to Mr Aung. "Look at the cat to estimate his weight and prepare the correct dose."

The cat was displeased and pawed Mr Aung vigorously. Mr Aung released him. The cat bounced off the bed and went under the master bed, exactly in the middle of the sanctuary. There was a moment of indecision as Mr and Mrs Hall and I did not know what to do.

"Maybe Mrs Hall should under the bed to get the cat out," I said like a General who bark orders from the safety of an army headquarters fall from the battle scene. Nobody moved.

"Let's lift up the bed," Mr Hall suggested intelligently. Mr Hall and my two assistants lifted up one end. I helped. It was surprisingly a very light bed but there were four of us. Mrs Hall looked on.

Being exposed, the cat sprang to hide behind the day curtains. The room has two sets of curtains. The day curtains are the translucent type. Mr Aung walked quickly towards the curtains to make friends with the cat. What he does normally is to talk to the cat and slowly let the cat (or dog) get used to the smell of his hand. The cat was ready to scratch him as he had scratched Mr Hall's hand a few times when Mr Hall tried to open the mouth to take out the needle.

ARMING THE TROOPS FOR BATTLE
"Prepare the sedative first," I said to Mr Aung. That would be what I would do before touching the cat. I estimated the cat to weigh 3 kg. Though he was adopted as a local cat, he certainly was bigger and fatter than the stray cats we see around the neighbourhood. Mr Aung got 0.1 ml Domitor and 0.1 ml Ketamine in one syringe and gave it to me. He realised that this cat would never accept an IV injection. IV injections at the Surgery could be done because the cat would be in foreign territory and would not be so ferocious usually. Here, the cat was on home ground.

FRONTLINE
Being a hands-on man, Mr Aung walked swiftly to the curtains and in one speedy grab, the cat's scruff was lifted up. He placed the cat on the white blanket on the master bed. I was ready and in less than one second, I had injected the cat's backside muscle with 0.2 ml IM of the combined sedative. Mr Aung let go of the cat.

UNDER-DOSED
It is always safe to under-dose a frightened cat. I knew the dose was insufficient. For the next 5 minutes, the cat ambled out of the master bedroom, dashed across the living cum dining room with the open concept kitchen and disappeared into Bedroom 2 at the other end of this apartment. Another 5 minutes passed. The cat was as fresh as a daisy.

REINFORCEMENTS
In a losing battle, the commander must call for reinforcements. "Give the cat Domitor IV," Mr Aung proposed catching the cat as he was one never afraid of getting cat scratches. "All three of us are veterans with cat scars on our hands" I had said to assure Mr Hall who must be wondering what was going on. The sedative seemed to be dud. A dud missile that fell and did not explode.

CAUTION
Soldiers could shock and awe in battle with more bombings to kill the enemies. But this is a cat that must be alive at the end of the house-call. "Better not to give another sedative," I advised Mr Aung. "The cat may react and die. Just wrap the cat inside a towel with his head sticking out. That would be safer. The cat would be sedated slightly by now. 15 minutes had passed." I asked Mr Saw to take the white towel and he went to the bedroom to get the cat for me. I could do everything myself but my assistants would never learn.

SUICIDE BOMBER ATTACK
Mr Aung went inside Bedroom 2 to risk his hands and got the cat by the scruff of the neck. Mr Hall and Mr Saw and possibly Mrs Hall were inside Bedroom 2. As the room was small, I stood outside the door to supervise. Like those consultants who talk but no action.

While Mr Aung was holding the cat for Mr Saw to wrap the towel around, the second cat, white with grey patches suddenly leapt up to claw either Mr Aung or the cat. I just could not believe this suicide bomber attack from the friendly troop. This attacking cat hissed and swung his paws widely. He leapt up and gravity pulled him down. From my point of view, he was attacking Mr Aung.

In cat attacks, it is wise not to interfere. Water hosing would be ideal but not inside the apartment. Mr Hall managed to get the attacker out of the room. He slinked outside the room and would not go away. He was just so furious. Was it the attention the other cat was getting? Mr Hall said to me: "This cat is very protective and was protecting me." Well, next time, no other cats should be present.
The next day, I noted that Mr Saw's left hand had two cat scratches too when we were taking blood from a dog. So, Mr Saw had suffered.

ACTION
After wrapping the cat in the towel, the cat seemed quiet. I said to Mr Saw: "Put the cat on this kitchen counter." I gave Mr Aung the forceps from my bag. He opened the cat's mouth. "There's the needle stuck in the hard palate!" he showed the culprit. I took some pictures with a zoom lens inappropriately. The zoom would not work at first until I stepped back further. Mr Aung took the needle out. A black thread with slimy saliva was attached to the end of the needle. I should have put the needle onto the tissue paper as Mr Hall seemed not too pleased when I placed it directly onto the kitchen counter. Mrs Hall took away the needle. I opened the cat's mouth to give a final check. "No injuries or ulcers," I said to Mr Hall.

ANTIDOTE
"Should give Antisedan," Mr Aung advised me. "Antisedan is an antidote," I said to Mr Hall. "The cat will wake up immediately. If Antisedan is not given, he would wake up fully over a few hours. Which do you prefer?"

"It is better that the cat be sedated for a while," Mr Hall said.

"There is a small risk that the cat may not wake up. A very small risk. An antisedan injection is an antidote that ensures that the cat's heart and lung systems are back to normal promptly."

The cat inside the towel hissed and hissed. Mr Hall agreed to the Antisedan injection. This was given via the cat's femoral vein at 0.1 ml IV. "Take the cat out of the towel and put him on the floor," I said to Mr Saw rather urgently. Mr Saw could not understand what I mean. In any case, he had no time to think. The cat looked up, assessed his situation well. The cat crawled out of the loosened towel, stood on the counter and in one spring, he leapt onto the floor and disappeared into the sanctuary of the master bedroom.

HAPPY ENDING
Everybody was happy that this cat was back to normal. Mr Hall asked me for my namecard as he was surprised that I was prompt in answering his house call. Mrs Hall would be more careful with her sewing needles and threads from now on.

CONCLUSION
Never give the frightened cat a second dose of sedatives as the cat may just die. This case took three times as long but the cat was alive and that was what every owner wants. It is best to treat such cases at the Surgery. Normally I don't even want to do it at the house as there are so many complications and surprises. Besides, it takes a longer time.

REVIEW
In this case, Xylazine 20 + Ketamine 100 at 0.1 ml + 0.4 ml respectively in one syringe IM would be more effective for this.

Monday, July 5, 2010

122. Compassion From Friends Is Not Forever

A father suffering hard times finds it hard to pay for his daughter's education overseas. The father asked me for a small loan to pay for his daughter's accommodation. He said he would pay me back two months later. I rejected him because I had helped him several times and he had not returned any money to me. He persevered. Compassion Fatigue sets in when interest-free loans to help a friend in financial distress are forgotten over the years.

An overseas undergraduate law education costs around A$150,000. The daughter had excellent A-level grades but the 3As could not qualify her to study law in Singapore. 4As would qualify and save the father a lot of financial stress.

She was therefore a "victim of circumstances" and deserved a helpomg jamd. The father's salary was insufficient to support her overseas. The father said to me: "My wife asks me to tell you we eat porridge everyday." I just could not believe my ears but it was probably true. He was the type of father who would "beg, steal of borrow" to ensure that his bright daughter would have sufficient funds to become a lawyer. She was the apple of his eye and she had the brains to be accepted by a top University in Australia to study law.

3 As were academic excellence but not good enough to study law in Singapore as there were many with 4As applying for the law, medical and accountancy courses. This was one lucky young lady as many fathers simply tell the bright progeny that there was no money to study in a subject the latter is interested.

"How's her studies?" I asked the father. I wanted to assess whether this girl deserved help one more time. "Is she getting high distinctions? Is she passing all her examinations?"

The father said: "She is a good girl. She does not go out partying and getting drunk like one of her classmates." This was not the answer I expected. But I did not pursue further as I expected a girl with 3As to pass her undergraduate examinations knowing that her sole breadwinner father had much financial distress to support her.

I don't know how this father is going to support her to graduation. As a lawyer, she would make big bucks as there is a shortfall of lawyers in Singapore. But the road to graduation is now full of financial pot holes. The father could downgrade by selling off the condo and rent a place for the time being. But there was an enbloc sale prospect and he would lose a lot of money. In enbloc sales, the property developer pays a premium price for the apartments.

"What happen to your real estate income over the past years?" I asked. This father had an inborn excellent marketing skills and could close cases unlike many realtors in Singapore. His employer was the compassionate type and permitted him to do real estate work to supplement his income. This was a rare type of employer in Singapore.

When he started as a part-time realtor with my company in 2005, he was grossing $100,000 in agency commissions handling the internet expatriate rental cases referred by me. He needed loans frequently to pay for his debts. After a year, I could no longer afford to give him loans as he borrowed more than he earned. You would assume that an agent earning $100,000 part-time would not need loans from anybody. But he needed more. So I had to cut him off. I was haemorrhaging badly as his loans exceeded his income and there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Compassion from friends and acquaintance cannot be not unlimited.

After 5 years, the father needed A$5,000 to pay for his daughter's accommodation. "Why don't you close some real estate cases?" I asked. It is easier said than done as he has to work full-time. His employer was still compassionate as long as he did his job competently and efficiently. This he did for the past 30 years in the same firm but his income was at a maximum for his position. He was not a graduate and I presumed the firm did not promote him further or found that he was not suitable.

He just dared not become self-employed as a realtor as income could be variable. He could be a hero for earning $100,000 a year - 3 times his salary. But he could be a vagabond when recession kicked in as it did in 2008. So, he did not strike out on his own as he had children in school. Which was a pity as I know he could do very well in real estate. Real estate is where the money is if you excel. Veterinary medicine and surgery give you a steady small income but if you want to be wealthy, get into the hot seat of real estate.

"My wife says that I am lucky when I work together with you," the father reminded me. Certainly he did perform as $100,000 in 2005 with me was not peanuts. "Do you have a case where we can work together?" I asked him. "If you close that case, you would be able to earn some money for your daughter's accommodation fees." He has a good network and should have some clients.

"I have a condo which the owner asks me to sell at $3.3 million or rent at $10,000 per month."

"That's great." I said. "Have you advertised this property in the Straits Times?"

The father said: "The Tenant's agent prohibits viewing. He makes it very difficult making various excuses."

"So you did not advertise in the Straits Times?" I inferred. "Straits Times advertisements still are the best way. I had over 10 phone calls a day when I advertised an HDB apartment for resale recently. Did you advertise in the Straits Times? The tenancy is in its last month. You ought to be advertising to secure a buyer or tenant before the lease expires."

Advertising 1 month prior to the expiry of the lease is the professional way to practise real estate in the interest of the realtor and the owner.

An apparently obstructive incumbent Tenant or protective Tenant's agent was no excuse, in my opinion. The owner had entrusted him with the property and he ought to do what was the right thing to do. I sensed that something was not right. Was there more to it than the behaviour of the Tenant's agent in repelling all appointments? The Tenant's agent had to be present for viewing as the Tenant was a multi-national. This Tenant's agent would have no financial income just by being present and therefore it was possible that he would delay or prevent viewings, attributing the rejection to the Tenant's policies.

I enquired about the type and location of the property the father was given exclusive marketing. The 2009 recession had passed by but the upscale $10,000 - $20,000 rental market was not booming. There was considerable interest in buying new property developments and not this 3-year-old condo.

"I will pay for the Straits Times Advertisements 2 to 3 times a week if you will split 50:50 on a successful outcome," I said. Advertisement of 3-lines cost around S$35.00/insert. It would be money down the drain if there was no response.

I advertised the property for sale at $3.45 million for the first week on a Wednesday and a Saturday. Not even one phone call. During the second week, there was only one phone call from an agent of a prospective buyer. The father made the appointment for the prospective buyer's wife to view. A second viewing with the husband was made two days later. "This case will close," the happy father said as the couple had asked about bank loans.

"Well, don't count your chickens before the eggs are hatched. The prospective buyer's wife was practically selling the advantages of the property to the husband during the viewing." I did not want to dampen the spirits of this father. He was a real estate veteran and now he had had unbridled optimism. I had stopped the newspaper advertisements as I did not want to throw good money away as the phone call response had been very poor. Money down the drain.

Several days passed. The eggs did not hatch. The tenancy would expire in 10 days. The owner texted saying that he would need a tenant to defray his mortgage loans. I placed 4 advertisements to rent over two weeks. Only 3 enquiries. I was pessimistic. It was my advertisement money down the drain. Nowadays, I don't do large Straits Times advertisement for properties as I find that they seldom effective. Many realtors now resort to mass-texting their properties for rent or sale as I received at least two per day on my mobile phone.

A victim of circumstances need the money. Of the 3 rental enquiries to my mobile phone, two prospective tenants with the budget of $12,000 rental wanted to view the apartment on Friday at 2.30 pm. The Tenant's agent was creating obstacles saying the Occupant prohibited viewing during her last week of tenancy. The Occupant would vacate the property in 3 days' time.

"So, what are you going to do?" I asked the father. He suggested waiting as the Tenant's Agent rejected him. I suspected that the Tenant's Agent had no time to be present on this Friday 2.30 pm viewing and therefore said that the Tenant would not permit viewing. This is because there was no financial incentive for the Tenant's Agent to close. Not a dime. So why should he oblige?

"You don't wait in real estate," I admonished the father gently. He was a very patient man not prone to raise his voice or get angry during our encounters. A smooth-talking guy? "These two prospects have the budget. No other phone queries. Do something."

But what could the father do? He phoned the Tenant's Agent and the owner but his head was butting against a brick wall. So he suggested that we wait for the Occupant to vacate the properties in 3 days' time as he would have the keys to the condo.

Now, there were two interested qualified prospective Tenants. Was there a solution to this problem? I had to think. Yes, there was one. I said to the father, "Is there not a clause in the tenancy agreement that the Tenant is to permit viewing of properties for rental or sale?"

"Yes," the father said.

"What happens if the Tenant breach the terms and conditions of the tenancy agreement? Will he have to pay penalties to the Landlord for loss of income?" I didn't have to state that the Landlord could deduct from the rental deposit and litigate for loss of income due to the Tenant's breach. The Tenant's Agent had to be given notice now and he should know how to advise his client early. He would lose his multi-national client if he was inert. However, the father had to know what to do without me telling him.

The father texted a message to the Tenant's Agent, c.c. to me. It read as follows:

"There is a prospective tenant willing to pay 11K fr the aptmt n yr tenant is deprivd my owner opportunity to show the aptmt this is breach of the terms n conditions of the tenancy agmt thanks."
The Tenant's Agent permitted a viewing on Saturday 10.30 am instead of Friday 2.30 pm. Well, that was a chance now.

I spent around $380 for the newspaper advertisements and there was a successful outcome. One of the expatriates rented the property. This is an incredible happy ending as I had only 2 qualified prospects from 4 rental advertisements placed over 10 days. Time is of the essence in real estate. Strike while the iron is hot. Life is full of hurdles to jump across. Be able to close a case. Performance counts in real life, not awards for being the top realtor.
God was kind to this father if you believe in Divine Powers. I am very happy for the victim of circumstance, a young lady I had never met. The laws of real estate contract had helped her as the case was closed. I hope she would study very hard and get High Distinctions. Lately, I know of a Singaporean who failed his first year at Murdoch University and came home. His sister had paid for his studies and he had failed. This was not good for the airline cabin crew sister who worked so hard.

Overseas undergraduates whose parents and family members have "apparently" no problems to finance their overseas studies must note that they have a rare opportunity to better themselves through education. Though they may not aim to get High Distinctions, passing their examinations and graduate will be the least they can do.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

121. Performance counts in the real world

Text message to the Tenant's Agent c.c to me:

"There is a prospective tenant willing to pay 11K fr the aptmt n yr tenant is deprivd my owner opportunity to show the aptmt this is breach of the terms n conditions of the tenancy agmt thanks."

The players in this real estate rental stage are:
Tenant: A multi-national corporation
Tenant's Agent: Dominic
Occupant: A Japanese family
Landlord's Agent: Barry
Prospective Tenant's Agent: Shirley
A friend of Barry: Myself


Situation:
In the tenancy agreement, the Tenant agrees to permit the Landlord to bring prospective tenants to view during the last month of tenancy at times convenient to both parties. However, Dominic had been saying that the Tenant would not permit any viewing. So Barry thought that the best way would be for viewing to be done when the Tenant vacated the property.

"That is not the right thing to do as it is not in the interest of the Landlord who entrusted you with his property exclusively," I said to Barry. "You have to be proactive and get a new Tenant before the lease expires. Otherwise the Landlord loses a month or more when you start viewing after the Occupant leaves."

Cat declawing

Cat owners are strongly discouraged in requesting declawing of cats. Very rarely do I encountered declawing requests in my surgery. Declawing will be done only if there are good reasons. The owner had used anti-scratching medication, nail covers and provided the scratching post. But the active cat still scratches furniture and people.

For Toa Payoh Vets Knowledge Management records, the following is written to share knowledge as it is a relatively uncommon operation.

Cat: British Shorthair, Male, Neutered, 1 year, 4.8 kg, rectal temp: 38.3 degrees C

Anaesthesia:
Xylazine 20@ 0.15 ml + Ketamine 100@ 0.6 ml IM. Front paw hairs clipped.
The above dosage was insufficient for surgical anaesthesia as clipping the soft furs in the paws took a longer time than usual to clip. I had to use scissors as well to get a clean hairless area for surgery. This cat's paw hairs were like wool and the clipper could not shave effecively.

Isoflurane gas top by mask for a few seconds was effective.

Surgery:
Rubber band tourniquet Electro-incision was used. However, it was not practical due to the need to trim at an angle of 45 degrees ventrally from the posterior end of phalanx 2 with the claw in extension. A bone cutter was used. 3-4 stitches of 3/0 absorbable sutures closed wound.

Bandaging:
Gauze was applied to the front of the paws while the rubber band tourniquet was cut. Blood flowed freely. Then a elastic bandage wrapped the gauze and the paws (picture). A strip of sticky bandage around the end of the elastic bandage was used to prevent the cat pulling off the whole bandage.

Pain killers: Tolfedine injection (0.5ml and then tolfedine tablets x 4 days (3 tab of 6 mg/day). Injection and oral dosage is the same, at 4mg/kg. Baytril @ 0.5 ml SC after surgery and 1/2 tab/day for 4 days.

The cat went home on Day 1 and advised to be crated or confined to a small room. However, the cat was active and kept flinging his paws. So he was warded at Toa Payoh Vets for 4 days.

On Day 2, the bandage was taken off to review the paws for bleeding. Not a drop of bleeding as the bandaging was tight but not too tight to cause paw swelling. So, the cat was given a bigger e-collar. With NSAID tolfedine being effective in this case, the cat was not bothering her front paws.

Unusual Complication: Part of the right whiskers of the cat was clipped off inadvertently. This was discovered by the owner. As it was difficult to clip the woolly fur of the paws and the cat was sedated with his head to the right side, near his right fore paw, the clipper must have accidentally clipped part of the whiskers.

In future, it would be best for one person to hold the head up during clipping of the paws.

Outcome. The results were excellent. Apologies were made for the clipping of the right whiskers.

P.S. For a successful outcome, it is best not to permit the cat to go home immediately.Some owners don't know how to do post-surgical nursing and checking or give the medication. The cat may pull out the bandage and lick the wound. Some owners don't bother to phone up the vet and when they do, it is too late as the paw has been badly infected. The paws may also gangrenous. Therefore I advise 4 days for observation.

Friday, July 2, 2010

119, FAQ cat neutering

Jul 1, 2010 at 4:02 PM, ...@yahoo.com.sg> wrote:

Dear Judy,

I chanced upon a blog with your posting and email address. Pardon me for the abrupt email. I need help.

My male cat is about 1yr and 2 mths old. He is not neutered as I can't bring myself to see him go thru the pain. He has been a good cat all along. Very well toilet trained and will never poo or pee anywhere except his litter tray. However, 2 weeks ago, I realised he pee-ed on my couch! That was a 1 time off thing. It did not happen again after that. I've read about male cats spraying pee around the house if not neutered. Besides this, he also starts meowing pitifully at the door hoping to take a stroll outside. He is a 98% strictly indoor cat. The remaining 2% is only strictly for him to walk around the corridor outside my house. He has no contacts with other cats unless he is out for grooming or to the vet.

I have booked an appointment to have him neutered this coming Saturday. But, I am still in a dilemma. Should I neuter him? Is it necessary to neuter? Will he become depressed after the neuter? Will he be in great pain? Does he need to wear a cone after the neuter? (He hates wearing cone.) Is it very cruel of me to neuter him?

Sigh... Please help me!

Regards,
Name of Owner



E-MAIL REPLY FROM DR SING DATED JUL 2, 2010

I am Dr Sing Kong Yuen from Toa Payoh Vets, www.toapayohvets.com. In reply to your following questions:

Should I neuter him? Is it necessary to neuter? Will he become depressed after the neuter? Will he be in great pain? Does he need to wear a cone after the neuter? (He hates wearing cone.) Is it very cruel of me to neuter him?


1. Neutering a male cat or spay a female cat is perceived by many younger generation as cruel. So, it is a matter of choice for you.

2. Neutering is not necessary in the sense that it does not mean death if the surgery is not done. However, neutering at a young age (6 months of age) does help to stop, reduce and/or prevent your cat's male territorial marking (peeing on the couch) and mate-seeking behaviour (meowing loudly wanting to go out to find a mate, NOT to go for a stroll as you wrote).

3. After less than 14 days post-surgery, the cat does not feel the pain and is not "depressed" after the neuter.

4. After 2-3 days of poor appetite in most cases, the cat will start to eat. In any case, painkillers are given after surgery and for the next 4 days.

5. No need to wear the e-collar (cone) after neutering.

6. It is not cruel to neuter the male or female cat if the cat can has a better quality of life. A cat after 6 months of age has matured and though kept indoors, can still hear the meows and cries of outdoor cats fighting or looking for mates.

Caterwauling the whole night is a noise nuisance to everybody and is the main reason that owners start to get the cat neutered or spayed. The adult cat can't help himself or herself as he or she has heard the meows of other cats outdoors and want to go out to find the mates. Some make such loud noises at night that neighbours think that the cats are being beaten up by the owners. Neutering will prevent such sexual behaviours.

Please let me know if you have more queries.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

118. A good principal makes a difference

A foreign student agent invited me for lunch at Novena Square today, Thursday Jul 1, 2010. An ex-principal of a neighbourhood secondary school was also invited.

"How do you discipline naughty boys?" I asked. "There must be many of them. Do you cane them?"

"Women are not permitted to cane students," she said. "Only the male disciplinary master will do it."

TIME OUT.
1. Detention at the Principal's office from 1 pm to 5 pm. Others can go home.
2. Parents to meet.