747. The tu tu kueh woman's dog

Yesterday was a long day at work on a Sunday. I usually work half a day and let Dr Vanessa do the rest. I asked Mr Min to take the afternoon off and so I stayed around and stayed to do some administration. A practice needs to be administered well or it will just suffocate and wither as the world is getting complex and competitive. The clients are getting sophisticated and more demanding.

For example, one client wanted me to excise a large paw haematoma without sedatives as she was afraid that her old pug would die under sedation. That is a valid fear. To do it or not? It is up to the vet. The vet can just reject her case. What if the old pug dies under sedation? And nobody can predict this. For the sake of the old pug, I incised the haematoma and let it was OK.

The tu tu kueh woman at Bishan Shopping Mall. She asked what stall I was managing as she had seen me so many times over the years buying tu tu kueh from her and asking about her work. She had cooked soup which was shared with other woman stall holders and her brother who sold cakes under the same boss. When I told her I am a vet, she said: "I cried a long time when my dog died. Just running nose. A lot of it. My friend sent it to a vet. Some injection. Hospitalised for 2 days. My dog died. Just runny nose. Goes to the vet. Injection. Died."

"There could be many reasons," I said. "It could be a drug allergy. It could be a serious infection. How old and what breed?"

"7 years old. A Pomeranian." Her eyes teared up as she remembered her dog so well.

Now this dog was a clever dog. "My dog would jump and greet me when I unlock the apartment door. He could hear my key sound. When other family members unlock the door, my door would ignore them," she said, turning her head sideways.

"When I stayed too late watching TV, my dog would lick my ears to ask me to sleep. If I did not, he would jump to obstruct the TV screen."

"That sounds like a very intelligent dog," I was surprised. "It is as if he was a very caring human being re-incarnated as a dog." Some religions believe in re-incarnation and this canine story seems to support this.

If I can find a small breed to be rehomed, I will get one for her as she cares so much for dogs.