928. Sunday Apr 1, 2012's interesting case

Sunday Apr 1, 2012

1. NO SECOND CHANCE
I had a few cases where the owner had been to a vet practice but their dog's problem still persist. There seems to be no 2nd chance nowadays.

In this case of the "dog with frothy vomitus and persistent coughing," X-rays were done by Vet 1 and Vet 2 of the same practice but the dog continued to cough. Cough medication and other tablets were prescribed and apparently the X-rays of the chest were normal. Why? is the dog still coughing ferociously?

"Bring me the X-rays for my review and 2nd opinion. Also, the medical records of Vets 1 and 2. This will save you some money," I said to the busy lady owner who wanted to do so immediately. In the meantime, I will check the blood test first.

The heart sounds were hard to hear as the lung sounds were harsh as the dog kept coughing. Ausculation of the throat and lungs revealed harsh long continuous coughing sounds. I told the owner that I would need to stop the coughing and follow up. It would be hard to diagnose immediately.


HOUSE-CALL - A 5-year-old male Golden Retriever slipped and his hips were very painful. He could not move and so could not come to the Surgery.

I could do the house-call but it was better to let Dr Vanessa do it to gain the operational experience. A systematic approach and efficiency are important in doing house-calls. Otherwise, the whole process will take 2-3 hours. I came to the Surgery to help clear one case of a Westie with black ears, black neck, black front paws and black scrotal inguinal area. The older woman diagnosed Westie skin disease and said: "I ought to get him treated by the vet earlier."

"Yes," I said. "Westie is well known for this skin disease."

I phoned Min at 7.10 pm. He had reached Bedok house with Dr Vanessa. "The dog is walking and the owner wants to walk him to the park to pee. It will take 20 minutes."

"The dog had a severe injury and should not walk," I said to Dr Vanessa. "In the middle of the night, he would whine with pain and it will cost the owner lots of worries and money to get the vet. Dogs have a high tolerance to pain. Educate the owner and deal as you deem fit."

Earlier, the owner had said that the dog could not move an inch and now, the dog wanted to walk to the park to pee. The dog ought to be sedated to rest - that was my plan.

ABANDONMENT OF DOGS
The owners of an old cocker spaniel and a Golden Retriever did not bring the dogs home despite phone calls. Could this be considered abandonment and what to do with the dogs?