995. Sunday's interesting cases. The Alsatian hates going to the vet

Sunday's Interesting Cases.  May 13, 2012

My god-daughter's dog had a skin growth (like cyst) on left. I went to the house and the mum drove the dog and me and 2nd daughter, Belle to Toa Payoh Vets. She seldom used my services as I don't charge her and she preferred to pay. So, she does not know my surgery location and I went to her house at 9.00 am to pick up the dog with her driving.

The Alsatian reached my surgery at 10 am but would not accept injection by Dr Daniel. So there was an impasse. "Cannot do inside the consultation room. Will not allow injection if put on the consultation table" Belle said. So much time had been wasted. Sunday is a busy day and in any case, productivity counts a lot to me. But this dog would not permit IV sedation. I had prepared the domitor+ketamine IV at 50%. Belle took the restless dog outside to the waiting area while her mum watched. Much time is wasted in this impasse. Dr Daniel could not do much but to wait for the dog to settle down. Will the dog ever settle down? He has much anxiety whenever he goes into the car to see a vet. "That is the only time he goes inside the car," the mum told me. "So he knows it is to go to the vet." The mum had bought online in Perth a back seat protective canvas cover which hooks onto the headrest of the two front seats and then into the back seats hook. Therefore, the car seats would not be soiled by hairs et.    

"I will inject the dog," I said as I knew waiting was not the solution and would not be productive and efficient on a Sunday morning. Clients would stream in after 11 am. Dr Daniel gave me the syringe. But I decided that he must learn how to handle such difficult situations without wasting time. But easier said than done.

"The vet has to think out of the box," I said to the mum. "If the dog is afraid of the vet practice and smell, take it out far away." I asked Bernice to take her dog 6 shops away from Toa Payoh Vets. Then what?
I asked Dr Daniel and Min to go there.

"Belle," I shouted from 6 shops away at my surgery's main door. "Put your leg under his tummy." But she could not do it as Min and Dr Daniel were obstrcting her. I could see the dog becoming more nervous and fidgety. He was muzzled and so not a threat. "Stand in front of your dog," I shouted. "He must see you to remain calm." From what Dr Daniel told me later, Belle is the only person who can handle this dog inside the car.

Well, Dr Daniel and Min and Belle managed to give the IV. Of course, the dog could still walk as he was only given 50% of the dosage. "Wait 5 minutes," I asked Belle to walk the dog outdoors for 5 minutes while Julia chatted with the mum who had a busy lunch appointment and needed to drive home soon.

After a while, I couldn't see her as she had walked the dog to the back of the building. I asked her mum who was rushing to go home to change and we saw Belle at the back of the surgery walking the ataxic dog. Dr Daniel took over.  Both mother and daughter left to go home first.

"I give you my mobile number to phone me when Texan  is ready to go home," she said.
"Come in one hour's time," I said. "Dental scaling and removal of the lump should be completed in less than one hour. If not, there is something wrong with the vet."  A procedure has certain key performance indicators and benchmarks of completion.

At 10.44 am Belle sms me for the address of the surgery: "Can SMS me your clinic address? In case I get lost". This is Singapore English and the "Speak Good English Committee will lose their hairs in reading her SMS!

I texted: "1002 toa payoh lor 8, 01-1477. S. 319074. Dog ready to go home."
Belle texted: "Wah so fast! K will come as soon as Mei is ready. She drowsy?"

"Yes," I texted in a reserved manner as I dare not take liberties in texting with an old friend's daughter in case of misunderstandings with the parents. My generation is more conservative and less expressive and so I don't do it in SMS.

I informed Dr Daniel that Belle will be coming. The younger generation is so much
abbreviated in Singapore English. It will be hard to change their mindset since there was no emphasis on good English writing during the school years. So a "Speak Good English" organisation has the uphill task of doing the corrections.

 Belle is a tall slim and fair young lady graduate whom I have known since she was born. Now she must be 27 years old. This shows how fast babies grow or how ancient I am now. To her, the whole process of dental scaling and lump removal seemed quick. To me, the whole procedure had been very slow. From arrival at the Surgery at around 9.45 am to going home at around 11.30 am.

The skin lump would be sent for histopathology and we hope it is not a skin tumour. It looked cystic and nodular, around 8 mm x 8 mm x 3 mm. Who knows till the histopathology results come out.