Nov 30, 2012 was the last day of work for Dr Vanessa. I wished her well in her new venture as I had expected that she would be her own boss. She gave me a piece of chocolate cake to celebrate her birthday.
I had promised to send a Jack Russell with skin disease home at Lorong 8 Toa Payoh after treatment and clipping for skin itchiness. The domestic worker would wait at the first floor of the HDB block to take over the dog. I asked my intern (a young man in junior college year one) to put the dog in a crate. Min helped him. The owner had to go overseas and so I volunteered to send the dog back after grooming and bathing for the skin disease.
"It is the wrong dog," Dr Daniel phoned me. "There are 3 Jack Russells in the crates and you have got the one with the bladder stone."
Just a few days ago, the Kandang Kerbau Hospital had given the wrong babies to two mothers. One of the ankle name tags had fallen off and so the baby was given to the wrong mother. One of the two mothers discovered the mistake and there was needless worries and DNA checks. The private hospitals use RFID tags and so had no problem.
I may need to use RFID tags to identify the dogs but this would not be necessary as I don't have more than 10 dogs. Somehow, Min had given me the wrong dog. I asked the domestic worker to get permission from her employer to go back with me in the car to get the dog as the dog would bite. She got the permission via her phone and we went back to the Surgery to get the dogs.
"How long have you worked for the same employer?" I asked her.
"Twelve years," she surprised me as most workers don't stay more than 2 years.
"My employer is good," she said. "The dog is obedient too as he does not lick my face. He would look the other way. My religion does not permit me to touch dog saliva."
She walked the dog but does not feed him medication.
"Why do you work so many years?" I asked.
"To earn money for my children's education. My daughter is now grown up and is married. She will never be working as a maid like me."
Many maids made great sacrifices being away from families and going home 4 weeks every two years.so that the progeny can have a much better life.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
1197. Three teeth in a one-year-old dwarf hamster
Saturday Dec 1, 2012
The hamster with the swollen upper nose came back as she could not gnaw seeds. 4 days ago, Dr Daniel had incised the upper right area of the nose, draining the pus. Now, the lower right area of the nose below the right nostril had become more swollen. "The right nostril is bigger in diameter than the left," I said as the gentleman owner had complained that the hamster had sniffling sounds.
The hamster's upper right area was slightly swollen after drainage of the abscess. It took one month for the abscess to ripen and it was lanced 4 days ago on Nov 27, 2012. The lower right upper area had shown on pimple but was mainly hard as a rock. So, there was no point cutting it as it was not "ripe" meaning that the abscess had not come to a head.
The hamster squeaked when I tried to open the mouth with forceps but othewise was "sleepy" when hand-held by the girlfriend for me to take images of the inflamed area to document the condition. There would be another 4 days before this area would ripen and pus could be released. I scheduled Dec 4, 2012 to operate.
This hamster has only 3 teeth instead of 4. One right upper incisor and two lower incisor teeth with a gap between them.
"Was he born with 3 teeth?" I asked the gentlema as the hamster's front teeth grow continuously unlike human teeth. So a fractured one would grow back and the hamster wears out the teeth by gnawing and eating seeds..
"He had four teeth," he said.
"You dropped him when he was young," the girlfriend said.
Presently the hamster gained 5 g, from 40 g some 4 days ago after lancing the abscess. He would eat the bananna paste and loved the green jelly but could not chew on seeds or pellets for the past 4 days. So that was why the couple consulted me.
"He used to be 60 g," the man said.
"Once the abscess in the lower right area of the right nostril is soft and lanced, he will put on weight, befitting his name of "Ah Pui" (Fatty in the Hokkien dialect).
The hamster with the swollen upper nose came back as she could not gnaw seeds. 4 days ago, Dr Daniel had incised the upper right area of the nose, draining the pus. Now, the lower right area of the nose below the right nostril had become more swollen. "The right nostril is bigger in diameter than the left," I said as the gentleman owner had complained that the hamster had sniffling sounds.
The hamster's upper right area was slightly swollen after drainage of the abscess. It took one month for the abscess to ripen and it was lanced 4 days ago on Nov 27, 2012. The lower right upper area had shown on pimple but was mainly hard as a rock. So, there was no point cutting it as it was not "ripe" meaning that the abscess had not come to a head.
The hamster squeaked when I tried to open the mouth with forceps but othewise was "sleepy" when hand-held by the girlfriend for me to take images of the inflamed area to document the condition. There would be another 4 days before this area would ripen and pus could be released. I scheduled Dec 4, 2012 to operate.
This hamster has only 3 teeth instead of 4. One right upper incisor and two lower incisor teeth with a gap between them.
"Was he born with 3 teeth?" I asked the gentlema as the hamster's front teeth grow continuously unlike human teeth. So a fractured one would grow back and the hamster wears out the teeth by gnawing and eating seeds..
"He had four teeth," he said.
"You dropped him when he was young," the girlfriend said.
Presently the hamster gained 5 g, from 40 g some 4 days ago after lancing the abscess. He would eat the bananna paste and loved the green jelly but could not chew on seeds or pellets for the past 4 days. So that was why the couple consulted me.
"He used to be 60 g," the man said.
"Once the abscess in the lower right area of the right nostril is soft and lanced, he will put on weight, befitting his name of "Ah Pui" (Fatty in the Hokkien dialect).
1196. Spaying a dog at "6 months" of age
Saturday Dec 1, 2012
A young couple had made an appointment with me to examine their 6-month-old female dog before spaying next week. "Dr Vanessa has resigned from Toa Payoh Vets and her last day was yesterday," I said. "If you would like Dr Vanessa to spay your dog, you can contact her." Clients can have their personal preferences of the 4 vets at Toa Payoh Vets. Since it was Ok with them, I proceeded to examine the dog whose body was that of a cross between a Westie and a poodle. At 4-kg, whe could be considered suitable for spaying.
I opened the dog's mouth. Her temporary canine teeth were all white and narrow while her incisors were white and broad. "Your dog is less than 6 months of age," I said. "The permanent fangs or canine teeth will erupt at 5-6 months of age, pushing away the 4 puppy canine teeth. However, they have not yet erupted."
The couple was surprised as they were told by the sellers at Pasir Ris that the puppy - a MalteseXpoodle was 3 months old and that was 3 months ago.
"The likely explanation is that the AVA (regulatory authority) permits sale of puppies at 3 months of age. But younger puppies are more in demand and fetch a higher price. So, the puppy was sold at around 2 months of age." The vaccination certificate was not available. In any case, this puppy was less than 6 months of age.
"Can the dog be spayed at 5 months of age?" the lady asked.
"Yes," I said. "The animal welfare people sterilise them as young as 4 ,months of age. My advice is to spay her 2 months after her first heat to permit her private parts to develop fully to a msture state. But if you want to spay her before her first bleeding, 6 months of age would do." I showed the couple that this dog still had not develop the nipples. It would take time for her to mature.
"The vulval area is brownish," I said. "Is she licking her privte part? If she does, she may have a urinary tract infection."
I gave the couple a urinary bottle to collect urine for urine analysis as I could palpate a half-full bladder. "Clean the pee pan well and flush with water. When the dog pees there, collect 3 ml of the urine with this sterile syringe." The couple went home and came back soon with a bottle of yellow urine for analysis of bacteria.
"The last time she was checked by Dr Vanessa, the urine dipstick showed protein present," the young man said to me.
"A urine sample for analysis would be necessary to check for crystals, blood cells and bacteria."
Young vets must know when the permanent canine tooth erupts so as to estimate the age of young dogs. They erupt between 5-6 months, not 6-8 months, generally. In this way, they can estimate the age of the young dog.
A young couple had made an appointment with me to examine their 6-month-old female dog before spaying next week. "Dr Vanessa has resigned from Toa Payoh Vets and her last day was yesterday," I said. "If you would like Dr Vanessa to spay your dog, you can contact her." Clients can have their personal preferences of the 4 vets at Toa Payoh Vets. Since it was Ok with them, I proceeded to examine the dog whose body was that of a cross between a Westie and a poodle. At 4-kg, whe could be considered suitable for spaying.
I opened the dog's mouth. Her temporary canine teeth were all white and narrow while her incisors were white and broad. "Your dog is less than 6 months of age," I said. "The permanent fangs or canine teeth will erupt at 5-6 months of age, pushing away the 4 puppy canine teeth. However, they have not yet erupted."
The couple was surprised as they were told by the sellers at Pasir Ris that the puppy - a MalteseXpoodle was 3 months old and that was 3 months ago.
"The likely explanation is that the AVA (regulatory authority) permits sale of puppies at 3 months of age. But younger puppies are more in demand and fetch a higher price. So, the puppy was sold at around 2 months of age." The vaccination certificate was not available. In any case, this puppy was less than 6 months of age.
"Can the dog be spayed at 5 months of age?" the lady asked.
"Yes," I said. "The animal welfare people sterilise them as young as 4 ,months of age. My advice is to spay her 2 months after her first heat to permit her private parts to develop fully to a msture state. But if you want to spay her before her first bleeding, 6 months of age would do." I showed the couple that this dog still had not develop the nipples. It would take time for her to mature.
"The vulval area is brownish," I said. "Is she licking her privte part? If she does, she may have a urinary tract infection."
I gave the couple a urinary bottle to collect urine for urine analysis as I could palpate a half-full bladder. "Clean the pee pan well and flush with water. When the dog pees there, collect 3 ml of the urine with this sterile syringe." The couple went home and came back soon with a bottle of yellow urine for analysis of bacteria.
"The last time she was checked by Dr Vanessa, the urine dipstick showed protein present," the young man said to me.
"A urine sample for analysis would be necessary to check for crystals, blood cells and bacteria."
Young vets must know when the permanent canine tooth erupts so as to estimate the age of young dogs. They erupt between 5-6 months, not 6-8 months, generally. In this way, they can estimate the age of the young dog.
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