CASE
1. THE CAT WITH THE LARGE FACIAL ABSCESS – PARTS 1 AND 2.
Part
1/2 is this video is also shown on FACEBOOK on Mar 4, 2019. The
care-giver contacted me at 10 am. He used to keep over 20 stray cats
in a kennel place in Pasir Ris kennels some 20 years ago. Now he has
this cat and another two cats in his factory shop in Ang Mo Kio.
This
cat lived in the factory unit but roams freely within the factory
according to him and had never been sick for over 10 years. "How
long has the cat has a swollen face?" I asked him. "3-4
days," he said. That was an explosive ballooning of the cat's
right facial area in just 3-4 days. The bad odour of rotten eggs
wafted up when I incised the abscess. It indicated a flesh-eating
gas-forming bacterial infection. What to do?
The
cat was anaesthesized. Xylazine 0.01 ml + Ketamine 0.1 ml IM.
Isoflurane gas and oxygen via gas mask topped-up the anaesthesia when
needed. The swelling was lanced with a scalpel blade. Foul smelly
thick brownish red pus flowed out of the cut. I used 3% hydrogen
peroxide as an antiseptic after releasing the pus into the kidney
dish.
Then
I used copious amunts of normal saline to irrigate and clean up the
inner part of the skin wound. Blood test showed very high numbers of
white blood cells and neutrophils indicating a severe bacterial
infection. Prompt treatment by the owner saved this cat's life as the
infection spread rapidly within 3 days.
The
cat did not have fever or become emaciated, showing that the owner
did seek early veterinary intervention. The old cat woke up fast from
anaesthesia as the dosage given was very low. The risk of dying on
the operating table is very high in old pets, hence the use of
isoflurane gas top up is the safest procedure rather than a higher
dose of injectable sedatives. She went home with oral antibiotics and
painkillers.
UPDATE:
As
at Mar 9, 2019, no complaint from the care-giver. The cat had fully
recovered and was eating as normal. He still wandered freely in the
factory premises. Cat facial abscesses are due to cat fights. This
cat was neutered. In general, it is best to neuter the male cat and
keep the cat at the factory shop/home to prevent cat fights during
wanderings.
Video
- Part 2 shows surgical treatment - lance and drain the abscess,
dental scaling and extraction of the decayed lower right premolar
tooth. Flea and deworming treatment were advised. WARNING. Part 2/2
contains surgical procedures on treatment of the malar abscess in
this cat. Viewer discretion is advised.
P.S The upper right
jaw has no more malar tooth when I examined the mouth during
treatment. This infected upper 3rd premolar tooth in this jaw had
decayed and dropped off before treatment. The bacterial infection of
its roots would have spread upwards to the face over a short period
of 3-4 days to form the gigantic facial abscess, also known as malar
or carnassial tooth abscess.
CASE
2. Jan
29, 2016. A rare case of malar abscess in a cat. Dirty ears, Not
groomed. Bad breath and drooling. 3 upper premolar and molar teeth
extracted. The cat's facial wound healed
well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXy55Ywi5Bk
This
is the first video made by an intern for me and it is a good
veterinary educational video for hamster owners. As neuter is a
sensitive subject, the narrator does not say the word "neuter"
specifically. She can use "private parts" and display a
transistion slide "WARNING. This video contains surgical
procedures. Viewer discretion is advised."
1.
HOOK. A hook is used in movie making. It is the first few
seconds of the beginning of the movie. If it is good, the viewer will
want to continue watching even if he is not a hamster owner.
This hook is the major problem for the novice movie-maker as it is
hard to create a HOOK. The novice will start with the date and time,
as in this video. It is not attention grabbing.
An
example of a good hook in a murder mystery - a dead body inside a
library. The viewer wants to know more. Why is there a dead body?
What was he doing in the library?
2.
CAPITAL LETTERS. The text and subtitles should not be all capital
letters. They should be reserved for headings and sub-headings.
3.
NARRATION OF TEXT. The narrator does not read all text. She adds her
comments or reads more than what is shown on the screen. This is not
professional.
4.
PACING. The narrator reads fast sometimes, flashing the text before
the viewer can read. There may be hearing impaired viewers who may be
able only to read text, but will be frustrated by the fast pacing.
5.
PROPER SPELLING. For example, Toa Payoh Vet should be "Toa Payoh
Vets".sw
6. Use the 4Ws and 1 H in explanations, for
example, of the Pee bottle. For example, this cookie jar was used as
a pee bottle before neuter. The hamster would pee onto the paper and
sand inside. As he is in a confined space, the urine and sand would
have been stuck onto his private parts or "balls". Over
time, the urine causes urine scalding on the private parts. Urine
scalding is irritating and itchy. He would groom vigorously to
relieve his itch. His teeth would have injured the skin of his
private parts, leading to pain and infections of the testes. The
owner noticed the abnormal swelling of his private parts and
consulted Toa Payoh Vets.
6.1.
A VIDEO of the hamster on top of the water bottle would be very good.
In fact, this will be the HOOK, in my opinion. This was what the
owner thought was the cause of the injury of the testes. An image
(shown in the video) is 2nd choice.
6.2. Do not
put "Thank you for viewing". Put the credits and end the
video like most professional movies.
CONCLUSION.
Everybody's first video will always need editing. This is a well
narrated veterinary educational video with contents that are useful
and interesting.
A FINAL VIDEO is an edited vet educational video, produced to explain the diagnosis and treatment of a pet case.
WARNING. THIS VIDEO CONTAINS SURGICAL PROCEDURES. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
The 4-month-old male Syrian Hamster had a "sudden swelling" of the right testes. He was restless and kept licking his private parts. The worried owner WhatsApp Dr Sing Kong Yuen for appointment the next day. "It could be a serious bleeding injury swelling the testes or a testicular torsion," Dr Sing told her.
The owner decided on neuter. The possible causes of injury are cluttered housing set up hindering free movement and causing injuries to the private parts, urine scalding of the private parts inside the cookie jar, ragged edges of the chew toy cum exercise tube scratching the private parts, injury to private parts due to jumping up and down the water bottle and hittng the metallic bolt.
As at 30 May, the hamster is well and active, 3 weeks after neuter. The owner is very happy.
THE IMAGES BELOW ARE EXTRA IMAGES USED FOR THE PREPARATION OF VIDEOS 1/2 AND 2/2
and are retained for references of the script
DAY 1 BEFORE NEUTER FRONT VIEW. Front view shows bite marks and bruised inflamed swollen right scrotal skin due to biting and licking. The hamster groomed diligently trying to lick off his urine-stained private parts after peeing inside the confined cooker jar as urine stains are unacceptable for a healthy hamster.
DAY 1 BEFORE NEUTER. SIDE VIEW shows bite marks and swollen right testes. The owner
decided on neuter surgery as the private parts continued to swell and the hamster was very irritated despite medication from Toa Payoh Vets. Dr Daniel Sing performed the surgery to remove both testes under anaesthesia.
DAY 10 AFTER NEUTER. The hamster recovers well from the neuter surgery. No infection of the stitched area is seen at 10 days after surgery and at the 15th day.
What causes this infection of the private parts. Some possiblities are:
1. HOUSING BEFORE NEUTER. Cluttered living space might have had obstructed
smooth movement and the hamster's private parts were injured during movement in cramped spaces.
NEW HOUSING SET UP AFTER NEUTER. More space to move freely. There
would be less obstruction to free movement.
2. The "chew toy" which is a toilet or tissue paper roll is used by the hamster as an exercise tunnel as well as a chew toy. he could have had injured his private parts when he tunneled into the tube many times daily.
3. A cookie jar has been used as a pee jar. The urine collected in the tissues and sand. Urine scalding burns the skin of the private parts as the hamster moved inside the confined area after peeing.
4. The metallic screw part (circled) varies the height of the water bottle. The owner believed it could have caused traumatic injury to the private parts when the hamster clmbed up and jumped down the bottle.
CONCLUSION. Today is 15 days after neuter. The Syrian Hamster is active and healthy. His new housing set up is much less cluttered so that he has freedom of movement. Neutering meant no more possible traumatic injury when he exercised inside his "chew toy" or climbed up and jumped down the water bottle. Dr Sing advised using a flat pee tray instead of a cookie jar to prevent any urine scalding on the scrotal area.
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