5885. VET CASE STUDY. VIDEO. Evidence-based medicine. Diabetes and prostate problems.

 

 

VET STORY. A VET DID NOT PRACTISE EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE
Be Kind To Pets Veterinary Educational Videos sponsored by Toa Payoh Vets

30 April 2026. Dr Sing Kong Yuen. BVMS (Glasgow).

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"Why did you consult the vet?" I asked. "Harold had a big swollen left front paw. He kept licking it till it bleed profusely! However, he has good recovery after treatment."

"My vet said my 8-year-old male Basset Hound has diabetes and prostate cancer." Mrs Wellington WhatsApp video-called me on 28 April 2026.

"Please let me know what did the three reports of blood tests say?" she texted.

I am a veterinarian in Singapore. She lived in Mumbai, India and contacted me via her brother in Singapore. "Your vet's three reports showed that your dog had high cholesterol level, no liver and kidney diseases and no blood infection from the bacterial infection in the paw," I told her. "They are irrelevant to the diagnosis of diabetes and prostate cancer in your dog."

"Does he drink and pee more than normal?" I asked Mrs Wellington who treats her Basset Hound as family. "Yet he is losing weight?". These are clinical signs suggestive of diabetes. 

She WhatsApp me. "My dog is born lazy...good appetite...shits twice daily during his walks...drinks lots of water and peeing according but the 38 degrees heat here is generally miserable..."

"Why did yo.u seek veterinary consultation for Harold?” I asked. “He had a swollen left fore paw,” Mrs Wellington loves her long-eared Hound like her son. “He had been licking it frequently till it bleeds. However, his paw is much more normal after veterinary treatment!”.

 

"Your vet has no laboratory evidence to substantiate his diabetes and prostate cancer diagnosis.".

"I agree with you," Mrs Wellington replied. "Is the vet hoping to make more money for his practice?" I could see Mrs Wellington's eyebrows raised upwards in the video-call. "Prices of goods and services have shot up after the U.S-Israeli-Iran war in March 2026!”
 

"Diagnosis needs medical evidence. Evidence needs preparation," I told her. "Please seek a second opinion from another practice".  

Evidentiary reports include:

1. DIABETES
Blood Glucose Test: A blood sample is taken to check for persistent hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).

Urinalysis: Tests for glucose in the urine (a healthy dog shouldn't have any)


2. PROSTATE CANCER

 Diagnosing prostate cancer in dogs involves a combination of rectal exams, diagnostic imaging (ultrasound/X-rays), and tissue sampling to confirm malignancy. 

 

"Please seek a second opinion from another practice." I said. “The vet must practise evidence-based medicine to arrive at a diagnosis of diabetes and prostate problems in the dog.”.

 

 

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