43. Should the vet cure the hamster wart with oral medication? ELECTRO EXCISION OR SURGICAL EXCISION

"Can you remember you did house-calls to a house in Ewart Park 30 years ago?" the mother brought in a 2-year-old hamster with a wart and 2 yellow upper eyelid abscesses asked me.

"I do remember Ewart Park," I said. "It is one of those secluded exclusive quiet leafy housing residential areas. You were a baby then" I could not recognise this mother of two teenaged daughters. "I wasn't a baby," she laughed. I was joking with her. She was a teenaged girl when I did the house-calls. At that time, I was 29 years old. But I remembered a Pekinese with maggot wound in the nose area and happy children running up and down a terraced patio, if my long-term memory served me right. I had never been to Ewart Park since. This was such a long time ago and now this teenaged child is a mother of teenagers. Her hamster looked thin and was a bit dehydrated when the hamster skin remained upright when pulled. But this hamster was very well cared for and was still active. He wanted to exercise but just could not reach the wheel. He would just fall off. It was not a laughing matter and the mother lowered the wheel for him. How to excise the wart completely? Freezing or just use scissors to cut it off at the stalk? I wanted to use electrosurgery to cut and kill off any surrounding wart viruses and stop bleeding. 

Cutting off usually leads to bleeding, so electro-surgery which coagulates and cuts is useful in this case. But would this old hamster be able to stand to electro-surgery and not die of a heart attack during the procedure? I asked my intern Tanya to stand by with the camera and take a picture as I electro-incise the wart. "It will be less than a second," I said. "Be ready snap the picture as I cut." 

Well, Tanya managed a second too late and got a picture of the wart after cutting. Better than nothing. As for the upper eyelid, I would not use electro-surgery as the area is too near to the eye. I used small scissors to snip off the abscess. There was a gap in the right upper eyelid of 1 mm x 2 mm but the wound healed well the next day.

"Why do you board the hamster at the pet shop?" I asked the mother who was glad to meet up with me after 30 years. "Did he get the wart after boarding?" The domestic worker was frightened of the hamster and so he was boarded when she was overseas. She did not know when the wart appeared but judging from the long finger nails of the left fore paw, it could be a few weeks. The second day, she visited with a new packet of Japanese-made hamster food and paper litter. This hamster was on a flooring of big solid pellets which I consider sharp and rough for this paws. But these big pellets were absorbent and not so smelly. 

Warts do occur in older hamsters. It is best to get them excised when they are small.  However, not all  vets in any country perform hamster surgery. Some prescribe oral medicine. Warts don't disappear with oral medication. Warts irritate the hamster as he tries to bite them off. They get infected and become painful. Search for a vet who will operate and excise them. Hamster warts grow bigger daily. They never disappear and the hamster may try to bite them off if they are present in the paws. The hamster is irritated and stressed by their growth and infection. As to why some vets merely prescribe oral medication when presented with hamster warts, I just cannot understand the rationale. Each vet has his or her approach to treatment in a case but all vets should be careful about the legal consequences of straying from the standard treatment of warts. More pictures are at "Hamsters", www.toapayohvets.com




-------------------------

INSTAGRAM POSTING ON 20 OCT 2021. This was a case done 11 years ago!

Warts do occur in older hamsters. Warts don't disappear if your vet prescribes oral medication. Warts are licked. They get infected, become painful and the hamster loses weight. Not all vets perform hamster surgery. You need to look for a hamster vet. 

Dr Sing Kong Yuen’s 2010 case study is at: 

https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2010/04/should-vet-treat-hamster-warts-with.html

42. Follow-up on No. 41 --- crate training a puppy

DRAFT REPORT

EMAIL REPLY FROM DR SING APRIL 29, 2010

SAW ONE PICTURE.

FORTUNATELY, YOU EMAIL PICTURES AS I WAS WONDERING WHY YOUR PUPPY PEES IN THE CENTRE ALL THE TIME. FROM YOUR PICTURE, YOU HAVE RUBBER MATS WITH HOLES ON THE LEFT 1/3 AND RIGHT 1/3 WITH THE MIDDLE BEING THE ORIGINAL WIRE FLOORING OF THE GRATE.

IN THE LEFT 1/3, THE BACK HALF OF THE LEFT IS THE POOPING AREA, THE FRONT PART IS THE FEEDING AND WATER AREA.

THE BACK HALF OF THE RIGHT IS THE SLEEPING CLEAN AREA.


THE RIGHT 1/3 IS THE CLEAN AREA AND SO HE DOES NOT PEE AND POOP THERE. HOWEVER THE LEFT 1/3 IS ALSO THE DRINKING BOTTLE AND FEEDING AREA. SO THE POOR PUPPY HAS TO WALK DIAGONALLY PAST THE SOILED CENTRE (WHERE HE PEES) TO GOTO THE WATER BOTTLE ON THE FRONT RIGHT.

I WILL RECOMMEND THAT THE FRONT OF THE RIGHT 1/3 AREA BE THE AREA WHERE THE PUPPY EATS AND DRINKS. THAT MEANS THE WATER BOTTLE SHOULD BE ON THE RIGHT, NOT ON THE LEFT.

IF YOU CAN, SEND ME 2 PICTURES IN .JPG FOR MY RECORDING PURPOSES.

SEE MORE REPLIES BELOW.

On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 10:42 PM, XXX@yahoo.com.sg> wrote:

Hi Dr Sing,
as promised, I've attached 2 pictures of Cookie's crate & pee pan. By the way my mum is a housewife but she goes out like 2 - 3 days a week and hence Cookie is not under full supervision on these days. I'll have to follow the way a working adult trains his/her puppy.

Hope it helps. I've also added further comments in the email below.

From: Kong Yuen Sing <99pups@gmail.com>
To: XXX@yahoo.com.sg>
Sent: Wednesday, 28 April 2010 10:05:11
Subject: Re: Toilet Training Chihuahua x Pom

Thank you for email. It is best that you email 2-4 pictures of Cookie's crate + pee pan with the positioning of water bottles, bowls and sleeping area as every puppy is housed differently.

The following is my reply to you:

On Tue, Apr 27, 2010 at 5:36 PM, Sharon Soh wrote:

Hi Dr Sing,

I’ve been reading up your toilet training blog and find it very useful when toilet training my puppy. However, I still have a few queries. I’m a first timer raising up a puppy and hence has been quite stress up. I’ve accompanied my puppy for the first 3 days (almost keeping him within my sight) and observed the following:



My puppy is a mix breed of Chihuahua and Pomeranian, 3 months named Cookie. He was with us since 24 Apr 10.




The pet shop owner came with a crate with wire flooring and a pee pan below. Initially I try to carry Cookie to the bathroom after nap/food with newspapers laid on the floor but was unsuccessful. Cookie usually poos twice a day, 1 in the early morning and another one in weird timing. I realized that he only pees in the middle of the crate; I supposed it’s due to the urine smell. He pooed everywhere though.


COOKIE IS USED TO THIS WIRE FLOOR SYSTEM. HE WAS IN THE PET SHOP WITH SUCH A SYSTEM. AS TO POOPING EVERYWHERE, ARE YOU SURE? Where is his sleeping area? Is the crate too small?

XXX: So far we've not really let him outta his crate for too long, only wanted him to get some exercise and will put him back aft 10 - 15 mins. We try to bring him outta his crate at least 3 times a day. He drinks a lot too esp aft play outside the crate. As for the crate size, please advise if it's too small or too big based on the attached pictures.

CRATE SIZE OK



Qn 1: Do you think Cookie will poo in the middle like where he used to pee if I spray those anti-pee/anti-poo spray (given by my friend) on those area that I don’t want him to do pee/poo? The spray has a strong smell and I'm contemplating to use it.

YOU CAN TRY. THE BEST IS TO ENSURE THAT HIS SLEEPING AND EATING AREAS ARE FURTHEST AWAY FROM THE POOPING AREA AND

THE MIDDLE OF THE CRATE.



XXX: I tried spraying on the red rubber mat and Cookie refused to eat after that. I guess its due to the pungent smell. He continues his eating after I wiped the mat.

SPRAY IS NOT VERY USEFUL IN MANY CASES




Qn 2: It seems like he’s trained to pee/poo in the crate. Is that a good idea? It’s ideal for us since we are working. However, if we bring Cookie out eg. to a friend’s place, will he pee/poo everywhere since there’s no crate?

YOU MAY NEED TO BRING YOUR CRATE ALONG. COOKIE WILL PEE AND POOP ANYWHERE IF LET ALONE FOR THE FIRST 2-4 WEEKS as he is not fully house broken.



XXX: how do we determine if a puppy is fully house broken?

WHEN THE PUPPY KNOWS WHERE TO PEE AND POOP IN AREA REQUIRED BY THE OWNER. E.G. PAPER TRAINED PUPPY WILL ELIMINATE ON PAPERS ONLY AT ALL TIMES, UNLESS THERE IS NO PAPER. OR HOP INTO CRATE WHEN HE NEEDS TO ELIMINATE AND NOWHERE ELSE. OR TO A SPOT IN THE GARDEN.



Qn3: Cookie seems to be stepping hard on his own poo when all of us are asleep. He’s also seems to be shifting them around. I can see portions of it at different areas of the crate. We also caught him eating his own poo once. How do we prevent such action from happening especially when we are all asleep?


EATING STOOLS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT. YOU MAY NEED TO REMOVE STOOLS PROMPTLY. IF NOT PRACTICAL, YOU MAY NEED OTHER METHODS I had mentioned in my blog. These are not guaranteed to succeed.

XXX: Will try a few of the methods and update you on the improvement.



Qn4: When I let him out to play in the living room, will it be better to leave the crate door open and let him run to the crate to pee/poo? YES. HOWEVER, MONITOR HIM CLOSELY SO THAT HE DOES NOT PEE/POOP OUTSIDE THE CRATE. KEEP ALL DOORS OF BEDROOMS CLOSED.

XXX: So far he hasn't poo outside but has an accidental pee just outside the toilet.



Or will it be better to lay newspapers on a pee pan (given by my friend) with Cookie’s urine smell at a corner so he can pee/poo when he’s out playing and need not rush back to the crate? DECIDE ON ONE METHOD - CRATE WITH WIRE FLOORING OR NEWSPAPERS FOR THE NEXT 2-4 WEEKS IF YOU WANT EARLY SUCCESS. In the Crate method, your dog will then use the Crate as the toilet area and outside as his den in 2-4 weeks, in most cases. So, you just clean the crate. Later, you can buy the GRATE + PEE PAN which is actually the same as the lower half of your present crate, without the enclosed vertical walls.

XXX: "In the Crate method, your dog will then use the Crate as the toilet area and outside as his den in 2-4 weeks, in most cases. So, you just clean the crate." When you said "outside as his den in 2 - 4 weeks", are you saying that Cookie will want to sleep outside of his crate in 2 - 4 weeks?

DEPENDS ON THE TYPE OF TOILET TRAINING PROVIDED BY THE OWNER IN THE FIRST 2-4 WEEKS.

MOST PUPPIES WILL SLEEP OUTSIDE THE CRATE AS THERE IS FREEDOM. JUST GOES INTO THE CRATE'S WIRE FLOORING TO PEE AND POOP. OTHER SMALL BREEDS WILL SLEEP INSIDE THE CRATE AND ELIMINATE OUTSIDE (ON NEWSPAPERS).

As for Grate & Pee Pan, can I just used the current pee tray and removed the vertical walls since it's similar to the one you recommended?

OK



I've let him out of the crate twice on 26 Apr and surprisingly, he climbs back to his crate when he's thirsty after running a few rounds. I see that as a good sign of recognising his own den?


FOCUS ON CRATE TRAINING FOR THE NEXT 2-4 WEEKS, SINCE YOU ARE WORKING AND HAVE NO TIME. IF YOU START PAPER-TRAINING, YOU WILL NEED TO FOCUS ON PAPER TRAINING. The puppy gets confused as to what you want.

XXX: Will heed your advice and focus on crate training for the next 2 - 4 weeks.




YOUR PICTURE SOLVES THE MYSTERY OF WHY YOUR PUPPY PEES EXACTLY IN THE CENTRE. THE PUPPY 'FEELS' THE FLOORING AND IS USED TO THE WIRED FLOORING OF THE PET SHOP. SO HE PEES IN THE CENTRE SINCE YOUR LEFT 1/3 AND RIGHT 1/3 HAS RUBBER MATS WITH A DIFFERENT FEELING.

IN THEORY, YOU SHOULD HAVE ONLY RUBBER MATS ON THE RIGHT 1/3, THE WATER BOTTLE ON THE RIGHT 1/3 FRONT PART AND FEEDING NEAR THE WATER BOTTLE.

SO THE LEFT 2/3 IS THE WIRE FLOORING INTENDED TO BE A TOILET AREA. WIRE FLOOR GRATING. THIS WILL NOT CONFUSE THE PUPPY AS IT DOES "FEEL" THE FLOORING AS WELL AS DETECT THE URINE SMELL IN THE NEWSPAPERS BELOW FOR PEEING AND POOPING.

I HOPE YOU KNOW WHAT I AM WRITING ABOUT.



Sorry for the long post and thank you for the time to read my email, I would be very much delighted to receive your reply



Regards,

41. Focus on one house-breaking method for first 2-4 weeks to succeed

DRAFT

E-MAIL REPLY FROM DR SING DATED APR 28, 2010

Thank you for email. It is best that you email 2-4 pictures of Cookie's crate + pee pan with the positioning of water bottles, bowls and sleeping area as every puppy is housed differently.

The following is my reply to you:

On Tue, Apr 27, 2010 at 5:36 PM, ...yahoo.com.sg> wrote:

Hi Dr Sing,

I’ve been reading up your toilet training blog and find it very useful when toilet training my puppy. However, I still have a few queries. I’m a first timer raising up a puppy and hence has been quite stress up. I’ve accompanied my puppy for the first 3 days (almost keeping him within my sight) and observed the following:



My puppy is a mix breed of Chihuahua and Pomeranian, 3 months named XXX. He was with us since 24 Apr 10.



The pet shop owner came with a crate with wire flooring and a pee pan below. Initially I try to carry XXX to the bathroom after nap/food with newspapers laid on the floor but was unsuccessful. Cookie usually poos twice a day, 1 in the early morning and another one in weird timing. I realized that he only pees in the middle of the crate; I supposed it’s due to the urine smell. He pooed everywhere though.


XXX IS USED TO THIS WIRE FLOOR SYSTEM. HE WAS IN THE PET SHOP WITH SUCH A SYSTEM. AS TO POOPING EVERYWHERE, ARE YOU SURE? Where is his sleeping area? Is the crate too small?



Qn 1: Do you think XXX will poo in the middle like where he used to pee if I spray those anti-pee/anti-poo spray (given by my friend) on those area that I don’t want him to do pee/poo? The spray has a strong smell and I'm contemplating to use it.

YOU CAN TRY. THE BEST IS TO ENSURE THAT HIS SLEEPING AND EATING AREAS ARE FURTHEST AWAY FROM THE POOPING AREA AND THE MIDDLE OF THE CRATE.



Qn 2: It seems like he’s trained to pee/poo in the crate. Is that a good idea? It’s ideal for us since we are working. However, if we bring XXX out eg. to a friend’s place, will he pee/poo everywhere since there’s no crate?

YOU MAY NEED TO BRING YOUR CRATE ALONG. XXX WILL PEE AND POOP ANYWHERE IF LET ALONE FOR THE FIRST 2-4 WEEKS as he is not fully house broken.



Qn3: XXX seems to be stepping hard on his own poo when all of us are asleep. He’s also seems to be shifting them around. I can see portions of it at different areas of the crate. We also caught him eating his own poo once. How do we prevent such action from happening especially when we are all asleep?


EATING STOOLS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT. YOU MAY NEED TO REMOVE STOOLS PROMPTLY. IF NOT PRACTICAL, YOU MAY NEED OTHER METHODS I had mentioned in my blog. These are not guaranteed to succeed.



Qn4: When I let him out to play in the living room, will it be better to leave the crate door open and let him run to the crate to pee/poo? YES. HOWEVER, MONITOR HIM CLOSELY SO THAT HE DOES NOT PEE/POOP OUTSIDE THE CRATE. KEEP ALL DOORS OF BEDROOMS CLOSED.


Or will it be better to lay newspapers on a pee pan (given by my friend) with Cookie’s urine smell at a corner so he can pee/poo when he’s out playing and need not rush back to the crate? DECIDE ON ONE METHOD - CRATE WITH WIRE FLOORING OR NEWSPAPERS FOR THE NEXT 2-4 WEEKS IF YOU WANT EARLY SUCCESS. In the Crate method, your dog will then use the Crate as the toilet area and outside as his den in 2-4 weeks, in most cases. So, you just clean the crate. Later, you can buy the GRATE + PEE PAN which is actually the same as the lower half of your present crate, without the enclosed vertical walls.





I've let him out of the crate twice on 26 Apr and surprisingly, he climbs back to his crate when he's thirsty after running a few rounds. I see that as a good sign of recognising his own den?


FOCUS ON CRATE TRAINING FOR THE NEXT 2-4 WEEKS, SINCE YOU ARE WORKING AND HAVE NO TIME. IF YOU START PAPER-TRAINING, YOU WILL NEED TO FOCUS ON PAPER TRAINING. The puppy gets confused as to what you want.



Sorry for the long post and thank you for the time to read my email, I would be very much delighted to receive your reply J



Regards,

Microchip error from the vet?

--- On Sat, 4/24/10, Joanne Woo wrote:


From: Joanne Woo
Subject: Error in microchip number
To: judy@toapayohvets.com
Date: Saturday, April 24, 2010, 4:09 AM

Dear Dr. Sing,

We spoke on the phone earlier regarding the wrong microchip number given to me when I first brought my dog, Oreo to be vaccinated and microchipped at your clinic on 30 March 2008.

Basically, I found that the microchip implanted in my dog has a different number from the bar code that is pasted on his first vaccination form. I have attached a scanned copy of the vaccination form to this email for your perusal.

The microchip number in his body is: XXX6618
The microchip number on the bar code pasted on the vaccination form is: XXX6722

As a result of this misinformation, I have been licensing my dog under the wrong microchip number with AVA for the last 2 years. My next license renewal is due on 6 May 2010 and hence, I would like to rectify this mistake with AVA before I renew it. I would appreciate if you could assist me on this matter.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,
Name of owner


E-MAIL REPLY FROM DR SING.

Thank you for email. There were several Border Collies siblings I microchipped together. I believe that the Seller gave you the wrong microchip paper. I need to scan your Border Collie and give you a report of the correct number.

EXPLANATION FROM DR SING
On the surface, the dog owner must have the misleading impression that I have lost my marbles or my mind. Instead of disputing over the phone, I asked her to email to me a scan of the microchip and vaccination certificate to save time and prevent miscommunications. She was very polite and helpful.

This mystery was solved when the owner emailed me the details of the case as there were more than 1 Border Collie siblings microchipped by me from a home breeder. He must have given any microchip certificate as Border Collies were all black and white and he had no microchip scanner prior to sale.

Hamsters on steroids

From:
To: judy@toapayohvets.com
Date: Saturday, April 24, 2010, 5:28 PM

Hi

My name is XXX, I have been to your place before and I have 2 hamsters that require some medical attention.

Both are about 2 years old, 1 male and 1 female.

Male suffers from having skin lesions and pus filled abcess in skin folds, I clean him regularly and he is on prednisolone, his conditions fluctuate between good and bad, my previous vet has suggested to keeping him in a high dosage of steroids to keep the inflammation and growth down since not much can be done and he is rather old. However recently he has been losing alot of weight and the situation is worse.

The female one has been very healthy for most of 2 years. However she likes getting into fights. She has a little wound above her right eye cause by a fight that simply wouldnt heal. However, the major problems that she has a pus filled growth in her mouth, it was originally very small and on the outside(with no pus), so I also started her on prednisolone. Only this week did I really she was walking weirdly and lethargic, upon further inspection I realized her her mouth sacs were swollen and there was solid pus on the growth. I cleaned off the pus with cotton wool. Also she has a deep red swell on her abdomen, near her right leg. I use the same syringe for both hamsters, but I wash it before feeding medication to each of them. Also, she bit me about 2 weeks ago while I was feeding her, as I pulled away she fell off from about half a meter on the back.

I was wondering if you will be free for a consult on monday evening.

I can be contacted via

Cheers
XXX


I am Dr Sing. From what you described, the infections have overwhelmed the hamsters due to your use of steroids. I will be available during office hours. If you wish, you can leave the hamsters in my Surgery for daily check and treatment rather than just do it yourself.

Grooming success

Today, I spoke to two experienced dog groomers today regarding their business successes as they brought their puppies for vaccination.. Their location is in middle-class areas.

GROOMER 1. Couple. Over 40 years old. Children. Vet surgery nearby.
Challenges.
1. Too many young unqualified groomers underprice
2. Not easier to hire good help.

Advantage:
A vet practice nearby. As the vet does not do grooming, this couple is in an envious position of getting grooming clients. Apparently, a tenant in the laundry business blocked the view of their signboard. I have not visited this shop.

GROOMER 2. A gentleman in his 30s. He was born into the pet shop business and I could see that he had developed the pet shop well. The mother is an experienced groomer. I knew the father for over 10 years and recently visited the shop and had a long chat with him. The father had an accident and was discharged from the general hospital on the same day. He became comatose at home and passed away recently. I was shocked as I had talked to the father about his high cholesterol levels.

1. Underpricing is not the way to sustain the profitability.
2. Quality clientele is the way to go.
3. Dog owners who go for the cheapest quote are not wanted.
4. Important point for growing the business is that the dog must look forward to grooming, not being abused and goes home happily.

CONCLUSION
It is the groomer's service that brings in the cases rather than the pricing.

37. Non-closing midline wound

Every vet will encounter non-healing of a long midline surgical wound. Stitch breakdown is one complications of surgery. This Cocker Spaniel is normal but the wound just will not close some 4 weeks after surgery to remove the stones in the intestines by Vet 1.

The dog went home and the stitch broke down. So Vet 1 had to stitch up the wound again. Yet, the wound just does not heal as the tension in this area is very great. I could see the stitches cutting through and the gap getting bigger.

The assistant applied antibiotic powder daily for the last 2 weeks. The wound was moist, as if exudate leaked from below the skin prevents granulation tissue from forming. Thus the long wound persists and the family members esp. children could not stand the sight of a long moist channel in the belly or underside of their dog.

What can be done to resolve the problem so that the dog can go home? This case study of the management of non-healing wounds in a normal dog would be good for Tanya, the intern.

1. Remove all stitches.
2. Wash the wound daily with clean warm water.
3. Use trimaxazole antibiotic powder. Do not apply cream.
4. Pack gauze onto surface of wound.
5. Bandage the lower chest and abdominal area to prevent exudate formation or irritation by the dog's paws. Although a big e-collar was in place, I suspect that there was some way the dog could lick the wound or the stitches were irritating.
6. Remove the bandage daily and repeat steps 1-5.
7. Antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory would be given to effect.

Today April 22, 2010 is the first day of bandaging. I took a picture yesterday. I have told Tanya to expect granulation in 14 days if the above procedures were done diligently. Let's see.

Basically, a wound will heal by granulation if it is kept clean and dry. Somehow, this dog's wound had not healed and I suspected that the dog had been irritating it when nobody is looking. It is my hypothesis. Whatever it is, all the owner wants is for the wound to close and the dog to go home.