Sunday Mar 2, 2013
To reduce waiting
time to less than 5
minutes, I work on
Sundays from 9 am to
5pm while Dr Daniel
arrives later. This
Sunday, he had
returned from Siem
Reap at 12 midnight
on Saturday, via Ho
Chih Min. My wife
and I picked him at
the Terminal One
Airport where Jet
Star landed. On
Sunday, he suffered
3 bouts of bloody
diarrhoea
gastroenteritis. I
asked him to go home
to rest but he
shouldered on. Some
vets would just take
medical leave. It
was a busy Sunday
and some clients
just wanted to
consult him and no
other vets.
Around 4 pm, a
groomer phoned for
an "emergency" as
she had cut off the
tip of a Maltese
dog's tail.
Apparently, the dog
moved suddenly and
the tail end was
snipped off. Blood
shot out and she
applied tons of the
purple potassium
permanganate powder.
The bleeding had
stopped but the tail
was full of purplish
granules and
discoloured.
"Are you sure that
the owner has agreed
to veterinary
treatment by me?" I
asked her a few
times. "Some owners
want their own vet
to treat since you
will be paying for
the expenses."
Groomers who are
experienced will not
have a proper
contract as regards
the choice of vets
since they are
paying. Otherwise,
the owner may go to
the most expensive
vet in Singapore and
the bill can come up
to $1,000.
One dog owner told
me that he had
referred a friend to
this expensive vet
for a puppy
vaccination The bill
was $400. "Is
vaccination of a
puppy $400 but the
market is around
$40?" he asked me.
"There may be other
examinations e.g.
X-rays, blood tests
and so the bill is
$400," I said. Pet
owners talk about
the total amount,
not the breakdown.
This owner said: "Do
you know how to
prevent your clients
from asking for
discount?"
"I usually discuss
the costs first," I
replied.
"Just put up a
notice like this
most expensive vet
in Singapore," he
replied
"What notice?"
"A notice to display
prominently at the
counter with the
words "PLEASE DON'T
EMBARRASS YOURSELF
BY ASKING FOR
DISCOUNTS".
This was something
new to me.
As for this
groomer's dog tail
bleeding, the
groomer had said
that the dog owner
had given permission
for the dog to be
treated at Toa Payoh
Vets. We sedated the
dog after cleaning
up the wound. The
tail was spurting
red blood and the
coccygeal bone was
visible. This tail
had to be stitched
up with a skin flap
after shortening it
a bit.
The groomer left to
attend to more
outstanding grooming
cases but her
colleague left her
mobile phone in the
Surgery. It rang and
the dog owner was
asking about the
location of Toa
Payoh Vets. A couple
in their late 40s
and their pre-teen
daughter came.
"I want my dog to be
treated at XXX," the
wife reiterated the
name a few times as
I took the couple to
the operation room
where the dog was
sedated and given
isoflurane gas. The
husband asked a few
questions. I told Dr
Daniel to cease
operations and hand
over the dog. There
would be much more
problems if we
persuaded the wife
to let us complete
the operation. "Give
her the details of
sedation and
treatment given so
that her vet would
know what was
given." I told Dr
Daniel. The groomer
came and apologised
for the cut tail.
"The dog moved
suddenly while I was
clipping," she
explained.
Despite being given
the details, the
receptionist of the
wife's vet still
phoned to ask for
more info about some
other matters. "This
dog was being
groomed and its tail
end was accidentally
cut off," I said. "I
don't have more
info."
It was 5 pm on a
Sunday. It was
closing time. But
for this
inexperienced
groomer, I quoted a
discounted rate of
$250 for
anaesthesia, surgery
of tail amputation
and creating a flap,
stitching,
antibiotics and
pain-killers. This
was service charge
at cost as my normal
fees would be $400 -
$500.
I know groomers have
a hard time earning
a living owing to
high rentals and
cost of manpower and
so this discount
applied to groomers
only. Grooming a dog
usually costs around
$50 including
transportation and
vet fees cost more
such that some
groomers do not
inform the owners
when the dog's skin
had been snipped
during grooming.
I would say that the
wife's vet bill
would be at $800
(after-office hours
Sunday emergencies)
and if the wife had
chosen the most
expensive vet in
Singapore, it would
be at least $1,500.
That is the reality
of life. An
experienced groomer
would have limited
the liability of
veterinary payment
for accidents and
provide a list of
his or her own vets
to treat such cases.
For this groomer, I
met her the first
time and I don't
know whether she had
encountered such
common situations of
nicking the skin
during grooming or
cutting off the tail
end before.
She would be around
30 years of age, a
fair lady of medium
height. She should
have some years of
experience although
her handling of this
case suggested that
she had no prior
experience. The
correct way to
control tail
bleeding with the
tail transected
showing the tail
bone would be to
apply a piece of
cotton wool and
bandage up the
tail before seeking
vet treatment. The
purple powder is not
to be used in
profuse tail
bleeding as the
owner would never
accept this staining
powder all over the
backside of her dog,
even if tail
bleeding could be
controlled. There
was no bleeding when
the dog arrived.
I know of one
experienced and
organised puppy sale
and grooming
organisation that
would mandate a
grooming contract
listing their
approved veterinary
practices for
which they would pay
for treatment. It is
sound business
management. I guess
it is just like
"informed consent"
for anaesthesia and
surgery which vets
ought to make owners
sign.
Updates will be at
this webpage:
http://www.bekindtopets.com/stories/20130304groomer_tail_cut_toapayohvets.htm
