1469. A cat in Myanmar has pyometra - script

Birth control injections for women used for female cats

Birth control injections

Two uterine horns filled with yellow pus

FINAL VIDEOS

Video in the English language

Video in the Myanmar language

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A proposed script for the "A Cat in Myanmar Has Pyometra" is as follows:


Scene of Yangon's downtown flats, traffic jam and sprawling suburban area.
Much more suburban areas in Yangon with farms and houses. 2 minutes of VIDEOS

Video of Singapore's apartments and apartments  2 minutes of VIDEOS

Pyometra - pus in the womb

cystic endometrial hyperplasia

bacterial infections

vaginal discharge - pus


SOLUTIONS TO CATERWAULING IN YANGON COMPARED TO SINGAPORE

Caterwauling    noise nuisance  urbanised Singapore

                         bigger area in Yangon


INCIDENCE OF PYOMETRA IN YANGON COMPARED TO SINGAPORE

Rare in Singapore cats as cat owners spay their home cats. No vets give the birth control injections as a solution to caterwauling.

Common in Yangon cats
Birth control Synthetic progesterone injections for caterwauling
Side effects of the use of such injections

Synthetic progesterone injections - Not given by Singapore vets and requested by cat owners.
The solution is to spay the caterwauling cats. In my over 30 years of practice in Toa Payoh Vets in Singapore, I have not seen a case of cat pyometra.

So I was quite excited in seeing such cases in Royal Asia Veterinary Surgery on visits in July 2014. I followed up this  case and communicated with the cat owner.

SUBTITLES IN VIDEO

spay by Dr Aung

Dr Sing talks to owner during consultation and post-op   VIDEOS SUBTITLES


LOBULATED WOMB of present case study. Show one image

Image of another cat with pyometra seen during Dr Sing's visit in June 2014

TIPS AND ADVICES
1. Be careful not to incise the full bladder when you incise the skin. Palpate for full bladder first but some vets may not do this and therefore incise the bladder accidentally.
.
Illustration of "RUB". 
Dr Aung expressed the bladder to access the uterus.

2. Make a long skin incision. In my experience, a spay hook is a waste of time as a larger incision enables the vet to take out the swollen womb without the need of a hook.
VIDEO OF HOOKING

CONCLUSION

1. From a management point of view, the cheapest, convenient and most effective solution to a challenge is the best. In Myanmar cats, a birth-control injection appears to is the cheapest, convenient and most effective solution to stop the cat caterwauling. Usually it is given 3-4 monthly. In this case, the owner was happy to get an annual injection.

2. Culture of the Myanmar people. Most of them are Buddhists.

VIDEO OF UPPASANTHA PAGODA IN NAYPYITAW

Ovariohysterectomy (spaying) involves surgery to remove the ovaries and womb. This surgery may be against the Buddhist belief of causing harm to the cat. So cats are not spayed since there are anti-caterwauling injections.

HOOK -   AUDIO OF CATERWAULING CATS in some HDB apartment areas.

3. Spaying leads to death. Some vets in rural areas may not advocate spays. Deaths may be due to lack of sepsis or experience and skills. So antibiotics are prescribed when there is pyometra.


FINAL VIDEOS

Video in the English language

Video in the Myanmar language




UPDATE AS AT 13 SEP 2020.

There are many new small animal practices set up over the past 10 years. Spaying of the female cat is acceptable and the use of synthetic progesterone as birth control is not so common nowadays. Hence, there are less incidence of pyometra in the female cat as compared to 2014 when I visited Dr Thein Tun Aung at Royal Asia Veterinary Surgery.

Dr Thein Tun Aung (left), 

1468. Be Kind To Pets - Images and others

1467. Carnaissal tooth email query

EMAIL TO TOA PAYOH VET  AUG 14, 2014

Hi,

I think my 15year old JRT has fistula with discharge from carnaissal tooth abscess on his right cheek. 

Can I check whether it is advisable to do scaling at this age? GA or sedation?

How much is the cost of blood test, scaling,extraction and etc?

Look forward to your reply soonest.

many thanks



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

 Hi

Apologies, should be 13year old.

thanks
------------------------------------------

I am Dr  Sing Kong Yuen from Toa Payoh Vets.

In reply:

I like to know: 

1. How to know if it's dental issues? 

DENTAL DISEASES ARE PERIODONTAL DISEASE as described by you as loose and dropping teeth.  

2. I did see a bruise on his tongue, dunno if he bites it or ulcer? No pain on him though 

HARD TO SAY WHAT IS THE CAUSE

3. Is there any dental xray available? 

YES, AT SOME CLINICS. NOT AT TOA PAYOH VETS

4. Will he die if need to go under GA for teeth extraction or scaling? He had 2 mitral valves torn so his heart is very bad. 

It is highly risky to anaesthesize your old and sick dog to take out the bad teeth. If you are willing to take the risk, then please let me know. He looks very thin and the risks are much higher.

Best wishes.   

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1456. Feedback to SIA

August 20, 2014

To: saa_feedback@singaporeair.com.sg

Flight details: SQ 997, RGN/SIN, 19.8.14
Crew: CS: Mani. FS: Tim. FSS: Joanna.  FSS:Oruphiche

Dear Feedback Manager

1. You have a good loyal cabin crew, FS Tim, who bothered to request me to provide feedback on how SIA can improve its services, from one passenger's point of view. So I write today before the hectic life of a veterinary surgeon and living in high-cost Singapore overwhelms me.

CS Mani had given me a feedback form which I had rated the services. This was the first time I got a feedback form to fill in. I had one from Cathay Pacific once. 

2. I spoke to FS Tim when he was serving lunch and since he asked me what drink I preferred, I said I would like the hot spicy can of tomato sauce. He had not heard of such an item but another SIA steward recommended me on one flight to Europe. He offered to make me one but I declined. On some long haul flights, I do speak to the cabin crew to know more about their work and they had been most friendly.  

3. The cabin crew's name tag in gold letters on black background effectively made their names invisible and this may be good as passengers can't complain about poor services. I had to ask FS Tim his name as I could not read his name tag.  .

4. HOW TO IMPROVE THE SERVICES OF SIA?
4.1 Inflight service. The SIA has a culture of providing happy inflight services with a smile. Communicating with passengers will be good but this is not for every cabin crew as it depends on time and personality.

I remember one older cabin crew who recommended my wife and I the spicy tomato juice on a flight to Europe when we asked for tomato juice. That was most memorable and I got an image of him. He was ex-military and had worked in an interesting arms sales job in the middle east.

4.2  Food quality. My wife and I loved flying SIA in the earlier years and still has SIA as No.1 choice. Food was one attraction. Cathay Pacific and Emirates have caught up on the quality while SIA has had declined in quality in general. For example, on this flight SQ 997 from Yangon, the fish with potatoes, carrots, long beans and 2 pieces of "turkey" was of poor quality. The "turkey" pieces were not edible. The fish was in small portion and had a faint "fishy" smell.

SIA used to have good quality food in the earlier years (some 20 years ago) and we always looked forward to the food on our flights to the USA with our children.. 

4.3 I don't travel much and so my feedback may not be useful. Around 3 trips per year in the last few years.

4.4 Ticket prices. Nowadays, my wife's favourite tour operator (EU Holidays) seem to package European tours with Emirates and other airlines saying SIA is too expensive, amongst other reasons.

4.5. Budget Airlines competition.  I tried Tiger Air to Yangon. It is cheaper but the legroom is practically non-existent. I note that SQ 997 on Airbus 300 has more legroom.

4.6. Competition from Emirate Airlines. Emirate Airlines appears to be financially stronger than SIA and has improved its inflight food based on my flight last year as compared to 3 years ago.

Its Boeing 707 aircraft to Europe, during my 2013 packaged tour travel is newer. Its inflight entertainment screen services appear to be updated and hence easier to use. It has an international cabin crew that provides efficient, good inflight services and speaks English well. From my few conversations with the crew, Emirates has attracted good jobless graduates from Portugal and other European countries.

It is good that SIA has most of its cabin crew Singaporean as that is its unique selling proposition. It is very hard to beat a well-funded competitor who do not bother with the bottom line for the earlier years. This situation is common in every business including my veterinary business.

4.7  I propose a "mystery shopper" to fly on SIA and other airlines and find out what the services are and what improvements can be made. What are the deficiencies of services in other airlines? This report should be read by the top management. Not just in the "feedback unit" files.

4.8. Social media marketing. This is a big area which I think SIA is conservative. I seldom visit your website as it is probably just dated and is only for booking.

4.9 Email Promotional fares to prospective customers. I don't know  whether this is permitted under the new laws.

4.10 In-flight reading. Good to have a variety of newspapers like Financial times, Business Times, Straits times. How about the tabloid New Paper catering to the common man?

4.11 Publication of feedback from customers in the monthly inflight magazine if it still exists in the printed form.

4.12. Online competition on writing travel stories. I believe it is offered but it should be linked to the SIA webpage if it is not done. I have not been to your website for ages, after the bad publicity of its poor technical performance in the past year.




4.13  Paintings from local artists and books from local authors for sale. Maybe this should be available as other airlines will not sell such items. Painting on local tourist spots and people at affordable prices and be portable.



4.14  Dented "tail fin". I saw one plane somewhere in Europe and took an image. It had a dented "tail fin" and it should be repaired before allowing it to fly. Very rarely do airlines have dented "tail fin".


I hope the above feedback will be useful.

I had written "The business of horse racing" some years ago. It may be useful. Pl see link at:
http://www.asiahomes.com/dev/20120513history-1988-horse-racing-decline-veterinary-ToaPayohVets.htm



Best wishes to FS Tim and thank you to the staff for providing excellent services to a passenger of Seat 48 H.

Dr Sing Kong Yuen



 

  . 

 .     

1455. Life Is A Journey. Complete It. - Script for interns Aug 21, 2014

To: Interns. Divide video in parts. Each part should be in 20 minutes.
Follow script below.


1.  HOOK
Video
BEAUTIFUL RURAL SCENES AND YESIN DAM ON AUG 15, 2014
VIDEO. Scenic drive to Yezin  Vet Univ. 
VIDEO. Yezin Dam on August 15, 2014. Bright sunshine. Two boatmen on lake.


 INSERT SOME FOOTAGE OF 1-3 MINUTES OR MORE IF RELEVANT.

Insert images before video as follows:







2.  BE KIND TO PETS VET EDUCATIONAL VIDEO
Insert image


 


3. TITLE OF VIDEO
Life is a journey. Complete it.
Insert Image






4.  INTRODUCTION
This video shares the joys and challenges encountered by Dr Sing Kong Yuen in giving a one-hour video talk to the Final Year Vet Students . Some solutions for the next lecturers are proposed. There were two parts of the lecture. A morning lectures by 3 vets. An afternoon surgical procedure demonstration by Dr Aung.  


 Date of lecture (morning) & surgical demonstrations (afternoon): August 15, 2014
Friday Talk to Final Year Vet Students
University of Veterinary Science, Yezin, Naypyitaw, Myanmar
Organised by Myanmar Veterinary Association
Sponsored by Royal Asia Veterinary Surgery, Yangon, Myanmar


MORNING 9am - 12 noon. LECTURE HALL


5. THREE GUEST LECTURERS. 9am-12 noon. One hour/lecturer
5.1  Dr Sing Kong Yuen, Veterinary Surgeon, Toa Payoh Vets, Singapore
"You Can Be A Very Good Vet in Myanmar"

The 2 parts of the original video are at YouTube:
Part 1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ge67qKoHqA&feature=youtu.be
Part 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of11BSpgLIo&feature=youtu.be
INTERN TO CREATE HYPERLINK OF ABOVE YOUTUBE VIDEOS IN THIS VIDEO

The whole video talk is 1 hour and 6 minutes. However, with explanations and help in interpretation by Dr Aung, the lecture would be around 1.5 hours. With the more than half hour delay in the technical issues of transferring files to the University laptop as mentioned below, the whole period probably took 2 hours.


5.2  Dr Thein Tun Aung, Veterinary Surgeon, Royal Asia Veterinary Surgery
"Heartworm Diseases, Pyometra"

IMAGE of Dr Thein Tun Aung energetically sharing his experiences in veterinary surgery with the final year students in the Myanmar language. He is an excellent lecturer (see Video). However, he had to stop at 12 noon as it would be lunch-time and there was the afternoon program of surgical demonstrations by Dr Aung.





5.3  Dr Tin Tin Myaing, President, Myanmar Veterinary Association
Cancelled owing to time taken up by the first two lecturers. An active President of the MVA, spending much time in promoting continuing education for Myanmar vets with her commitee members including the Secretary, Dr Soe Min. The MVA organises of the weekly Friday lectures for Vet Students in Yezin.

INSERT Image of Yezin  University of Vet Science.

5.4  AUDIENCE - Final year students before their exam in September


 

 
VIDEO OF students listening to Dr Thein Tun Aung lecturing. He helped to interpret Dr Sing's lecture hence over-extending the one-hour limit per lecture. This meant that the 3rd lecturer's talk had to be cancelled.


AFTERNOON 1 PM - 5PM
Veterinary Teaching Hospital

Surgery demonstrations by Dr Thein Tun Aung after lunch. Surgeries include dog spay, neuter, transmissible veneral tumour surgery in a female dog, ascites in a dog. Students were very keen to video with their smart phones.  

Royal Golden View Hotel had a power cut off, on Aug19, 2014 at 7.15 am for a few seconds. This situation does occur.  

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

1. MAIN ORGANISERS
Preparation for guest lecturers' talk by the President, Secretary and committee members of Myanmar Veterinary Association and Staff of the Yezin Vet Science University and volunteers

Dr Tin Tin Myaing (4th from left), President of MVA and volunteers

Dr Soe Min (3rd from left), Secretary of MVA and volunteers

SOME VOLUNTEERS - Two young vets and ex-classmates (left) meet again. Volunteers for the talk

2. SPONSORS - Royal Asia Veterinary Surgery

Dr Thin Thin Soe (right) of Royal Asia Veterinary Surgery

Dr Sing thanks Dr Thin Thin Soe of Royal Asia Veterinary Surgery for sponorship and time in sight-seeing of Naypyitaw surroundings one day before the lecture and after the lecture.

Yezin Dam one day before the lecture. There was a drizzle and the image was not as beautiful as on the sunny day of the lecture

Sight-seeing  Pagoda

.

IMAGES & VIDEO OF FAMOUS PAGODA

Visited Uppathasanti Pagoda. Ladies wearing skirts and pants are not permitted to tour the Pagoda

.

DR SING KONG YUEN THANKS THE FOLLOWING:

1. The President of the MVA for proposing and organising this group photo. It is rare for lecturers to have such opportunities to be with his or her audience outside the lecture hall

2. The Rector of the University of Veterinary Science

3. Drs Thin Thin Soe and Thein Tun Aung (left and middle) for sponsorship and sight-seeing and their friendship.

CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS FOR GUEST LECTURERS PRESENTING VIDEOS

1. This is the first time that a one-hour video prepared by Dr Sing for the vets. The video could not be downloaded into the thumb drives even at 32 GB. Solution: Download in 1 to 2 TB hard discs is fine.

2. The one-hour video, in retrospective review, should be in 3 parts of 20-minute videos as attention span of students would be around 15 minutes generally. Feedback from Dr Aung indicated that video PLUS oral explanation in Myanmar language by him or  by me pausing the video made the lecture so much more interesting. However, the one-hour limit per lecturer became extended, resulting in cancellation of the 3rd speaker's lecture.

The following Youtube video has 3 parts of the original video at around 20 minutes/part:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3





3. Incompatible connections between University projector and Dr Sing's laptop. A blank blue screen appears. A cable connection to the projector was not available on Dr Sing's ultrahook and so videos could not be played. SOLUTION. Dr Sing copies his video onto the University laptop and the presentation was possible.

4. Slow internet connections in Myanmar. So it is not possible to view the video downloaded on YouTube. A one-hour video will be unstable. SOLUTIONS. Video has to be in the hard disc drive, uploaded on the University laptop.

5. Audio challenges. Ideally, the sounds should be directly from the file in Dr Sing's video. When the file was transferred to the University laptop, there were no sounds. SOLUTION. The University's lectern had a mobile microphone. This microphone was placed over the University laptop running he video. The sounds could not be heard clearly.

 


6. Myanmar language videos. Dr Sing believes that the Final Year Students have varying standards of understanding the English language.  SOLUTION. 4 surgical procedures were presented in the Myanmar language so as to communicate better with the final year students.  Translation was done by a Myanmar vet working in Toa Payoh Vets. However, English text is also displayed as Power Point slides instead of just narrating in the Myanmar language as much of the original intention can be lost in translation.    

7. No clear view of the surgical procedures demonstrated by Dr Aung as the operation room was packed with more than 100 students. Even with one student standing on a chair, it is hard to video the surgery with smartphones.  So a complete view of the whole surgery was not possible. SOLUTION. An overhead camera and LED screens outside the operating room for students to fully view the start to end of the surgical procedures and listen to explanations by Dr Aung. This could be the ideal solution but the costs may be high. 

CONCLUSION

Lectures by foreign vets are best given in the Myanmar language to be effective. Translation and interpretation by a local vet may be the better alternative than just English speaking of the presentation.

This must be one most memorable visit to Yezin Veterinary University by Dr Sing as it was eventful.

The drive from Yangon to Naypyitaw is around 5 hours. It can be very tiring for one driver. 
There is a single highway police signboard "Life Is A Journey. Complete It".  What does it mean?

It had significant meaning to Dr Sing as the Toyota Surfer landed in a drain on the way back from Naypyitaw to Yangon.  Should there be fatal accidents, "Life As A Journey will not be completed."    Fortunately, nobody was killed.   


After the accident, Dr Sing spent the afternoon appreciating the surroundings next to the highway police station. Myanmar butterflies (video and images).



He met a rice field fisherman.

This image of Dr Sing Kong Yuen was taken when he met a rice-field fisherman the day after the lecture. The traps the fisherman carried would be place inside the waters of the rice fields overnight. Fishes will swim inside the traps and he would collect the traps the next day. 




THERE ARE VIDEOS OF BUTTERFLIES.
VIDEOS OF RICE FIELD FISHERMAN
INSERT SOME FOOTAGE OF 1-3-2 MINUTES OR MORE IF RELEVANT.


This was one most unforgetable visit to Myanmar's Veterinary University for Dr Sing. He hopes that everyone will appreciate that "Life Is A Journey. Complete It".

 

To the final year vet students.  Follow your dreams. Take good care of your health.


 

Have a very good sleep before you drive on the Yangon-Naypyitaw expressway. Live to a ripe old age. Life Is A Journey. Complete It.
 




Thank you for watching

CREDITS