5875. NATURE STORIES

 

NATURE STORIES - When Nature Promotes Mental Wellness 

Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow) 1 Dec 2022 

 

It was a beautiful evening on 29 November 2022 when I decided to relax by myself on the bank of the Seletar Simpang Kiri River. The golden rays of the setting sun bounced off the tree trunks onto the brown waters. But this river was not surging like rapids. Rapids are areas of shallow, fast-flowing water in a river. 

 

This river was calm and very clean. Not littered with garbage, plastic and dead animals. 

The air was fresh. No obnoxious odour. 

 

A gentle breeze waved small ripples across the reflections of the tree trunks on the surface of the water. 

 

Some birds hidden in the shrubs and bushes were clucking away. No crowds. Occasionally a jogger or cyclist passed by me. 

I came here to connect with Nature. 

 

When one lives longer, one encounters issues with one's health, office politics with the boss and challenges of maintaining relationships. Connect with Nature like me. 

 

Take up photography to appreciate the creatures and creations of Nature. Or just have "me-time" walking by Nature. 

 

Four mosquitoes landed on both sun-tanned forearms stealthily. Black hairy ones ready to suck blood to survive and breed. Other mosquitoes hovered along my long pants with no luck. This river bank is their home. They had no chance as I checked my forearms every few seconds. 

 

Of course, they could feast on my nape and I would not know and transmit dengue fever to me. For the past 5 years, I was fortunate not to contact dengue fever. 

 

Connection with Nature promotes my mental wellness as I have a better understanding of my worries after that. Hence, I recommend that adults with busy careers and demanding bosses, meetings and retirees sedentary at home bossing family members and eating too much, to connect with Nature.  

 

#singapore 
#connectwithnature 
#seletarsimpangkiririver  
#singkongyuen 
#instagram.com/toapayohvets 
#instagram.com/davidsing1 
#shutterstock.com/g/toapayohvets 
 
TO BUY PHOTO:    www.shutterstock.com/g/toapayohvets 

  

UPDATES AT:  

 https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2022/11/4175-connect-with-nature.html 

5873. VET STORIES - squeaking hamster

 

1. INSTAGRAM  @toapayohvets 

1 JUN 2021. BE KIND TO PETS VETERINARY STORIES. . 
THE CASE OF THE SQUEAKING HAMSTER --- SHOW AND TELL 
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow) 

This 2-month-old male dwarf hamster’s fractured left hind leg was amputated at the knee level at Toa Payoh Vet 3 weeks ago. She consulted me on 27 May, as tele-consultations & photos were not as good as a proper physical examination.   

"Now Hammie has two unusual behaviours," Ms Thompson said. “Firstly, he squeaked loudly for some time on two occasions. Secondly, he used his right hind paw or both front paws to scratch his left ear vigorously every day!" 

"The intense squeaking suggested pain," I pointed to the bruised brown patch on the left scrotum. "Self-inflicted biting and friction on the bedding led to bruised genital and pain."  Ms Thompson was satisfied with my cause and effect explanation. 

“As for the inflamed left ear, frequent scratchings with the right hind paw to relieve ear itchiness were the cause,” I explained. “Some dirt or sand had lodged deep inside the left ear canal.  I showed her the close-up digital photos of the affected areas to account for the behaviours after I treated the itchy left ear via ear irrigation.  

SHOW AND TELL using CLOSE-UP PHOTOS gain the trust of the owner as the dwarf hamster's ear and scrotum are relatively small in area. Ms Thompson could see the inflamed areas clearly and she felt much happier after viewing the close-ups. “Please WhatsApp the photos to me,” she reminded me as she boarded her GrabRental taxi home to her Orchard Road condo to continue her work from home after lunch. 

 

UPDATES AND MORE INFORMATION AT: 
https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2021/05/3597-case-of-squeaky-dwarf-hamster.html