3000. A 20-year-old red-eared slider has lost appetite for over 2 weeks. Why?

Dec 24, 2016

A male and a female red-eared slider of 20 years of age are  housed together. The female has a voracious appetite and is bigger. They love meat like chicken and prawns and ignore vegetables and pellets. So they have been carnivorous for some years.

For over 2 weeks, the male eats much less and now does not eat. He used to bask on top of the female. He closed his right eye. Its eyelids have been swollen and reddish when I first saw him on Dec 23, 2016. The following images show much less swelling  has reduced some 50% after treatment but the terrapin is not active.

He was warded from Dec 23 to 26 for observation. When put to swim today (Day 2), he could float upright but does not move much. Nor did he poop.  His right eyelids are less swollen and red by 50%
after treatment with anti-inflam and antibiotic injection.

Eye pain can cause loss of appetite in the red-eared slider. The female had probably swiped him when he climbed on top of her to bask. He could have injured his own eye and kept rubbing it to relieve his itch.

Isolation from the female. Basking in sunlight for 2 hours daily. Clean water.  Introduce vegetables and fruits. 
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MORE IMAGES

A bearded collie has a large elbow haematoma

Dec 1, 2016.  22 days ago, the Bearded Collie had a big painful swelling above the right elbow. Vet 1 X-rayed and gave anti-flammatory which reduced the swelling considerably. 

Dec 23, 2016. 

But the owner discovered a growing swelling to the lateral side of the elbow. The dog appeared to have licked the right elbow area causing an elbow sore. He consulted Toa Payoh Vets and X-rays were taken. I palpated a soft firm swelling lateral and above the right elbow measuring around 6 cm x 6 cm x 5 cm.

I suspected it would be a haematoma based on the history of the sudden onset painful large swelling seen by Vet 1, a happy vet whom I communicated by phone on Dec 23, 2016. She remembered it was a caudal medial swelling from mid-humeral area to the elbow and gave the anti-inflammatory injection which worked effectively to reduce the swelling. 

Surgical exploration. I used a low dose Domitor + Ketamine 0.4 ml + 0.5 ml respectively IV and gave isoflurane gas. The 7-year-old dog weighed 33 kg

The swelling shot out dark red blood when I electro-incised over the swelling. There were no blood clots. There was a big "dead space" between the skin and the lateral side of the elbow where the blood had accumulated. I stitched up the "dead space" using interrupted absorbable 2/0 sutures. 

So, there was continuous bleeding since this Bearded Collie has been exercised twice a day daily causing rupture of some blood vessels, probably veins as the blood is dark blue. No blood clots but one broken tube looking like a vein was seen. A strange case.

The owner disagreed that the dog had a clotting disorder e.g. low platelets as he said the dog's wound heal easily in the past when bitten by other dogs. So there was no blood test done. 

I advised no more running around for one month to permit healing and clotting. But the owner said the dog needed to exercise before doing his business twice a day.

A very unsual case. Normally, the blood would have clotted and hardened or removed by the body cells. No reservoir of dark blue blood as a haematoma. My hypothesis is that the dog was too active after Vet 1 had given the anti-inflammatory as he felt no pain. So, there was no healing of the blood vessels near the elbow and blood vessels rupture forming a haematoma and some pain and lameness in this beloved dog.

2988. An 8-year-old cat had fits and salivation

Nov 30, 2016. Fits.

Follow up:
After 2 weeks on phenobarb 30mg at 1/4 tab twice a day, the cat has no seizures. To reduce dosage and see whether fits recur. 

Dec 18, 2016

12-year-old Maltese X

Had bleeding gums, foul breath
Bruises all over the body -
Very low platelets (less than 10) but other blood values normal.

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Dec 21, 2016  After 15 mg pred for past week

2996. A 2-year-old male red-eared slider has a swollen neck for 12 days

Around 12 days ago, this terrapin had a swollen neck. The swelling appeared to be smaller and the terrapin was sent home.But the swelling did not subside and the owner came again.
"It could be swelling of fluid due to heart, kidney or liver diseases," I said.

Dec 24, 2016
After 2 injections at 2 days apart, the neck swelling disappeared. He goes home today. He does not eat when given the pellets. His eyes appeared closed as if he was sleepy. 

Dec 24, 2016
After 2 injections at 2 days apart, the neck swelling disappeared. He goes home today. He does not eat when given the pellets. His eyes appeared closed as if he was sleepy. 

The cause of edema and inflammation is unknown. Likely related to exposure to paint pigments as he is housed near cans of paint. But 2 siblings had no problem. 

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Dec 24, 2016
After 2 injections at 2 days apart, the neck swelling disappeared. He goes home today. He does not eat when given the pellets. His eyes appeared closed as if he was sleepy.

The cause of edema and inflammation is unknown. Likely related to exposure to paint pigments as he is housed near cans of paint. But 2 siblings had no problem.

2995. House call review. A 13-year-old male cat has more control of his diabetes mellitus

Dec 20, 2016
House visit

This male cat had 6 episosdes of seizures around 3 months ago. Eats a lot, drinks a lot, pees a lot and yet lose weight (scrawny).

Blood test show hyperglycaemia. I visited the cat and saw that he was not having his clinical signs controlled by the insulin injection. So the cat was still looking for food but lesser urgency than before treatment. I taught the owner how to monitor the cat's progress so that the cat no longer feels hungry and thirsty. This needed time and patience.

House call review

This blog
https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2016/12/2995-13-year-old-male-cat-has-diabetes.html

 

 

House call review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXMCGT1Sa18&feature=emb_logo

2994. A young Chihuahua has an itchy neck

Dec 17, 2016

The father bought this young Chihuahua for his son. There was an older dog in the house. This young dog was neutered two weeks ago. He is energetic and wanted to play with the older dog. I presumed that his itchy neck wound could be due to the claw swipe by the older dog rather than allergy or ringworm.

Other than that. he is OK.