Sunday, January 5, 2014

1288. Videos


An itchy Schnauzer passes blood in the urine
http://youtu.be/x1iB9WMWjCY

The hamster 2 days after nose abscess lancing operation - Part 2/2
http://youtu.be/JCsUFQWJAT0


The hamster 2 days after nose abscess lancing operation - Part 1/2
http://youtu.be/I6V9v572t6s



The hamster has a nose abscess lancing operation
http://youtu.be/y-onI8CyhsY

Armpit abscess Part 1/8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL8sEkuNYbA



Armpit abscess Part 2/8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD88yD-AmEI



Armpit abscess Part 3/8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub4H6Oys5p0

Armpit abscess Part 4/8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI9WVy-EgCI

5/8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvfIQUOgucg


6/8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drtmLfcie2I


7/8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6sH6bRY3f4


8/8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJAwkmgO7B0



Social media is not so important if the product sells like hot cakes - Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32G-hiiIkcc


Social media is not so important if the product sells like hot cakes - Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44ww3B5ZY4U



How to treat a large hardened-nosed dwarf hamster

Saturday, Jan 4, 2014


A father with 2 lovely little daughters aged 8 years and a younger one, brought this 14-month-old female dwarf hamster to Toa Payoh Vets on Dec 28, 2013. The nose swelling was a gigantic inflamed swelling of 1.5 cm x 0.8 cm x 0.5 cm. Incredibly large and hard. She has wet tail too.
She was hospitalized for treatment with antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and fluids.

Only on Jan 2, 2014 was the abscess softened and the hamster could eat. Pus could be seen lying inside the bridge of the nose as a swelling. The hamster was given isoflurane gas anaesthesia and the abscess lanced. There was a lot of bleeding after expressing the pus. The tip of the nose had a circular scab which concealed caseated balls of pus. These were removed.








The hamster was in shock after the surgery and I thought she would die. Subcutaneous fluid and medication were given for 2 days. The blood clots were cleared on Jan 3, 2014.

On Jan 4, 2014, she looked better (image above) and was sent home for owner to nurse her.  It is not easy to treat a hamster with a gigantic hard inflamed nose as the bacterial infection inside the bridge of the nose spreads extensively. The principles of treatment is similar as that for the dog or cat but in the dwarf hamster, the risks of anaethesia in a sick hamster is much higher.

Vets must perform too and a hamster is expected to be alive and cured at the end of hospitalization. This hamster survived and everybody is happy.

Some Youtube videos have been posted.






Thursday, January 2, 2014

1286. The lab retriever puppy has a painful swollen shoulder

3 days after purchase, the 2-month-old lab retriever's left shoulder swells. Why?





This case was seen by Dr Daniel a day earlier, when the owner complained of the $2,500 pup being unable to bear weight on the left fore leg. The shoulder was X-rayed but no fractures were found. The "growth plate" was abnormal.

On Day 2, I spent some time talking to the owner and videoed the puppy whose elbow is now swollen. Blood would have gone down from the shoulder to the elbow now, in my observation.

"It is best to get a veterinary check up after purchase," I advised. The gentleman had purchased the last of the litter from the private home breeder.
"He said he did not want to sell as this is the last puppy left," the owner showed me a video that the breeder had sent to his mobile phone.

The short clip showed this puppy climbing up the playpen fence and jumping down from the top of the fence to meet the dam.

"The pup landed on  his left front paw which is hidden from view," I said to the owner. "This could be the evidence that he had injured his shoulder which swells 3 days after purchase since you said that the puppy was walking and running about normally during the day of purchase."

The owner kept the puppy and it appears to be bearing weight on the left fore limb when I phoned 3 days later.

1285. A dwarf hamster has a painful swollen red nose



Videos on progress of treatment at Toa Payoh Vets

DAY 1

DAY 4 OF HOSPITALISATION

DAY 4 OF HOSPITALISATION. EATING NOW


 

 

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

1284. A dwarf hamster has an itchy swollen right ear

A young couple brought in this 50-g hamster with a red hairless swollen right ear.
"He has an ear infection in the ear canal," I said. "I need to hospitalize him to reduce his swelling with medication and later to irrigate his ear canal which is now swollen and so no irrigation can be done." I said. The couple was OK with this.

Jan 1, 2014. I checked on the dwarf hamster after 2 days of medication. His ear canal is not so red and liquid yellow pus oozed out (arrow in the image).


 
 
Videos are as follows:
 
 


Day 3 of hospitalization on Jan 1, 2014

 

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

1283. A cat with bald flanks, belly and tail

Dec 31, 2013

Last case of 2013.
I had operated on this 8-year-old cat that had a bladder stone. Now she comes to me with a bald tail, side flanks and belly.
"After your bladder stone operation, the belly area never produce hairs!" the gentleman told me as I advised clipping the cat bald as she had too many fur mites irritating her. The owner decided to take the Samsung smartphone video of this mite under the microscope.
"The whole tail is bald," I am surprised. "This could be due to the anal sac infections." I pulled up the tail and some light brown oil was expressed by the fingers releasing the oil. The cat turned his head and hissed at me

"The bald belly area will be due to the cat's continual licking daily," I said. "So no hairs can grow. As for both flanks being bald, this could be due to a hormonal imbalance condition called bilateral endocrine alopecia. Only that, the tail is not balding in such conditions."

As I looked closed at the upper neck area, there were specks of 3mm x 3 mm seen. Some specks were alive and kicking. So there were fur mites. The
What is the treatment for this cat?

An insecticidal wash in a bath tub after clipping off the contaminated coat.
"What if the hairs don't grow after clipping?" the owner asked.
So I dared not clip off the whole coat. I would sedate the cat and bathe him. The owner will need to decontaminate his big cage and the whole room. As to the source of the mites, the cat loves to lie down on cardboard boxes from China, stored in the room. This cat does not go out of the house or go boarding kennels.

"I live on the 17th floor and no stray cats ever visit him," the gentleman snapped video of the moving mite. Did the fur mites cause hair loss so extensively? What species are they? I need to identify them by doing some research.   

I took a video of the species for further research. 6.40 pm Dec 31, 2013. Will close shop to celebrate New Year.

1282. Urethral obstruction in a young male dog

Monday Dec 31, 2013

Last day of 2013.  The old cat with difficulty in urination and treated by Dr Daniel who had flown off to HongKong today is more lively (Blog 1281).

Suddenly an older Indian owner of a 3-year-old male Jack Russell that could not pee came into the Surgery. He had been boarded a few days ago as is the case with Blog 1281's old cat. Now he could not pee.

A 2nd case of urethral obstruction but in a dog. Same procedure.  Owner permitted X-rays and blood test. I got 20 ml of air pumped into the bladder. No radio-dense stones are seen. "Some stones are not seen on X-rays," the short and slim nurse at the vet practice reminded me.

Blood test and urine test are done.