If you believe in Divine Powers playing fun and games with vets, this case must surely be one of them.
The puppy was purchased with no obvious eyelid growths. Then the puppy started rubbing her eyes all day long as 3 large eyelid growths appear. Why? There is no rational explanation. Tearing stained the left lower eyelid.
Electro-excision is the cure. As the puppy is a high anaesthetic risk, two vets prescribe eye drops. Vets seldom do anaesthesia in puppies, not even once a week, as there are usually no indications. The same applies to Toa Payoh Vets and I am sure for the other 40 veterinary practices.
But these eye drops would not reduce the large inflamed granulomas and will not resolve the puppy's problem of itchy eyelids and continuous scratching. A puppy in distress worries the owner as a puppy can easily die if not treated. What to do?
"Give an eye ointment and ask her to come back one month later," my assistant suggested. I said: "The lady had seen two vets and had got an eye drop. This growths need to be cut off. Preferably by electro-excision. However, the puppy may die under anaesthesia and then we get a big problem. Some owners demand compensation. New puppy deaths are extremely emotional and unpleasant."
I did not further stress the lady by requiring her to sign the consent form for anaesthesia as I noted that she had many questions with no answers from the vet. Why did the eyelid growths occur? What is the cause? Will a new eye drop work? What is the best drug? Why is the paw itchy? For the paw itchiness, I could tell her the cause was ringworm. Will the itchiness disappear with this Surolan ear drops given by Vet 2?
So, I used electro-surgery, a bit of Zoletil IV and isoflurane gas to excise 3 eyelid granulomas (histological confirmation). Then 7 days later, the owner returned. "The puppy is still scratching the eye (despite wearing an e-collar). I found a tick in the face." Therefore the tick must be from the vet. It was likely but it is hard to prove its origins. So I said: "It is possible that the tick came from the grooming as the puppy was clipped bald all over."
"What to do with the open wound? One stitch had come off," the owner pointed to the medial canthus (see picture). The correct method would be to re-stitch under anaesthesia. But that would mean another risk to be taken. Eye drops again? It would not help. I noted a 4th eyelid swelling on the upper eyelid to the right of the previous one. "There is a 4th eyelid growth," I said. "It is best to remove it as it may be the cause of eye rubbing."
This time, I just gave isoflurane gas and excised the big granuloma. Stitching should be from muscle to upper eyelid edge rather than lower eyelid edge to upper eyelid edge to prevent ectropion. The puppy went home with no complaints for the next 10 days. I hope all would be well.
Through my 30 years of small animal practice, I had not encountered this problem in such a young puppy. So, was it Divine play? It is hard to say. I doubt other vets all over the world encounter such a problem. The eyelid granulomas appear some days after purchase, as if by magic.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
The 72-year-old man
Ben is a 72-year-old man and had been in the pharmaceutical business for a very long time. He met an Indonesian Chinese who was very poor but is now worth over $700 million.
This contact bought a Singapore hotel for $35 million. "He just paid $4.5million for a Singapore apartment," Ben said to me as I picked him up from his house to visit the hotel to have lunch with the General Manager. "Everybody talked to him with respect, addressing him as Datuk but I don't give a damn," he said to me.
I had asked Ben whether he could refer a hotel with 30 rooms for 60 people from Myanmar performing in Singapore on Feb 3 and 4 (Chinese New Year). So he recommended this hotel which is 3-star and therefore affordable. At the same time, he would introduce me to the GM and all senior officers there. "The owner is my friend," he said. "Very smart and suspicious. He thought I was getting a commission or fooling around when I told him about 30 rooms requested by you."
"When people are so rich, they have to be suspicious. Everybody wants their money." The man had money embezzled by his staff before. If they have to remain rich, they have to be smart too.
At the lunch meeting, the GM of the hotel was very friendly. "Did the boss call about my request for 30 rooms?" Ben asked him. "Yes," he said. This showed that a rich business man can be rich because he personally is on top of things. Ben said: "He picked the furniture for the hotel by buying them himself." In this way, nobody could cheat him. No wonder he is rich. How did he become rich? Producing medicine in a factory in Indonesia. As for Ben, he sells raw materials to him and so is just comfortable.
"Do you want to attend the AA seminar on what to do when your car has an accident," Ben asked me. I should be less brutally honest but I said: "Don't waste my time!" Ben was shocked. "Well," I said. "If it was a fashion model show, I will go. What is there to learn from AA about car accidents?"
Ben was also not pleased with me when he declared to everyone at lunch that he bought two bags of rice and eggs (banned by the AVA, he pointed to me as if I was AVA vet controlling the import of food from overseas) from Johor. He said: "People say Johor is dangerous. Robbery. But I have not encountered any incident."
"Do you drive a Mercedes to Johor?" I asked him.
"So you say to everyone that I have no Mercedes," Ben replied. "That I can't afford a Mercedes?"
"You say so yourself," I said. "I am sure you can afford a Mercedes. But it is a very common car in Singapore. I think you will own a Bentley like S.L Liem who was a big racehorse owner in Singapore many years ago when I was a horse vet. His driver drove him to the Turf Club in a Bentley or some rare luxury car."
Ben corrected me and gave the proper name of this rich Indonesian Chinese. It was a fun lunch. The GM was a very busy man with hotel occupancy 100%. "A 3-star hotel is affordable for many people, he said. "There are not many in Singapore as demand exceeds supply. So, no 30 rooms for you now. A 4-star is neither here nor there as its rates are unaffordable for this niche of tourist. Yet its standard not as high as 5-star." He recommended that I open a one-stop spa. Well, it was a good lunch. The GM would not permit me to pay for it. The 72-year-old man got me a free parking ticket from the hotel's sales manager as I had parked in the hotel.
"Use my card first," he said to me. He had an old card which I told him would have an expiry limit. He would not believe me. So I used his card. "Card expired," the machine said. The hotel guard came over, over-rode the machine and we left. I had told him so. He was born in 1932 and disliked all new technologies like facebook, blog, newer phone models. I can't blame him. There is so much to learn.
304. Caesarean section in a Maltese
Jan 15. 2011
A phone call from a breeder woke me up at 2.35 am. He is Dr Vanessa Lin's client but she does not do after midnight calls. "First-time giving birth. Straining but can't give birth," the breeder said.
I phoned Dr Jason Teo but he was sick. I was surprised that a young man like him could be sick. "It is food poisoning," he said. "I just did a Caesarean at 5 pm yesterday."
So I attended to this emergency. Warm cool night with cloudy skies. Definitely not freezing cold as in Europe.
DURATION OF SURGERY: Caesarean section times
Start of incision into skin: 3.35 am
End of last stitch: 4.08 am. It takes about 30 minutes to do an uncomplicated Caesarean section using my surgical approach.
ANAESTHESIA:
Isoflurane gas only. Maintain at 1-2%. No sedation. This is the safest method.
Dog masked and then intubated.
"The dog is going to vomit," I said to Mr Saw as I pulled out the endotracheal tube. The vet has to be observant. He hanged the dog upside down to get out all vomitus. Re-anaesthesize again. No problem.
SURGICAL APPROACH:
A caesarean section must be completed fast. Use less anaesthetic time and achieve a good outcome. Nothing is more stressful than a dam dying on the operating table. Efficiency is important. The skin and linea alba incisions were around 8 cm long between the midpoint of mammary glands no. 4 (see photo). I extended the incision a cm caudally as the pups were large.
I incise at the uterine horn bifurcation on the midline of the uterine body. Extended incision to near cervix as pups were large in this case as I could not pull out the first pup via a shorter incision. I pulled out 3 pups head first, one with meconium (brown stools inside amniotic fluid). The last one was back legs first. Each uterine horn has 2 pups and they were larger. "Give all 4 pups to the breeder," I said to my assistant as he would normally do the puppies with my associate vets.
The breeder took the pups inside the amniotic sac and this saved at least 6 minutes of anaesthetic time if my assistant and I had to do it. In Caesarean, the shorter the better for survival outcomes.
STITCHING. 2 PACKETS WERE USED.
3/0 absorbable on uterus used. 2 rows of inverting suture. The first row was parallel to the incision. The second row was at right angles to the incision. Two artery forceps clamp either ends. Then I used 2/0 absorbable simple interrupted sutures to close the muscles and the skin (horizontal mattress). The four pups large and OK. The dam appeared frightened of pups, being first-time mother.
DR SING'S CAESAREAN SECTION AT TOA PAYOH VETS
I incised the skin and linea alba as short as possible (XY), sufficient to pop out the puppy's head or backside.
Uterine body is incised. Amniotic sac with pup inside pops out (left). I pull out the sac if not ruptured and clamped the umbilical cord. Cut off the cord. Gave the pup to the breeder. Pulled out the placenta.
The uterine horns with no more pups is pulled out entirely to check for hidden pups
This procedure is not applicable if the vet had pulled out the whole uterus prior to incision. This approach requires a much longer skin and linea incision which may irritate the dam and cause stitch breakdown
Uterine body stitched with 2 rows of continuous sutures 3/0 absorbable. 2 artery forceps anchor both ends
Maltese pups look overdue as they have a thicker coat and are larger than others
Oxytocin, tolfedine and baytril injection SC. Breeder asked for pain-killer tolfedine as I usually don't give it as a routine and in the past. Trimethoprim syrup given for post-op antibiotics. I don't irrigate the abdomen after surgery as some vets do and such actions do impress some breeders. Introducing saline into the abdomen, no matter how sterile, risk introducing bacteria. There was little bleeding in this case as I incised the midline of the uterine body and avoided the blood vessels at the side.
A Miniature Schnauzer had dystocia. I gave 1.0 ml oxytocin IM before I started Caesarean of the Maltese. She gave birth to one pup in the Surgery. "Should be OK," I said. The breeder said: "The first pup died as I arrived home too late." He had his cigarette smoke outside the surgery as I hurried him away so that my assistant can go back to sleep. It must be hard to be a breeder. I don't know him well but I had 2 years of Caesarean section and vaccination experiences with the Pasir Ris breeders in 2005 to know that dog breeding is a heart-breaking and back-breaking business. Some of my interesting Caesarean surgeries are at:
http://www.bekindtopets.com/animals/
20081201PAGE2_Dog_Surgery_Anaesthesia_ToaPayohVets.htm
I could not drive out as the road was blocked with whole-saler vegetable sellers from Malaysia. At least 50% less crowded than in 2005 when I did a lot of Caesarean sections for Pasir Ris breeders. I walked to see their activities. Younger men in bare top bodies. A few younger ladies. There was an old hunch-back woman picking up discarded red peppers and others in a plastic bag. Tinted bronze hair, weather beaten face, blouse and black pants.
The truck people (a young lady in pony tail looking at her mobile phone and two young bare-back muscular men) ignored her. It is always sad to see a senior citizen having to scavenge. Has she got children? Where had all her savings gone?
An alert Jack Russell from the truck looked at her and at me. The dog was still working at this hour! Most Singapore's Jack Russells would be sleeping in the apartments and houses.
I walked to a far away block of apartments and tried to shoot a picture of the dog with my zoom lens. Some 500 metres away. I went up the 2nd floor of an apartment.
It was very far away so that the wholesale vegetable people would not strangle me. Surprisingly, I saw a picture of this short-legged Jack Russell.
A Caesarean after midnight takes around 2 hours (from first phone call to waiting half an hour for the breeder who came late). The whole process ranged from 2.30 am to 4.30 am). Singapore was still a busy city at this time with many taxis prowling the roads. A McDonald bike was seen from my car at 5.30 am.
P.S
Some 5 hours later in the morning, the breeder phoned to say that there was another pup not born. Dr Jason Teo did the Caesarean to save the pup. It was alive.
A phone call from a breeder woke me up at 2.35 am. He is Dr Vanessa Lin's client but she does not do after midnight calls. "First-time giving birth. Straining but can't give birth," the breeder said.
I phoned Dr Jason Teo but he was sick. I was surprised that a young man like him could be sick. "It is food poisoning," he said. "I just did a Caesarean at 5 pm yesterday."
So I attended to this emergency. Warm cool night with cloudy skies. Definitely not freezing cold as in Europe.
DURATION OF SURGERY: Caesarean section times
Start of incision into skin: 3.35 am
End of last stitch: 4.08 am. It takes about 30 minutes to do an uncomplicated Caesarean section using my surgical approach.
ANAESTHESIA:
Isoflurane gas only. Maintain at 1-2%. No sedation. This is the safest method.
Dog masked and then intubated.
"The dog is going to vomit," I said to Mr Saw as I pulled out the endotracheal tube. The vet has to be observant. He hanged the dog upside down to get out all vomitus. Re-anaesthesize again. No problem.
SURGICAL APPROACH:
A caesarean section must be completed fast. Use less anaesthetic time and achieve a good outcome. Nothing is more stressful than a dam dying on the operating table. Efficiency is important. The skin and linea alba incisions were around 8 cm long between the midpoint of mammary glands no. 4 (see photo). I extended the incision a cm caudally as the pups were large.
I incise at the uterine horn bifurcation on the midline of the uterine body. Extended incision to near cervix as pups were large in this case as I could not pull out the first pup via a shorter incision. I pulled out 3 pups head first, one with meconium (brown stools inside amniotic fluid). The last one was back legs first. Each uterine horn has 2 pups and they were larger. "Give all 4 pups to the breeder," I said to my assistant as he would normally do the puppies with my associate vets.
The breeder took the pups inside the amniotic sac and this saved at least 6 minutes of anaesthetic time if my assistant and I had to do it. In Caesarean, the shorter the better for survival outcomes.
STITCHING. 2 PACKETS WERE USED.
3/0 absorbable on uterus used. 2 rows of inverting suture. The first row was parallel to the incision. The second row was at right angles to the incision. Two artery forceps clamp either ends. Then I used 2/0 absorbable simple interrupted sutures to close the muscles and the skin (horizontal mattress). The four pups large and OK. The dam appeared frightened of pups, being first-time mother.
DR SING'S CAESAREAN SECTION AT TOA PAYOH VETS
I incised the skin and linea alba as short as possible (XY), sufficient to pop out the puppy's head or backside.
Uterine body is incised. Amniotic sac with pup inside pops out (left). I pull out the sac if not ruptured and clamped the umbilical cord. Cut off the cord. Gave the pup to the breeder. Pulled out the placenta.
The uterine horns with no more pups is pulled out entirely to check for hidden pups
This procedure is not applicable if the vet had pulled out the whole uterus prior to incision. This approach requires a much longer skin and linea incision which may irritate the dam and cause stitch breakdown
Uterine body stitched with 2 rows of continuous sutures 3/0 absorbable. 2 artery forceps anchor both ends
Maltese pups look overdue as they have a thicker coat and are larger than others
Oxytocin, tolfedine and baytril injection SC. Breeder asked for pain-killer tolfedine as I usually don't give it as a routine and in the past. Trimethoprim syrup given for post-op antibiotics. I don't irrigate the abdomen after surgery as some vets do and such actions do impress some breeders. Introducing saline into the abdomen, no matter how sterile, risk introducing bacteria. There was little bleeding in this case as I incised the midline of the uterine body and avoided the blood vessels at the side.
A Miniature Schnauzer had dystocia. I gave 1.0 ml oxytocin IM before I started Caesarean of the Maltese. She gave birth to one pup in the Surgery. "Should be OK," I said. The breeder said: "The first pup died as I arrived home too late." He had his cigarette smoke outside the surgery as I hurried him away so that my assistant can go back to sleep. It must be hard to be a breeder. I don't know him well but I had 2 years of Caesarean section and vaccination experiences with the Pasir Ris breeders in 2005 to know that dog breeding is a heart-breaking and back-breaking business. Some of my interesting Caesarean surgeries are at:
http://www.bekindtopets.com/animals/
20081201PAGE2_Dog_Surgery_Anaesthesia_ToaPayohVets.htm
I could not drive out as the road was blocked with whole-saler vegetable sellers from Malaysia. At least 50% less crowded than in 2005 when I did a lot of Caesarean sections for Pasir Ris breeders. I walked to see their activities. Younger men in bare top bodies. A few younger ladies. There was an old hunch-back woman picking up discarded red peppers and others in a plastic bag. Tinted bronze hair, weather beaten face, blouse and black pants.
The truck people (a young lady in pony tail looking at her mobile phone and two young bare-back muscular men) ignored her. It is always sad to see a senior citizen having to scavenge. Has she got children? Where had all her savings gone?
An alert Jack Russell from the truck looked at her and at me. The dog was still working at this hour! Most Singapore's Jack Russells would be sleeping in the apartments and houses.
I walked to a far away block of apartments and tried to shoot a picture of the dog with my zoom lens. Some 500 metres away. I went up the 2nd floor of an apartment.
It was very far away so that the wholesale vegetable people would not strangle me. Surprisingly, I saw a picture of this short-legged Jack Russell.
A Caesarean after midnight takes around 2 hours (from first phone call to waiting half an hour for the breeder who came late). The whole process ranged from 2.30 am to 4.30 am). Singapore was still a busy city at this time with many taxis prowling the roads. A McDonald bike was seen from my car at 5.30 am.
P.S
Some 5 hours later in the morning, the breeder phoned to say that there was another pup not born. Dr Jason Teo did the Caesarean to save the pup. It was alive.
Friday, January 14, 2011
303. Upgrading and best practices
There is always a generation gap between old and young vets. However some young vets have this confidence to communicate with older vets and that is good for them. Young vets who naturally want to group around with their peers and age group. This is commonly seen.
On Jan 13, 2011, I visited two competitor vet practices. It was great that the two younger vets I met were good at communication. One was clean shaven in his head. "Are you helping 'Hair for Hope - Singapore'?" I asked him to be bald to raise fund for the Children's Cancer Foundation? I had not seen a young vet bald in Singapore and he was the first one.
The second vet has 9 years of experience and was excellent at communications. First class, I would say. She offered me a cup of coffee as she could get rid of me after some conversation. She shared some interesting cases of pyometra (photo with yellowish disc in a spleen of a dog with pyometra - splenic abscesses?). She showed me an X-ray of a dog with a 20-cent coin in the stomach in which the endoscope of a referred vet was ineffective. It still needed gastrotomy after endoscope failure. "Is an endoscope so expensive?" I asked her when she mentioned $100,000 for one. I do not think it would cost that much unless it is for racehorses.
I learnt a few veterinary communications and related matters from her and the other competitor. It is good to see other practices in Singapore and in other countries to upgrade oneself and know the industry's best practices as no one vet can have all the vet knowledge in this world.
On Jan 13, 2011, I visited two competitor vet practices. It was great that the two younger vets I met were good at communication. One was clean shaven in his head. "Are you helping 'Hair for Hope - Singapore'?" I asked him to be bald to raise fund for the Children's Cancer Foundation? I had not seen a young vet bald in Singapore and he was the first one.
The second vet has 9 years of experience and was excellent at communications. First class, I would say. She offered me a cup of coffee as she could get rid of me after some conversation. She shared some interesting cases of pyometra (photo with yellowish disc in a spleen of a dog with pyometra - splenic abscesses?). She showed me an X-ray of a dog with a 20-cent coin in the stomach in which the endoscope of a referred vet was ineffective. It still needed gastrotomy after endoscope failure. "Is an endoscope so expensive?" I asked her when she mentioned $100,000 for one. I do not think it would cost that much unless it is for racehorses.
I learnt a few veterinary communications and related matters from her and the other competitor. It is good to see other practices in Singapore and in other countries to upgrade oneself and know the industry's best practices as no one vet can have all the vet knowledge in this world.
302. Taking advantage of distressed art
Jan 13, 2010
Khin Khin phoned me to say that the artist was selling her artwork I like (Myanmar market scenes) at fire-sale prices. "Give her $150 per painting," she advised. "She needs the money to pay the rent."
It is not good to take advantage. "No," I said. "I want to hang the art on my Surgery walls or home. I don't want to see it as one that is bought from an artist in distress. It is just not what I will do."
Artists need to sell. Vets need to diagnose and treat. It is just sad that this artist could not sell her artwork internationally. Much promotion and creating awareness is needed. I think an art gallery sponsor or patron is what make some talented artists successful. Talents can only go a short distance.
Khin Khin phoned me to say that the artist was selling her artwork I like (Myanmar market scenes) at fire-sale prices. "Give her $150 per painting," she advised. "She needs the money to pay the rent."
It is not good to take advantage. "No," I said. "I want to hang the art on my Surgery walls or home. I don't want to see it as one that is bought from an artist in distress. It is just not what I will do."
Artists need to sell. Vets need to diagnose and treat. It is just sad that this artist could not sell her artwork internationally. Much promotion and creating awareness is needed. I think an art gallery sponsor or patron is what make some talented artists successful. Talents can only go a short distance.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Follow up on maltese peeing just outside the pee tray
E-MAIL TO DR SING DATED JAN 13, 2011
Hi Dr Sing,
Above attached are the photos of my dog's pee tray and the surrounding of it.
The first pic is the tray.
2nd pic is the newspaper i put below it. And as you can see the urine patch there.
3rd pic is the floor where he will urine there at times, he will stand on the newspaper there and aim on the floor.
Btw, there is no change of environment or situation. Most probably i guess is because we hardly accompany him and hardly bring him for a walk.
Is there any effective ways to solve this problem? And, if i neutering him at the age of 3, will it be too late?
Thank you
Name of owner
REPLY FROM DR SING DATED JAN 13, 2011
You did change his routine by cutting down the regular outing. So he can't urine-mark downstairs and dare not urine mark the whole apartment (in fear of punishment). So, he made do with just outside the pee tray. I presume he will urine-mark the whole apartment if nobody is around and if he has not been confined to the crate.
Urine marking occurs in your dog due to deprivation of doing it outdoors. This is main reason as all dogs, like young children, are used to a routine and in some children's book, a routine makes a child feel more secure and happier.
Neutering may reduce this urine marking as the testosterone production is shut down. However, you still need to re-train the dog (routine to go downstairs after neutering for some weeks or months). Many still urine-mark but with reduced frequency. Neutralise the urine smell.
Go back to the routine or neuter. It is also possible that the pee tray is too small or the dog just does not want to dirty his paws. If only dogs can talk.
- Show quoted text -
E-MAIL TO DR SING DATED JAN 14, 2011
He will not urine-mark the whole apartment,only will pee outside the tray.
What should I do to neutralise the smell?
E-MAIL FROM DR SING DATED JAN 14, 2011
He may not do it now. If you leave him home alone in the apartment for the next few weeks, you may be surprised. That is why some male dogs in Singapore are crated when home alone or at night (to prevent urine-marking).
Try white vinegar + water at 1 part of vinegar to 3 parts of water and use tissues with this solution to wipe off all urine smells.
Hi Dr Sing,
Above attached are the photos of my dog's pee tray and the surrounding of it.
The first pic is the tray.
2nd pic is the newspaper i put below it. And as you can see the urine patch there.
3rd pic is the floor where he will urine there at times, he will stand on the newspaper there and aim on the floor.
Btw, there is no change of environment or situation. Most probably i guess is because we hardly accompany him and hardly bring him for a walk.
Is there any effective ways to solve this problem? And, if i neutering him at the age of 3, will it be too late?
Thank you
Name of owner
REPLY FROM DR SING DATED JAN 13, 2011
You did change his routine by cutting down the regular outing. So he can't urine-mark downstairs and dare not urine mark the whole apartment (in fear of punishment). So, he made do with just outside the pee tray. I presume he will urine-mark the whole apartment if nobody is around and if he has not been confined to the crate.
Urine marking occurs in your dog due to deprivation of doing it outdoors. This is main reason as all dogs, like young children, are used to a routine and in some children's book, a routine makes a child feel more secure and happier.
Neutering may reduce this urine marking as the testosterone production is shut down. However, you still need to re-train the dog (routine to go downstairs after neutering for some weeks or months). Many still urine-mark but with reduced frequency. Neutralise the urine smell.
Go back to the routine or neuter. It is also possible that the pee tray is too small or the dog just does not want to dirty his paws. If only dogs can talk.
- Show quoted text -
E-MAIL TO DR SING DATED JAN 14, 2011
He will not urine-mark the whole apartment,only will pee outside the tray.
What should I do to neutralise the smell?
E-MAIL FROM DR SING DATED JAN 14, 2011
He may not do it now. If you leave him home alone in the apartment for the next few weeks, you may be surprised. That is why some male dogs in Singapore are crated when home alone or at night (to prevent urine-marking).
Try white vinegar + water at 1 part of vinegar to 3 parts of water and use tissues with this solution to wipe off all urine smells.
300. Soliciting for a veterinary job - poor resume introduction
I got a resume by e-mail as follows:
EMAIL TO DR SING DATED JAN 13, 2011
Greetings!
Im XXX. I am applying as "Veterinary Assistant" in your good clinic. Attached here in with is my resume.Thank you very much and more power!
MY COMMENTS
I don't bother to reply. This is an example of a poor introduction in a resume. More power? Is she referring to the "People Power" toppling Marcos or the blue pill power for erectile dysfunction?
EMAIL TO DR SING DATED JAN 13, 2011
Greetings!
Im XXX. I am applying as "Veterinary Assistant" in your good clinic. Attached here in with is my resume.Thank you very much and more power!
MY COMMENTS
I don't bother to reply. This is an example of a poor introduction in a resume. More power? Is she referring to the "People Power" toppling Marcos or the blue pill power for erectile dysfunction?
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
DBS Corporate debit and credit card: 2nd opinions from the same bank
Jan 12, 2011
In Dec 2010, I opened a company bank account (Design Travel Pte Ltd, www.designtravelpl.com at DBS Toa Payoh. The helpful customer service officer told me that it was almost impossible to get a corporate credit card unless one is chosen. It was by invitation only. Two days ago, I asked her about a debit card in which I put money into the current account. She phoned the DBS banking somewhere and was told there was no such instrument. I was surprised that DBS is so provincial.
Then today, I went to DBS Bishan. Imagine my surprise when Ms Irene Foo there told me that there was no problem opening a corporate debit account for a private limited company and gave me the forms to sign and documents required. She said the corporate credit card might be given to a company with proof of income and a bank officer would check this.
So, I wasted 2 months believing there was no such thing as a DBS corporate credit and debit card.
This episode shows that one must be proactive to search for info. It is obvious that I was barking up the wrong DBS tree in Toa Payoh.
In Dec 2010, I opened a company bank account (Design Travel Pte Ltd, www.designtravelpl.com at DBS Toa Payoh. The helpful customer service officer told me that it was almost impossible to get a corporate credit card unless one is chosen. It was by invitation only. Two days ago, I asked her about a debit card in which I put money into the current account. She phoned the DBS banking somewhere and was told there was no such instrument. I was surprised that DBS is so provincial.
Then today, I went to DBS Bishan. Imagine my surprise when Ms Irene Foo there told me that there was no problem opening a corporate debit account for a private limited company and gave me the forms to sign and documents required. She said the corporate credit card might be given to a company with proof of income and a bank officer would check this.
So, I wasted 2 months believing there was no such thing as a DBS corporate credit and debit card.
This episode shows that one must be proactive to search for info. It is obvious that I was barking up the wrong DBS tree in Toa Payoh.
298. Toilet training email query
E-MAIL TO DR SING dated Jan 12, 2011
Hi,
I have 1 maltese cross, age 3 years old. He used to pee at the pee tray correctly. But for the recent months,he started to pee outside of the tray. We tried to place newspaper underneath the tray , but he will still pee outside the tray. Is there any solution for this problem? Will Neutering cure the problem?
kindly reply me asap as i need to solve this problem fast.
Thanks
XXX
E-MAIL REPLY FROM DR SING dated Jan 12, 2011
I am Dr Sing from Toa Payoh Vets. Most likely there has been a change of environment (new tray, room, etc) or situation (new pets, baby, dog next door or corridor etc) making him want to either get attention from you (by peeing outside the tray) or he wants to mark territory (outside the tray but can't do it further because of your scolding or spanking).
Neutering does help to reduce/stop territorial spraying when done at a young age. Pl email 2 images of your pee tray and surroundings. It is hard to advise without seeing the location and tools you use.
Hi,
I have 1 maltese cross, age 3 years old. He used to pee at the pee tray correctly. But for the recent months,he started to pee outside of the tray. We tried to place newspaper underneath the tray , but he will still pee outside the tray. Is there any solution for this problem? Will Neutering cure the problem?
kindly reply me asap as i need to solve this problem fast.
Thanks
XXX
E-MAIL REPLY FROM DR SING dated Jan 12, 2011
I am Dr Sing from Toa Payoh Vets. Most likely there has been a change of environment (new tray, room, etc) or situation (new pets, baby, dog next door or corridor etc) making him want to either get attention from you (by peeing outside the tray) or he wants to mark territory (outside the tray but can't do it further because of your scolding or spanking).
Neutering does help to reduce/stop territorial spraying when done at a young age. Pl email 2 images of your pee tray and surroundings. It is hard to advise without seeing the location and tools you use.
297. Jan 11, 2011. Resume is important
Jan 11, 2011
I met an old friend who used to have little time for me just to keep in contact. He was extremely hard working and had a lot of contacts. After retirement, he has more job offers and one important interview this Friday. "No need to bring a resume," he said. I advised him to do it as this is the way a corporation management can assess you. My reasons are as follows:
It was great meeting you yesterday and to know you have reduced weight since retirement.
Although your proven performance in your old company and your network is well known to the prospective recommending person in the same field of work as you were in, the general manager and other big shots know little about you and may be apprehensive as to whether you can perform for the new company. The advantage is that you have a proven track record and there is no need to hold your hands or worry about blunders.
A resume with relevant and excellent testimonials is important to carry along during the interview because it helps the general manager to approve financial compensation and benefits to you, without insulting you by under-paying nor over-paying you. A graduate degree is never important as many graduates actually can't perform in the field you are in.
A resume submission is part of hiring administration of a corporation. Resume should include your personal particulars and relevant work experiences (newspaper clippings, letters from bosses, customers, suppliers). Cases done per year and impact on the old organisation will be most relevant and useful. You just need to get your homework done and smoothen the path for your recommending person to hire you. I have young adults and veterinary undergraduate students who don't bother to submit a proper resume and assume that they will get the work attachment and internship based on their excellent academic grades or the fact that they are veterinary students.
The schools seem not to have taught them that excellent grades and in your case (experiences) open the door only to get you the interview. If you go to the interview without a resume, your behaviour implies an arrogance and that the world owes you a living. And since you are not hungry and have sufficient wealth, this may be true actually. If you are not hungry and do not need the income, why go for the interview? Just do nothing at home and smell the hibiscus flowers and let your brain cells deteriorate.
Best wishes.
I met an old friend who used to have little time for me just to keep in contact. He was extremely hard working and had a lot of contacts. After retirement, he has more job offers and one important interview this Friday. "No need to bring a resume," he said. I advised him to do it as this is the way a corporation management can assess you. My reasons are as follows:
It was great meeting you yesterday and to know you have reduced weight since retirement.
Although your proven performance in your old company and your network is well known to the prospective recommending person in the same field of work as you were in, the general manager and other big shots know little about you and may be apprehensive as to whether you can perform for the new company. The advantage is that you have a proven track record and there is no need to hold your hands or worry about blunders.
A resume with relevant and excellent testimonials is important to carry along during the interview because it helps the general manager to approve financial compensation and benefits to you, without insulting you by under-paying nor over-paying you. A graduate degree is never important as many graduates actually can't perform in the field you are in.
A resume submission is part of hiring administration of a corporation. Resume should include your personal particulars and relevant work experiences (newspaper clippings, letters from bosses, customers, suppliers). Cases done per year and impact on the old organisation will be most relevant and useful. You just need to get your homework done and smoothen the path for your recommending person to hire you. I have young adults and veterinary undergraduate students who don't bother to submit a proper resume and assume that they will get the work attachment and internship based on their excellent academic grades or the fact that they are veterinary students.
The schools seem not to have taught them that excellent grades and in your case (experiences) open the door only to get you the interview. If you go to the interview without a resume, your behaviour implies an arrogance and that the world owes you a living. And since you are not hungry and have sufficient wealth, this may be true actually. If you are not hungry and do not need the income, why go for the interview? Just do nothing at home and smell the hibiscus flowers and let your brain cells deteriorate.
Best wishes.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Work attachment for JC 2 students at Toa Payoh Vets
MONDAY JAN 10, 2010 - INTERESTING AND ROUTINE CASES
Nowadays, I don't accept Junior College students who have NOT been accepted by Vet colleges for internship as a lot of time and resources are spent on students coming for work attachments.
However, JC2 students with initiatives can still e-mail to me. Good work attitude, excellent testimonials from teachers and chances of getting into Vet colleges in Australia (must have at least 3 As in JC2 preliminary exam) may be accepted as is the author of the case study report below.
Last month, I rejected a student who had top grades. She did not have time to come for an interview as she had to study for her A levels. I was OK with that. After her exams, she did not bring in copies of her testimonials during the interview. She promised to do so personally but a few days later, text me to ask if she "could fax them." I told her not to come for the work attachment.
ADVICE TO THE YOUNG ADULTS
If you are NOT meticulous by forgetting to comply with requirements and is accepted, you will need to know that you have been given a 2nd chance. If you expect an organisation to suit your time management (by faxing and saving your precious time), you may not realise that you have a poor work attitude. Excellent academic results definitely opens doors to what you want to do, but the commercial world does not owe you a living. Therefore, be realistic and humble. It is not what the organisation can do for you as a Junior College student or undergraduate vet. It is your work attitude and what you can contribute to the organisation.
For this first day, the report of this Junior College 2 student who has not taken Biology during her A levels is good. The info is as follows:
Case studies with Dr Sing
1) 1-year-old female hamster with right breast tumour
Diagnosis
Lump under the armpit was ~0.8 - 1.0 cm in size. It weighed about 38g. It could either have an abscess or tumour. Without an operation, the skin would eventually tear, revealing a large open wound.
Treatment
Surgery was performed to remove the tumour. It was required to stay in the clinic for 7 days.
DR SING'S COMMENTS
Infection and death follows when the tumour enlarges and gets ulcerated due to friction and self-induced trauma.
NOT REQUIRED TO STAY. HOWEVER THE OWNER WOULD BE GOING TO JAPAN FOR THE NEXT 7 DAYS AND THERE WAS NOBODY TO NURSE AND GIVE MEDICATION POST-OP. SURGERY - Zoletil 100 given in 3 drops + SALINE. Effective. Excise at base of tumour. Continuous 5/0 absorbable stitches.
2) 1-year-old male guinea pig with paralysed hind legs
Diagnosis
Guinea pig’s hind legs were immobile and it was described to be lethargic. It registered a low temperature of about 37°C. It weighed about 777g and was eating and drinking normally. However, there was pain between the shoulders, indicating possible nerve damage.
Treatment
An injection was administered to relieve the pain.
DR SING'S COMMENTS
Traumatic injury most likely due to a fall inside the crate. Sudden onset.
I asked: "Any sudden loud noise?". The young lady said: "Yes, at 2 pm. I was sleeping. I saw my guinea pig running fast (pacing) and hoping energetically."
She had consulted Vet 1 earlier. The vet clipped the front teeth and probably could not find out what was wrong.
Sometimes, the 2nd vet gets the diagnosis due to the GP not getting so excited and the medication of the first vet.
I suspected sudden onset traumatic injury. Palpation of the spinal area is important in this case. The GP shivered when C3-C5 was pressed and squealed when the area between the shoulders was palpated. Paraparesis. No placing reflexes. GP hops instead of walks.
Besides anti-inflammatory injection SC to relieve the pain, the guinea pig was given electrolytes. Vet 1 had prescribed Fibreplex and the GP was able to move the bowels. Was eating and drinking normally but getting weaker.
3) 12-year-old crossbred male dog
Diagnosis
It weighed about 17.4kg. It was described to have been scratching its face and legs, as well as shaking and having difficulty in walking properly for the past few months. It also had skin and ear infections and dental problems, thus experiencing toothache and earache. It had a painful anal sac.
Treatment
Ear injection had to be administered for ear mites. A blood test was to be taken to check for kidney and liver problems. Complete shaving was needed before treating the skin infections.
DR SING'S COMMENTS
A 12-YEAR-OLD CROSS-BRED WITH PAINFUL MOUTH. Not groomed for several months. Ears full of black wax, inguinal area black. Mouth painful when touched (quite dramatic as the dog bites). This was due to dental decay esp. the upper PM4 teeth. A risky thing to do to open the mouth but this needs to be done as part of diagnosis. Quite smelly. The Junior College student has to be hands-on. But this dog is a gentle one and so I know he would not bite when I lifted his side muzzle to show the grey receding gum upper PM4 to the owners (father and young adult daughter).
The main point was missed by the Junior College girl. Dental treatment needs to be done after 2 days of IV drips with antibiotics and painkiller first.
4) Sterilisation of male stray cat
Diagnosis
Ear mites and a 0.5 cm wound were observed.
Treatment
It had just eaten; hence it was unable to be sterilized on the same day. It had to stay for at least 1 night and an injection was administered.
DR SING'S COMMENTS
Stray cats. Infected bite wounds, ear mites and skin infections need to be treated first before neuter. Economics is the big problem in cat activists. Toa Payoh Vets do give discounted rates.
5) Vaccination lump in puppy
Diagnosis
Small abscess observed in the vaccination area.
Treatment
It was massaged to reduce the size of the lump and antibiotics were administered.
DR SING'S COMMENTS
It would be some bleeding as the puppy moved a lot during vaccination. So the pet shop owner had to bring it in for free treatment. Antibiotics must be given.
Nowadays, I don't accept Junior College students who have NOT been accepted by Vet colleges for internship as a lot of time and resources are spent on students coming for work attachments.
However, JC2 students with initiatives can still e-mail to me. Good work attitude, excellent testimonials from teachers and chances of getting into Vet colleges in Australia (must have at least 3 As in JC2 preliminary exam) may be accepted as is the author of the case study report below.
Last month, I rejected a student who had top grades. She did not have time to come for an interview as she had to study for her A levels. I was OK with that. After her exams, she did not bring in copies of her testimonials during the interview. She promised to do so personally but a few days later, text me to ask if she "could fax them." I told her not to come for the work attachment.
ADVICE TO THE YOUNG ADULTS
If you are NOT meticulous by forgetting to comply with requirements and is accepted, you will need to know that you have been given a 2nd chance. If you expect an organisation to suit your time management (by faxing and saving your precious time), you may not realise that you have a poor work attitude. Excellent academic results definitely opens doors to what you want to do, but the commercial world does not owe you a living. Therefore, be realistic and humble. It is not what the organisation can do for you as a Junior College student or undergraduate vet. It is your work attitude and what you can contribute to the organisation.
For this first day, the report of this Junior College 2 student who has not taken Biology during her A levels is good. The info is as follows:
Case studies with Dr Sing
1) 1-year-old female hamster with right breast tumour
Diagnosis
Lump under the armpit was ~0.8 - 1.0 cm in size. It weighed about 38g. It could either have an abscess or tumour. Without an operation, the skin would eventually tear, revealing a large open wound.
Treatment
Surgery was performed to remove the tumour. It was required to stay in the clinic for 7 days.
DR SING'S COMMENTS
Infection and death follows when the tumour enlarges and gets ulcerated due to friction and self-induced trauma.
NOT REQUIRED TO STAY. HOWEVER THE OWNER WOULD BE GOING TO JAPAN FOR THE NEXT 7 DAYS AND THERE WAS NOBODY TO NURSE AND GIVE MEDICATION POST-OP. SURGERY - Zoletil 100 given in 3 drops + SALINE. Effective. Excise at base of tumour. Continuous 5/0 absorbable stitches.
2) 1-year-old male guinea pig with paralysed hind legs
Diagnosis
Guinea pig’s hind legs were immobile and it was described to be lethargic. It registered a low temperature of about 37°C. It weighed about 777g and was eating and drinking normally. However, there was pain between the shoulders, indicating possible nerve damage.
Treatment
An injection was administered to relieve the pain.
DR SING'S COMMENTS
Traumatic injury most likely due to a fall inside the crate. Sudden onset.
I asked: "Any sudden loud noise?". The young lady said: "Yes, at 2 pm. I was sleeping. I saw my guinea pig running fast (pacing) and hoping energetically."
She had consulted Vet 1 earlier. The vet clipped the front teeth and probably could not find out what was wrong.
Sometimes, the 2nd vet gets the diagnosis due to the GP not getting so excited and the medication of the first vet.
I suspected sudden onset traumatic injury. Palpation of the spinal area is important in this case. The GP shivered when C3-C5 was pressed and squealed when the area between the shoulders was palpated. Paraparesis. No placing reflexes. GP hops instead of walks.
Besides anti-inflammatory injection SC to relieve the pain, the guinea pig was given electrolytes. Vet 1 had prescribed Fibreplex and the GP was able to move the bowels. Was eating and drinking normally but getting weaker.
3) 12-year-old crossbred male dog
Diagnosis
It weighed about 17.4kg. It was described to have been scratching its face and legs, as well as shaking and having difficulty in walking properly for the past few months. It also had skin and ear infections and dental problems, thus experiencing toothache and earache. It had a painful anal sac.
Treatment
Ear injection had to be administered for ear mites. A blood test was to be taken to check for kidney and liver problems. Complete shaving was needed before treating the skin infections.
DR SING'S COMMENTS
A 12-YEAR-OLD CROSS-BRED WITH PAINFUL MOUTH. Not groomed for several months. Ears full of black wax, inguinal area black. Mouth painful when touched (quite dramatic as the dog bites). This was due to dental decay esp. the upper PM4 teeth. A risky thing to do to open the mouth but this needs to be done as part of diagnosis. Quite smelly. The Junior College student has to be hands-on. But this dog is a gentle one and so I know he would not bite when I lifted his side muzzle to show the grey receding gum upper PM4 to the owners (father and young adult daughter).
The main point was missed by the Junior College girl. Dental treatment needs to be done after 2 days of IV drips with antibiotics and painkiller first.
4) Sterilisation of male stray cat
Diagnosis
Ear mites and a 0.5 cm wound were observed.
Treatment
It had just eaten; hence it was unable to be sterilized on the same day. It had to stay for at least 1 night and an injection was administered.
DR SING'S COMMENTS
Stray cats. Infected bite wounds, ear mites and skin infections need to be treated first before neuter. Economics is the big problem in cat activists. Toa Payoh Vets do give discounted rates.
5) Vaccination lump in puppy
Diagnosis
Small abscess observed in the vaccination area.
Treatment
It was massaged to reduce the size of the lump and antibiotics were administered.
DR SING'S COMMENTS
It would be some bleeding as the puppy moved a lot during vaccination. So the pet shop owner had to bring it in for free treatment. Antibiotics must be given.
295. Permission to use photo from toapayohvets.com's dystocia case
Dear Judy,
I was reading with interest your website, and noticed this photo of a fox terrier pup stuck in the birth canal:
http://www.asiahomes.com/dogpix/030930tn_fox_terrier_dystocia_Singapore.jpg
I was wondering if it’s possible to get permission to use this in a first aid workshop in a remote community?
I work for a not-for-profit organisation that supports dog health in Australian Indigenous communities, and would like to use the photo to illustrate a discussion on birth problems and the benefits of desexing.
Please let me know if this is ok,
Sophie Constable
Education Officer
0418699627
cid:image003.png@01CB9B6A.8A6821F0 P.O.Box 1296 Ph (08) 8941 8813 DARWIN, NT, 0801 www.amrric.org
...I acknowledge the Traditional Elders, past, present, and future, on whose land I live and work...
Kind regards,
JAN 11, 2011. Permission has been given to use photo with acknowledgement as follows: Photo: toapayohvets.com
I was reading with interest your website, and noticed this photo of a fox terrier pup stuck in the birth canal:
http://www.asiahomes.com/dogpix/030930tn_fox_terrier_dystocia_Singapore.jpg
I was wondering if it’s possible to get permission to use this in a first aid workshop in a remote community?
I work for a not-for-profit organisation that supports dog health in Australian Indigenous communities, and would like to use the photo to illustrate a discussion on birth problems and the benefits of desexing.
Please let me know if this is ok,
Sophie Constable
Education Officer
0418699627
cid:image003.png@01CB9B6A.8A6821F0 P.O.Box 1296 Ph (08) 8941 8813 DARWIN, NT, 0801 www.amrric.org
...I acknowledge the Traditional Elders, past, present, and future, on whose land I live and work...
Kind regards,
JAN 11, 2011. Permission has been given to use photo with acknowledgement as follows: Photo: toapayohvets.com
Monday, January 10, 2011
294. Sunday Jan 9, 2010 interesting cases
Sunday Jan 9, 2010
Interesting cases
As Dr Vanessa Lin will be back on Monday, Jan 10 after 10 days' break, I will not be working usually from 9.30 am to 11 am and by appointment. Younger vets will need to take over so as to continue Toa Payoh Vets' vision and mission.
INTERESTING CASES
1. Open pyometra. Only isoflurane gas was given to the Jack Russell who had pus dripping from her vulva and was hospitalised for 2 days and given IV drip and antibiotics. "The faster the surgery, the better the chances of survival," I reminded my two assistants. "If the vet takes his time to operate an old or sick dog, the dog's heart may fail and the dog dies."
It is too easy to be complacent when the vet does such surgeries routinely. Pyometra is a serious illness and is not an ordinary spay. "No point using a spay hook," I said as my assistant looked for one. I noted that the vulval dicharge, though clearer (picture taken) was still copious. Therefore, the uterus must be quite swollen. Palpation could not reveal swelling. No x-ray was taken to save the owner some money. The history of recent heat and the purulent vaginal discharge of an unspayed female dog would confirm a diagnosis of pyometra.
Earlier I said a spay hook might create a smaller skin incision compared to the usual method of pyometra surgery which needed a big incision. The dog was spayed in 25 minutes. An incision sufficient to put a forefinger in to hook up one swollen uterine horn (3 cm wide, pic taken) was used. Double ligature of ovary with 1/0 catgut. Transfixing and ligature of uterine body. My assistant prepared sterile saline for me to flush the abdomen. "There is no need to do it," I advised. "All my pyometra surgery over the years are OK without this." I noted that some vets do irrigate the abdomen after pyometra surgery. It does not make sense. Why introduce something into the abdomen when there is no contamination and instead, the vet can introduce bacteria all over via the saline solution? Keep it simple and the dog will recover. After all, this dog had pre-op antibiotics and post-op.
The dog's anaesthesia was shut down when the muscles were stitched and only skin sutures remain. The dog woke up peacefully and fast. 15 minutes later, I could see her wagging her cropped tail, as if happy to see me. This was a very gentle Jack Russell and no wonder the daughter who had to work in the Shenzen area, China had come back to Singapore to get her admitted for surgery by a "cheap-po" vet as this was what Julia described me. Vets of my age should charge double due to some 30 years of experience but it does not work this way in veterinary practice. Lawyers and doctors in branded hospitals will be able to do it. The dog was alive and could go home the next day.
2. KIDNEY FAILURE. The thin 2-year-old Shih Tzu that vomited daily for the last 4 days died. Blood tests show very high creatinine and urea levels. X-rays showed enlarged kidney (left) and what appeared to be urinary bladder stone. But the main finding was the blood test.
"The dog could develop kidney failure when he grows older, due to hereditary reasons of not proper development. The kidneys could not cope with the clearing of the toxic urea waste anywmore and therefore becomes sick and vomits," I explained to the owner whose niece was sobbing. "That is the reason why this dog does not put on weight. It was a sad Sunday for me and everyone. Vets can't cure all diseases.
3. TOILET TRAINING A GOLDEN RETRIEVER. A nice family of two parents and two boys in primary school. The 2 boys were 2 years apart. "No online gaming for them or permit them one hour," I advised the young parents as I had not been strict on my two sons. "Online gaming is the heroin of young boys. They sleep late and fall asleep during school. My son's teacher has to phone up to tell me," I said. "They are permitted to play only during holidays." the mum said. "Read 10 books a week," I advised. The younger one did not do it. So his command of English was not so good.
As for toilet training, the father asked me advice. The puppy would pee on the pee grate but poop on the tile floor at the side when confined. The only solution is to increase the grate area by buying another grate if they want to do grate training. As for paper training, no use. The puppy shreds papers. As for going to the garden to poop and pee as for most big breeds, the parents did not want the grass to die from dog's urination. So the other solution would be to leash the puppy to a confined area. "But be aware that the puppy may get strangulated and die," I said. Buying a pee pan and putting some stool smells on the newspapers in the pee pan which is placed near the area where the puppy poops may be an alternative. That means the puppy will be trained to poop on the pee pan keeping the floor tiles clean. I wonder which solution the parents will use. Will ask them if we meet again.
ANAL SACCULITIS.
"Milk seen but a tiny drop from one nipple," I said. The dog was spayed by me in May 2009. That was strange as spayed dogs usually don't show milk. But the owner did not complain about bleeding or heat. Their complaint was that the dog was biting the backside and inside thighs. The wife wore a bright green dress which is an uncommon colour. The husband was casual and a foreign trained lawyer. "She is in a cool job," he said. Working in NGO or voluntary organisation is always a better work than in money-making enterprises. The dog had anal sacculitis. Grey particles and oily grey anal oil in abundance.
Interesting cases
As Dr Vanessa Lin will be back on Monday, Jan 10 after 10 days' break, I will not be working usually from 9.30 am to 11 am and by appointment. Younger vets will need to take over so as to continue Toa Payoh Vets' vision and mission.
INTERESTING CASES
1. Open pyometra. Only isoflurane gas was given to the Jack Russell who had pus dripping from her vulva and was hospitalised for 2 days and given IV drip and antibiotics. "The faster the surgery, the better the chances of survival," I reminded my two assistants. "If the vet takes his time to operate an old or sick dog, the dog's heart may fail and the dog dies."
It is too easy to be complacent when the vet does such surgeries routinely. Pyometra is a serious illness and is not an ordinary spay. "No point using a spay hook," I said as my assistant looked for one. I noted that the vulval dicharge, though clearer (picture taken) was still copious. Therefore, the uterus must be quite swollen. Palpation could not reveal swelling. No x-ray was taken to save the owner some money. The history of recent heat and the purulent vaginal discharge of an unspayed female dog would confirm a diagnosis of pyometra.
Earlier I said a spay hook might create a smaller skin incision compared to the usual method of pyometra surgery which needed a big incision. The dog was spayed in 25 minutes. An incision sufficient to put a forefinger in to hook up one swollen uterine horn (3 cm wide, pic taken) was used. Double ligature of ovary with 1/0 catgut. Transfixing and ligature of uterine body. My assistant prepared sterile saline for me to flush the abdomen. "There is no need to do it," I advised. "All my pyometra surgery over the years are OK without this." I noted that some vets do irrigate the abdomen after pyometra surgery. It does not make sense. Why introduce something into the abdomen when there is no contamination and instead, the vet can introduce bacteria all over via the saline solution? Keep it simple and the dog will recover. After all, this dog had pre-op antibiotics and post-op.
The dog's anaesthesia was shut down when the muscles were stitched and only skin sutures remain. The dog woke up peacefully and fast. 15 minutes later, I could see her wagging her cropped tail, as if happy to see me. This was a very gentle Jack Russell and no wonder the daughter who had to work in the Shenzen area, China had come back to Singapore to get her admitted for surgery by a "cheap-po" vet as this was what Julia described me. Vets of my age should charge double due to some 30 years of experience but it does not work this way in veterinary practice. Lawyers and doctors in branded hospitals will be able to do it. The dog was alive and could go home the next day.
2. KIDNEY FAILURE. The thin 2-year-old Shih Tzu that vomited daily for the last 4 days died. Blood tests show very high creatinine and urea levels. X-rays showed enlarged kidney (left) and what appeared to be urinary bladder stone. But the main finding was the blood test.
"The dog could develop kidney failure when he grows older, due to hereditary reasons of not proper development. The kidneys could not cope with the clearing of the toxic urea waste anywmore and therefore becomes sick and vomits," I explained to the owner whose niece was sobbing. "That is the reason why this dog does not put on weight. It was a sad Sunday for me and everyone. Vets can't cure all diseases.
3. TOILET TRAINING A GOLDEN RETRIEVER. A nice family of two parents and two boys in primary school. The 2 boys were 2 years apart. "No online gaming for them or permit them one hour," I advised the young parents as I had not been strict on my two sons. "Online gaming is the heroin of young boys. They sleep late and fall asleep during school. My son's teacher has to phone up to tell me," I said. "They are permitted to play only during holidays." the mum said. "Read 10 books a week," I advised. The younger one did not do it. So his command of English was not so good.
As for toilet training, the father asked me advice. The puppy would pee on the pee grate but poop on the tile floor at the side when confined. The only solution is to increase the grate area by buying another grate if they want to do grate training. As for paper training, no use. The puppy shreds papers. As for going to the garden to poop and pee as for most big breeds, the parents did not want the grass to die from dog's urination. So the other solution would be to leash the puppy to a confined area. "But be aware that the puppy may get strangulated and die," I said. Buying a pee pan and putting some stool smells on the newspapers in the pee pan which is placed near the area where the puppy poops may be an alternative. That means the puppy will be trained to poop on the pee pan keeping the floor tiles clean. I wonder which solution the parents will use. Will ask them if we meet again.
ANAL SACCULITIS.
"Milk seen but a tiny drop from one nipple," I said. The dog was spayed by me in May 2009. That was strange as spayed dogs usually don't show milk. But the owner did not complain about bleeding or heat. Their complaint was that the dog was biting the backside and inside thighs. The wife wore a bright green dress which is an uncommon colour. The husband was casual and a foreign trained lawyer. "She is in a cool job," he said. Working in NGO or voluntary organisation is always a better work than in money-making enterprises. The dog had anal sacculitis. Grey particles and oily grey anal oil in abundance.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
$2000 - $3000 for pyometra surgery
Since I treated this 8-year-old as a puppy, the mother in her late 50s took her Jack Russell to consult me. Deep yellow pus flowed freely from the vagina. Vet 1 had diagnosed pyometra by palpation and blood test (high WBC and neutrophils) and quoted $2,000 - $3,000 for the surgery. As the tanned daughter was in Shenzhen, China, she decided to wait for her to come back. So, for the past one week, the dog rejected antibiotics and now was not eating. It was now risky to go into surgery on the same day.
"Costs of living have shot up a lot," I said. "There is a lot of expensive equipment to be purchased, replaced and the staff costs have gone up."
"How much do you charge?" the mother asked. "The pyometra surgery and anaesthesia is $500," I said. "This excludes charges for medication, the IV drip and hospitalisation." In any case, my fees would be less than $1,000.
"If you had spayed the dog at a young age, you will not have to pay so much. It will be around $300! Now there is the risk that your dog may die under anaesthetic as she is 8 years old. Some vets reject surgeries of dogs over 8 years old dogs to avoid the unpleasantness of emotional lashes when the dog dies on the operating table! " Nowadays I have given up advising sterilisation as Singapore owners deem it cruel.
I hospitalised the dog for 2 days to give intensive IV drip and medication and will operate 48 hours later on Sunday.
I spoke to Julia about the $2,000 - $3,000 surgery. "It seems expensive," she said. "You are a cheap po!"
"Costs of living have shot up a lot," I said. "There is a lot of expensive equipment to be purchased, replaced and the staff costs have gone up."
"How much do you charge?" the mother asked. "The pyometra surgery and anaesthesia is $500," I said. "This excludes charges for medication, the IV drip and hospitalisation." In any case, my fees would be less than $1,000.
"If you had spayed the dog at a young age, you will not have to pay so much. It will be around $300! Now there is the risk that your dog may die under anaesthetic as she is 8 years old. Some vets reject surgeries of dogs over 8 years old dogs to avoid the unpleasantness of emotional lashes when the dog dies on the operating table! " Nowadays I have given up advising sterilisation as Singapore owners deem it cruel.
I hospitalised the dog for 2 days to give intensive IV drip and medication and will operate 48 hours later on Sunday.
I spoke to Julia about the $2,000 - $3,000 surgery. "It seems expensive," she said. "You are a cheap po!"
292. Dr Sing's Travel stories - Juliet's balcony, Verona
Scribbled during travel to remember clearly the events and interesting people I met. 4th day of European Tour
On Jan 8, 2011. I decided to post some pictures of my travel before I get caught up with the hassle of city living. So I am loading the following article of my travel written on the next morning after the visit to Venice and Verona for my readers.
Dec 17, 2010
My tour group of 49 tourists from Singapore left the impressive modern Novotel Hotel, a 15-minute drive outside Venice island at 9.30 a.m. It would be 3x more expensive to live on Venice island and so we were housed in this excellent hotel.
This new furnishing concept Novotel, a 4-star hotel, is very impressive to the tour-packaged tourist as all furnishings are modern. The bathroom has custom-made semi-circular shower tub which is a fake long bath. Too shallow as a long bath tub. The wash basin was of grey plastic material while there were branded taps and shower heads. Stainless steel handles. Small things like a kettle made this hotel stay a pleasure as the tourist can boil water to make tea or coffee as almost all the European hotels do not provide kettles. The TV clock was inaccurate and English programming malfunctioned in one room. One of the group said it was a pleasure to take a shower in this hotel as the previous hotel had cold water.
After Venice Island, the tour manager announced that the factory outlet in the shopping mall for leather goods was closed for lunch and so the Singaporean ladies were greatly disappointed. He made some phone calls and the shop was opened.
But the memorable visit for me was Verona (Juliet’s balcony visit in the evening with new snow flakes falling was a great experience for the group – snow ball fights and romance revisited).
Milan’s big Chinese Restaurant for dinner (corn soup again 2nd time in another Chinese restaurant). Venice island visit. Gloomy skies with few snow flakes.
Snow fell as we left Venice by coach to see the Coliseum at Verona (substitute for not seeing the real thing at Rome – student strike over university pay and research cuts by PM Berlusconi - burnt cars and injured policemen). The Tour Manager said we could claim some money back from travel insurance on proof of no show but I doubt he would follow up as we did not get any letter. In any case, the Coliseum at Verona was closed when we arrived. But it was more fun outside as I re-experienced the gentle snow flakes falling from the skies as I had not seen natural snow falling for over 30 years in tropical Singapore and I dislike winter travels.
TRAVELLERS’ TIPS
1. Jet lag still hit me even though I slept on and off in the coach. A young man had to carry the 20-kg 3-year-old whom I could see could not walk more. My own leg muscles felt cramped and so this little girl must be very tired and jet lagged.
A 65-year-old woman with a weak knee and other tourists advised the 2nd trimester (looks like heavily pregnant) wife to sit in the front half of the coach with the 3-year-old daughter as the back end seat was not said to be good for her, being bumpy.
I had a good chat with the 65-year-old woman whose 3 daughters cared for her very well. “Where did you go?” I asked the grandson as the grandma was calling out to the tour leader to help her alight the coach to get to the factory outlet selling leather goods.
The tour leader was further away and everyone (except me) seemed to rush to the leather factory outlet, being given 30 minutes to look and buy. The grandma had a stick for her weak left knee and so she needed help alighting. I was behind and helped her. She had been “warned” by her 3 specialists about her bad knee and advised her to carry a shiny pink walking stick during her European tour.
“You don’t need the walking stick,” I said to her. “The dependence on this tongkat gives you negative thoughts, making you a disabled person when you are not.” Her daughters had sent her to 3 specialists (must have cost a bomb but the daughters would not allow her to pay).
This was an independent intelligent woman whose marriage was till death parts us type unlike the younger generation and whose mother-in-law (during that period) was domineering and a fierce dragon. Daughters-in-law were not well educated and would not talk back, but her husband did not enforce her stay with his mum. “It could be due to the eating of salted fish,” I said, regarding the husband’s stomach cancer. “I read about it in some books in the National Library when I was in Secondary School. I do love salted fish and century eggs but they may cause cancer as they are full of preservative.” I ate minimal amount. She also love century egg porridge.
2. Her brother-in-law died of the same type of cancer although he was not related to the husband. I did not bother watching the glass-blowing in the factory above after the tour of the town square of Venice and she was downstairs. So we talked. “He never ate salted fish,” the widow said. “I don’t like it.” I said: “Out of love for you, he ate when he was overseas doing business,” I said. “The person who knows would be your sister who cooks salt fish for your brother-in-law”. But it was 10 years ago and it took her 10 years to be able to talk about her husband. This was the true love as in Romeo and Juliet.
She was a generous woman as she offered to me the walking stick when I said: “I need the tongkat as I am an old man.” She did not know I was just joking as I had walked well over the earlier 3 days.
I thanked her and said: “I am trying to get you to think positively by not relying on a walking stick. The 3 specialists had advised you to take a walking stick for this travel but Europe is not a undeveloped country. When there are hilly alleys as in the town of Senia, you don't venture there, aggravating the hip injury. She does not believe in taking pain killer medication and this walking stick was her saviour. Many Singaporeans trust doctors but some of their advices like the use of the walking stick make this widow take up a clutch mentality. She did not have osteoporosis, the eldest daughter had declared. So, what’s the worry?
“We may be old but are not dead,” I used to tell my receptionist James who recently walks with a hunchback and very slowly. He is 75 years old and sometimes I wonder why he still wants to work in my surgery. His mind is alert but my Surgery's impressions on the new clientele must be poor since other competitors have young pretty receptionists. Pretty young things sell and that is a fact of commercial life.
I hope this 65-year-old widow would be independent and just throw away the walking stick for the next few days. She listened to the doctors' advice and did not give up the stick. "In Singapore, I don't walk around with a walking stick," she assured me.
3. Snow flakes fell in millions of cotton pieces from the sky as we were leaving the leather factory outlet which was closed till 3 pm but the proprietors opened for us at 1 pm. There were a few sales. I was looking for good leather hand bags but I was disappointed. Where's the Prada? Italy is supposed to be famous for handbags.
The whole shopping mall looked dead. The tour guide asked: “Anybody want to see the Coliseum at Verona?” Sounds of silence. “Hands up if you want to go to the see Juliet’s balcony.” I was in the front 6th seat and saw no hands up.
I put up my hand and so the tour guide was disappointed. He had said: “At half the speed for 300 miles, it takes twice as long to reach Milan due to the falling snow. There may be traffic jam along the way...” meaning that we better skipped the Verona coliseum and Juliet’s balcony.
He said another tour from Singapore from Milan to Rome had got stuck in the snowed roads and the tourists were sleeping inside the coach instead of the hotel. It was just as well that we did not listen to his advice as Verona was such a beautiful evening visit with snow flakes falling down on us as we journeyed to see where Juliet declared her love for Romeo from the balcony.
As for the gondola ride, around 6 out of 49 of us wanted to ride the gondola as this was an optional tour and excluded in the tour package which I think is poor planning by the tour operator who probably wanted to provide the least cost tour for the masses. Venice is gondolas and the experience should be given as part of the tour package.
The guide had arranged for a big boat cruise on the river and strongly advised against gondola rides as he said: "You only see underpants hanging from the balcony." I did not see any underwear hanging out that day.
It was freezing cold but so what? I wished to do it but did not get to ride the gondola as Julia was against it. Venice is gondolas in postcards and movies (e.g The Tourist). And masks. Apparently there is a festival in Spring where everybody wears mask, a young lady lawyer told me as she was present as a backpacker.
“Are you a Singaporean backpacker?” I asked her about the dangers of backpacking in Milan and Paris. “No danger if you are careful. I am not Singaporean.” The trim lady was accompanying her mother who insisted on going to Venice. She said: “I am a Malaysian. Singaporean ladies are known as brat-packers.” I was astonished. I had never heard of this term. "What do you mean?" I asked as I know Singaporeans in general have gone soft due to the paternalistic government. A nanny state.
She explained: “Singaporean ladies don't like discomfort. They take out their credit cards when they travel. However I do have Singaporean lady friends who backpack.” I said: “Probably those are the physical type, you know. Those who are into sports.” She nodded her head.
4. No traffic jam for this group. Slow but flowing traffic as our coach ploughed on freshly fallen snow to Milan. The Chinese food was slightly better than the other Chinese restaurant as there was more meat (one small fish for 10 people, pork with vegetables, cauliflowers alone, sweet fried chicken, the corn soup and mandarin oranges. 5 tables of 10. Everybody froze in the cold outside the restaurant as the coach took around 5-10 minutes to arrive, picked us up (as the nearest parking lot was 10 minute walk away in slippery ice-melted pavements) and we went back to Ata Hotels.
5. TRAVELLER’S TIPS
This Ata Hotel in Milan or Milan has poor roaming connections. I had to use the public phone as it has no business centre. My handphone could not work to call Singapore. “You need a phone card,” the duty officer whose eyes were tired, told me. You got to dial “0065” on the public phone. I put in 1 euro coin and the other party in Singapore, being long-winded, made me impatient. Overseas call must be to the point.
Free internet access. You need to pay. However, emails can be checked at a desktop on the table in the hotel lobby.
“Venice is more expensive than New York and London,” one proprietor of a souvenir shop told me. He was a Bangladeshi, now operating his souvenir shop at the ferry terminal. A 9-year-old Singapore girl said: "How much?” and paid 9 euros for a small porcelain model of Venice town square for her mummy. The mother had a son 18 years old and this daughter 9 years old. Migrated from China some 17 years ago. The older adult ladies bargained to buy the masks and T-shirts. Daniel bought a mask.
Lunch in Venice Square was at a Kiro Restaurant which had a variety of sea food. The male waiter saw us and came out with a name card saying: “The fish soup is good.” My family wanted to wander more to find out other eating places. Three locals scattered white salt on the pavement. I asked the family to patronize this place as we were short of time. Lunch for 4 of us cost 71 euros compared to half the price in Siena, but this was Venice Town Square. Venice is a lagoon of 500 sq km with 3 sea inlets. Ballasts are being constructed to prevent flooding. “Much more flooding incidents since last November,” the Italian tour guide said to me. “Could it be global warning and climate change?” She did not know what I was talking about and did not reply. “The Square used to have flood 2-3X per year but now, there are so many.” So is Venice sinking? “You can’t completely wall up the 3 inlets as the sea water is needed to flush out the debris and smells of the inhabitants. Many canals are man-made but some are natural.
Did my laptop function after being stored inside the coach at -3 degrees C for the whole day? Well, it does work as I am typing this.
Charge your camera battery daily if you have no spare. Coldness drain batteries. Download pic daily as this is good advice. I kept my camera dry from the snow flakes by covering it with a plastic bag and making a hole at the lens end. I got this tip from the photographers’ magazine but had not prepared for snow flakes or rain. Fortunately, I found a plastic bag and it was an extremely pleasant and fun experience walking in the fresh snowflakes in Verona which has a high city wall preserved.
As for Juliet’s balcony, some skeptics said it could not be real. Just a tourist attraction. There was a statue of Juliet in gold. Walls of graffiti or love messages at the entrance.
Verona is for those who had read Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as it brings literature alive. Since I took my A level literature examination studying Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" as an impressionable young man of 18 years of age, Juliet's house and courtyard brought literature alive to me during the visit. And this was some 40 years ago but I can still remember Shakespeare's most famous work.
Romantics don't care that this Juliet's house is not the real McCoy (if you research the internet to read the comments) as thousands of young lovers come to this place. On this snowy drizzling evening, the group walked several minutes to visit Juliet's house, see her gold statute. The young ones threw snow balls, the older ones tried to avoid the slippery road as cottony snow flakes glided down from the heavens. There were many visitors to Juliet's house that evening. The surrounding houses were boutiques and shops. For me, English literature came alive that evening. For the others, it was just another tourist attraction.
UPDATES AT:
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Charge your camera battery daily if you have no spare. Coldness drain
batteries. Download pic daily as this is good advice. I kept my camera
dry from the snow flakes by covering it with a plastic bag and making a
hole at the lens end. I got this tip from the photographers’ magazine
but had not prepared for snow flakes or rain. Fortunately, I found a
plastic bag and it was an extremely pleasant and fun experience walking
in the fresh snowflakes in Verona which has a high city wall preserved.
As for Juliet’s balcony, some skeptics said it could not be real. Just a
tourist attraction. There was a statue of Juliet in gold. Walls of
graffiti or love messages at the entrance.
Verona is for those who had read Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as it
brings literature alive. Since I took my A level literature examination
studying Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" as an impressionable young man
of 18 years of age, Juliet's house and courtyard brought literature
alive to me during the visit. And this was some 40 years ago but I can
still remember Shakespeare's most famous work.
Romantics don't care that this Juliet's house is not the real McCoy (if
you research the internet to read the comments) as thousands of young
lovers come to this place. On this snowy drizzling evening, the group
walked several minutes to visit Juliet's house, see her gold statute.
The young ones threw snow balls, the older ones tried to avoid the
slippery road as cottony snow flakes glided down from the heavens. There
were many visitors to Juliet's house that evening. The surrounding
houses were boutiques and shops. For me, English literature came alive
that evening. For the others, it was just another tourist attraction.
--------------------
Verona is often referred to as "little Rome" for the abundance and state of preservation of its artifacts. As such it also has its own "little Colosseum", namely the Arena.
The Verona Arena (Italian: Arena di Verona [aˈrɛːna di veˈroːna, aˈreːna -]) is a Roman amphitheatre in Piazza Bra in Verona, Italy built in 30 AD. It is still in use today and is internationally famous for the large-scale opera performances given there.
It is one of the best preserved ancient structures of its kind. In ancient times, the arena's capacity was nearly 30,000 people. The stage for concerts and opera performances decreases the available places to a maximum of 22,000.[1]
Friday, January 7, 2011
291. Jan 5 & 6 2010. Interesting cases
Case 1. Collapse, panting and high fever on Sunday Jan 2, 2010 like a dog having heat stroke.
Yesterday, Thursday, Jan 6, 2010, I phoned the owner of the 10-year-old Bull Terrier yesterday to enquire how was his fever. The dog was sent home yesterday after 4 days of intensive IV treatment and drugs. The owner took out his phone and played the video clip of his dog crying continuously for several minutes. "This is a cry of pain," I said. "Most dogs done whine like that unless they are in great pain." The owner said: "My dog was not active for the past 10 days, but I did not think he was sick."
Now, after 4 days of treatment, the dog could stand and walk a few seconds. His tongue colour was normal pink. I asked the owner to bring him home to nurse as I doubted that the dog would survive the next 7 days due to his poor blood test results. The dog's blood test showed septicaemia (high WBC to 39, low platelets to 6, increase in urea and creatinine and SGPT). 10 days before coming here, the dog had been boarded at a friend's laundry place.
The owner was to feed him AD diet and other food personally and gave him the drips SC and check his fever. "Spend time with him," I advised as there was not much time left, in my opinion. "Some owners do nurse the dog back to health when the dog is at home rather than being hospitalised," I said.
"He's the same but no fever," the man said when I phoned. "I force feed him the 4 cans of AD diet and eggs." That was good news as I expected the dog to be worse and to have fever returning.
As to the cause of the undulating fever, it could be bacterial or tick fever. There was no tick found on the dog and the owner did not know whether it had ticks in the friend's place. All he knew was that the dog went in healthy and came back sickly. In the 4 days at Toa Payoh Vets, his fever returned the next day and receded when given tolfedine anti-fever. I treated him with different antibiotics for bacterial infections and tick fever before sending the dog home as a dog with no fever.
Will wait and see. Blood test showed that he had a bad bacterial infection and toxic blood due to extremely low platelet. Without intensive IV drips, he would be dead within 24 hours. It was a miracle he was alive at all.
Case 2. A Cocker Spaniel came in with 3 days of purging. "We saw blood in her stools," the couple in their late 30s had boarded the dog at Pasir Ris boarding kennels. The dog had its yearly vaccination. "Why diarrhoea?" the owner asked. "The kennel operator had told me and had asked me if I wanted to send the dog to a vet."
"It is hard to know the cause," I said as the owner declined blood tests to save cost. "There are many reasons. The vaccination protects against the serious viral and bacterial infections." The dog was eating. I hospitalised it and treated it with IV drips, antibiotics and anti-diarrhoea IV. Should be OK after 2 days as the intestines get to recover without food intake irritating their surfaces.
Case 3. A thin 1-year-old female Shih Tzu kept vomiting for the past 10 days. Yesterday, the owner agreed to blood tests and X-rays. X-ray showed small white globular object inside the stomach. Another opaque one in the bladder. Could this be the cause? This is an extremely high risk anaesthetic case as the dog was very thin. So I did not dare to operate as the death was almost guaranteed. Yet, the dog continued vomiting daily. She vomited blood. I thought it was pyometra as there were vulval discharge. Was it kidney disorder? Will wait for the blood test as the owner agreed finally to the blood test.
Yesterday, Thursday, Jan 6, 2010, I phoned the owner of the 10-year-old Bull Terrier yesterday to enquire how was his fever. The dog was sent home yesterday after 4 days of intensive IV treatment and drugs. The owner took out his phone and played the video clip of his dog crying continuously for several minutes. "This is a cry of pain," I said. "Most dogs done whine like that unless they are in great pain." The owner said: "My dog was not active for the past 10 days, but I did not think he was sick."
Now, after 4 days of treatment, the dog could stand and walk a few seconds. His tongue colour was normal pink. I asked the owner to bring him home to nurse as I doubted that the dog would survive the next 7 days due to his poor blood test results. The dog's blood test showed septicaemia (high WBC to 39, low platelets to 6, increase in urea and creatinine and SGPT). 10 days before coming here, the dog had been boarded at a friend's laundry place.
The owner was to feed him AD diet and other food personally and gave him the drips SC and check his fever. "Spend time with him," I advised as there was not much time left, in my opinion. "Some owners do nurse the dog back to health when the dog is at home rather than being hospitalised," I said.
"He's the same but no fever," the man said when I phoned. "I force feed him the 4 cans of AD diet and eggs." That was good news as I expected the dog to be worse and to have fever returning.
As to the cause of the undulating fever, it could be bacterial or tick fever. There was no tick found on the dog and the owner did not know whether it had ticks in the friend's place. All he knew was that the dog went in healthy and came back sickly. In the 4 days at Toa Payoh Vets, his fever returned the next day and receded when given tolfedine anti-fever. I treated him with different antibiotics for bacterial infections and tick fever before sending the dog home as a dog with no fever.
Will wait and see. Blood test showed that he had a bad bacterial infection and toxic blood due to extremely low platelet. Without intensive IV drips, he would be dead within 24 hours. It was a miracle he was alive at all.
Case 2. A Cocker Spaniel came in with 3 days of purging. "We saw blood in her stools," the couple in their late 30s had boarded the dog at Pasir Ris boarding kennels. The dog had its yearly vaccination. "Why diarrhoea?" the owner asked. "The kennel operator had told me and had asked me if I wanted to send the dog to a vet."
"It is hard to know the cause," I said as the owner declined blood tests to save cost. "There are many reasons. The vaccination protects against the serious viral and bacterial infections." The dog was eating. I hospitalised it and treated it with IV drips, antibiotics and anti-diarrhoea IV. Should be OK after 2 days as the intestines get to recover without food intake irritating their surfaces.
Case 3. A thin 1-year-old female Shih Tzu kept vomiting for the past 10 days. Yesterday, the owner agreed to blood tests and X-rays. X-ray showed small white globular object inside the stomach. Another opaque one in the bladder. Could this be the cause? This is an extremely high risk anaesthetic case as the dog was very thin. So I did not dare to operate as the death was almost guaranteed. Yet, the dog continued vomiting daily. She vomited blood. I thought it was pyometra as there were vulval discharge. Was it kidney disorder? Will wait for the blood test as the owner agreed finally to the blood test.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
290. Jan 4, 2011 interesting cases
Tues Jan 4, 2011
INTERESTING CASES
Case 1. The 15-year-old Beagle with mouth pain. I was worried that she might not make it under anaesthesia. The dog was hospitalised overnight. Had IV drip and antibiotics IV. At 9.30 am, I had her under surgery.
No sedative. Just straight isoflurane gas mask and intubated as this was the safest method. But quite troublesome as the dog puts up a strong struggle to be given gas without sedation injection.
Gums were very pink. Painful mouth due to long ulcers at the gum/teeth line. Only 2 teeth extracted. The 15-year-old has better teeth than most 10-year-old dogs. The gentleman owner came at 10.30 am while I was operating the 2nd dog with testicular tumour. He brought a pillow. I told him not to visit the dog. The dog was OK. Shivering and drowsy due to anaesthetic effect and her old age (not recovering as fast as young ones). Dog went home to a happy couple.
Case 2. The dog with testicular tumour was hospitalised yesterday and given IV drip and antibiotics. 12-year-old is a big anaesthetic risk. I was not looking forward to doing this surgery. The big testicular tumour was stuck to the underside of the scrotum. It would not be the simple testicular neutering surgery which would take less than 30 minutes.
Yellow white fluid shot out from the tunica and later from the testicular tumour. The other testicle was shrunkened. So, this was not only a tumour but an infected nasty growth. I needed to cut off the whole scrotal skin as the tumour was sticking to the scrotum (due to infection probably. INTERESTING HISTORY. 4 weeks ago, had high fever and Vet 1 gave antibiotics without examining the testicles - vets seldom inspect testicles actually. 2 weeks ago, visited Vet 1 to consult about testicle size. Couple consulted me yesterday as I had removed bladder stones from this dog in 2007!).
Dog groggy. I gave Antisedan to revive him. Overall, he was alive but I wanted him to be hospitalised as he had a 15-cm incision wound (will post pic later) after cutting off the sticky scrotum and base. If he went home and jumped about, the big hole will be hard to stitch again. The surgery is called SCROTAL ABLATION.
Other medical cases were the usual vaccination and not interesting to readers.
VISIT TO A PET SHOP
"What do you want me to do?" the 9-year-old girl pulled my hand. She was the intelligent one I mentioned in my writing sometime ago and I had asked the mother to send her to a better neighbourhood school. The mother said to me: "I have a client who is a teacher there. She tells me that the principal will need to interview and then there will be a test before admission. But my daughter does not want to go. So the teacher advised that it is better for my daughter to be happy where she is rather than be unhappy in a better school."
What kind of advice is that? I did not comment. Environment plays a big part in nuturing a child's academic performance. Many Singaporean parents go to great lengths, even renting a condo to be near a good school (2-km ruling gives advantage).
So, this girl had lost the opportunity to excell. Anyway, her mother saw her tugging my hand and said: "You can't do this. It is not good manners."
I said to the little girl: "I want to buy an exercise book. Can you buy for me from the bookshop nearby?"
"No bookshop. Must go to the school. Must cross road. So I can't go."
Her older brother of 10 years volunteered to buy for me. She has 4 siblings and she is No. 2 in age. Her friend Christobel was with her. So we went to the school.
The guard permitted me to enter.
1. Book shop closed. "What time does it close?" I asked. The children dashed inside the dentist's room. Why? There was a clock there. I went in the room after them. A dental nurse was shocked. It was past 4 pm. So the shop was closed.
2. Catching tadpoles. The big brother suddenly said: "Dr Sing, you pay $1.00 to buy a bottle of drink. I can use the bottle to catch the tadpoles (in the school pond). I took out $1.00 coin but the children did not want to buy. I saw a dustbin and got out a discarded water bottle for him. "Very dirty," the children refused to touch it as it was from the dustbin. "Just go to the bathroom to wash it," I said to the brother. He did it and used the cap to catch 2 tadpoles.
The little girl also wanted to catch tadpoles now.
INTERESTING CASES
Case 1. The 15-year-old Beagle with mouth pain. I was worried that she might not make it under anaesthesia. The dog was hospitalised overnight. Had IV drip and antibiotics IV. At 9.30 am, I had her under surgery.
No sedative. Just straight isoflurane gas mask and intubated as this was the safest method. But quite troublesome as the dog puts up a strong struggle to be given gas without sedation injection.
Gums were very pink. Painful mouth due to long ulcers at the gum/teeth line. Only 2 teeth extracted. The 15-year-old has better teeth than most 10-year-old dogs. The gentleman owner came at 10.30 am while I was operating the 2nd dog with testicular tumour. He brought a pillow. I told him not to visit the dog. The dog was OK. Shivering and drowsy due to anaesthetic effect and her old age (not recovering as fast as young ones). Dog went home to a happy couple.
Case 2. The dog with testicular tumour was hospitalised yesterday and given IV drip and antibiotics. 12-year-old is a big anaesthetic risk. I was not looking forward to doing this surgery. The big testicular tumour was stuck to the underside of the scrotum. It would not be the simple testicular neutering surgery which would take less than 30 minutes.
Yellow white fluid shot out from the tunica and later from the testicular tumour. The other testicle was shrunkened. So, this was not only a tumour but an infected nasty growth. I needed to cut off the whole scrotal skin as the tumour was sticking to the scrotum (due to infection probably. INTERESTING HISTORY. 4 weeks ago, had high fever and Vet 1 gave antibiotics without examining the testicles - vets seldom inspect testicles actually. 2 weeks ago, visited Vet 1 to consult about testicle size. Couple consulted me yesterday as I had removed bladder stones from this dog in 2007!).
Dog groggy. I gave Antisedan to revive him. Overall, he was alive but I wanted him to be hospitalised as he had a 15-cm incision wound (will post pic later) after cutting off the sticky scrotum and base. If he went home and jumped about, the big hole will be hard to stitch again. The surgery is called SCROTAL ABLATION.
Other medical cases were the usual vaccination and not interesting to readers.
VISIT TO A PET SHOP
"What do you want me to do?" the 9-year-old girl pulled my hand. She was the intelligent one I mentioned in my writing sometime ago and I had asked the mother to send her to a better neighbourhood school. The mother said to me: "I have a client who is a teacher there. She tells me that the principal will need to interview and then there will be a test before admission. But my daughter does not want to go. So the teacher advised that it is better for my daughter to be happy where she is rather than be unhappy in a better school."
What kind of advice is that? I did not comment. Environment plays a big part in nuturing a child's academic performance. Many Singaporean parents go to great lengths, even renting a condo to be near a good school (2-km ruling gives advantage).
So, this girl had lost the opportunity to excell. Anyway, her mother saw her tugging my hand and said: "You can't do this. It is not good manners."
I said to the little girl: "I want to buy an exercise book. Can you buy for me from the bookshop nearby?"
"No bookshop. Must go to the school. Must cross road. So I can't go."
Her older brother of 10 years volunteered to buy for me. She has 4 siblings and she is No. 2 in age. Her friend Christobel was with her. So we went to the school.
The guard permitted me to enter.
1. Book shop closed. "What time does it close?" I asked. The children dashed inside the dentist's room. Why? There was a clock there. I went in the room after them. A dental nurse was shocked. It was past 4 pm. So the shop was closed.
2. Catching tadpoles. The big brother suddenly said: "Dr Sing, you pay $1.00 to buy a bottle of drink. I can use the bottle to catch the tadpoles (in the school pond). I took out $1.00 coin but the children did not want to buy. I saw a dustbin and got out a discarded water bottle for him. "Very dirty," the children refused to touch it as it was from the dustbin. "Just go to the bathroom to wash it," I said to the brother. He did it and used the cap to catch 2 tadpoles.
The little girl also wanted to catch tadpoles now.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors
Many of my posts have spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. I have not much time. It is either produce perfect English or creating content. Sometimes I revise and see "catch catcher" in one article. It should be "cat catcher". I will edit when free. For now, it is better I create imperfect writing in many numbers rather than one. I have around 3 hours of free time to write and this may seem a lot of time, but it is not.
288. Jan 3, 2011 interesting cases
Jan 3, 2011
My car's dashboard showed "check coolant level" again after repair last month. The mechanic had replaced the pump and had said the radiator was OK. It was a poor diagnosis as now the problem re-surfaced. I had to send the car down again. It was a radiator leak.
On the way, I visited my mentor, a senior vet to wish him a Happy New Year. "Where's XXX?" he asked about the 4th year vet student who was supposed to do internship. "He's got to re-sit his exam and has to study." I said. I asked about his son who had started an ice-cream production using artificial sweetener. He was already producing the ice-cream. The nurse brought in two cones in the vet's office where a fish tank of ordinary small golden fishes were kept (to give life to the office, the father said). "How's the ice-cream?" the son asked me later. "Too sweet," I said. "That's strange. The others said it was not sweet." I said: "Not as sweet as The Magnum ice-cream but I prefer less sweet so as not to over-work my pancreas and get diabetes at my age." He asked: "Take a tub back to the vet office." I declined as I did not have a big fridge there. I advised him to accept investors and not worry about "dilution of the brand." I said: "Cash flow is important. If investors provide the cash flow, you can invest in better equipment and retail stores." At the moment, he is selling it online.
INTERESTING CASES
Case 1. The 12-year-old Silkie with two firm and enlarge testicles.
"You removed his kidney stones 5 years ago," the young couple said. "It cost us $600." I looked at the 2007 records and yes I did the surgery for $300. "Any difficulty in peeing?" I asked. "No more. Sometimes we see blood in the urine."
4 weeks ago, Vet 1 had treated the dog for fever. 2 weeks ago, Vet 1 gave some medication for the testicular problem but the size of the two testicles did not reduce. They were 3x the normal size. "Did Ve1 1 propose surgery?" I asked. The couple went to Vet 1 as it was nearer to their place but had wanted me to operate in 2007 as I was cheaper. "I think so," the young man said. I scheduled the dog for surgery the next day. "No other way to cure" I said. "Likely to be testicular tumours or cancer. You need to pay for histopathology lab to check out."
"What if I don't want the lab test?" the young man asked. "It is a personal decision," I said. "What advantages in having a lab test?" he asked. "If the growth is not cancerous, the dog will live to its normal life." I said. "If cancerous, medication may be needed."
"There are only 3 types of testicular cancer in the dog," the young man said.
"No, there are more but 3 main types," I said. "Only a histopathology will tell. In your dog, he is very old. You may not see him alive again if his heart fails during anaesthesia," I warned the couple. "I will try to shorten the surgery. I still need to cut off the whole black scrotum instead of just taking out the testicles. It will take some time to stitch."
The young man asked: "Why?"
I said: "Just in case there is cancer and the scrotum, if not removed, still harbours the cancerous cells."
I hope all will be well during the anaesthesia.
Blood and urine tests are done. "It costs $600 like last time," the young man said. "You are fortunate that your dog costs you so little over the last 12 years as he needed only a bladder stone surgery," I replied. "For some owners, they spend thousands of dollars for treatment of their sick dog. The $600 include histopathology, blood and urine tests which should be done." I did not include consultation fees for this couple. It was a joy to see the dog again. I do recognise him now as he has that golden hair in his head.
I was thinking sadly of the 12-year old Schnauzer Cross admitted yesterday Sunday due to fits and recumbency. He died at 4 a.m today. His owner had spent some money trying to prolong his life and would be getting TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) from Vet 1 today, Monday. He had chronic kidney failure and was gasping and recumbent and had fits and was hospitalised. He vomited food and died around 4 am. "How do you know it was 4 am?" the owner asked when he came at 11 am to make cremation arrangements. "My staff was on duty," I said.
Case 2. As regards a dog in recumbency (unable to sit or stand up), an older man and a gentleman friend brought in his Mini-Bull Terrier with pus in the eyes and flat out. His dog was OK and was boarded at a friend's place. Such old dogs are seldom vaccinated. "Very high fever" I said. "Was he boarded in a dog kennel?" I asked. "No," he said. "A laundry." I took the blood test, gave the dog IV drip, anti-fever and anti-antibiotics. The fever went down and the dog sat up and looked around at around 6 p.m. I was glad he was OK for the time being. As to the cause of his very high fever, it is hard to tell.
Case 3. The 15-year-old Beagle with a painful mouth.
A couple in their late 50s asked: "Is it possible just to give antibiotics every time the dog has painful mouth instead of anaesthesia and extraction? We don't want the dog to die on the operating table!"
"Antibiotics will not work over time," I replied. "They will not be effective. The bacteria will spread all over the dog's body. As he gets much older, his immune system will not cope. He will die of toxaemia and bacterial infections." Sounds dramatic? The husband showed me his iPhone picture of the dog's teeth. They were clear pictures and showed tartar and red ulcers at the gum level. He lifted the dog's side and showed me the real gum and teeth.
"You are aware of the high risk of anaesthesia in dogs over 8 years of age," I advised. "This dog is 16 years old." I checked the heart. He did not have serious heart murmurs. "There is one swelling below his right eye and a smaller one in his left," the husband pointed the lumps to me. "Yes," I said. "They will be the starting of the carnaissal tooth abscess. The bacteria from the root of the teeth had punctured the facial bone and abscess will pop out below the face some time later. It is also called an oro-nasal fistula." I took out the Hills' Anatomy book and showed the picture of the carnaissal tooth abscess.
Anaesthesia and dental work would be done tomorrow. It would be very high risk and the owners had expected a good outcome.
Case 4. Pyometra? A very thin Shih Tzu female around 1 year old had been vomiting for the past 6 days. "What's the cause?" the owner asked. There were no diarrhoea or abdominal pain or swelling or fever. The owner did not want blood test. This was difficult. The only finding was that the vulval area was inflamed and wet. "When was the dog on heat?" I asked. "Some 4 weeks ago." he said. So, the probable diagnosis was open pyometra. I put the dog on IV drip and antibiotics and kept her for 2 days. Owners don't like longer hospitalisation.
Case 5. Luxated lens. The father did hit the dog on the head 2 weeks ago. The dog had been rubbing his left eyelid area and it was red. "Is it glaucoma?" the owner asked me yesterday and pointed to a black spot in the upper eyelid. I examined the dog properly under general anaesthesia (domitor and isoflurane). There was a slight increase in intro-ocular pressure in the left eye. The main problem was that the lens had luxated into the anterior chamber, causing pain and eye rubbing. Surgery was advised. Much depends on the owner.
Case 6. 12-year-old dog with teeth extracted.
The young man and his father brought the old dog for dental extraction (periodontitis Grade 4 - the worst of the disease) and was boarded yesterday. They bargained hard. "$400 is the lowest rate for everything including hospitalisation, IV drips and antibiotics, anaesthesia and surgery," I said. The dog survived the anaesthesia. The 10 rotten teeth were kept but my man did not show him at first. He phoned me as I was off work. "I pay $400 just for some dental work and one day stay," he said over the phone in an "taken for the ride" tone of voice. This is the type of calculating client I dislike a lot. This is not the way to conduct business.
I said: "The fees have been agreed. I cap it at $400 for you so that you know the costs. It should be much more. I charge $20/tooth extracted." I asked my assistant to get the teeth out to show him. It is best to attach all evidence next time. Later he text messaged me to apologise. I text back "Thanks." All vets get all types of personalities a day and some of them can be abusive to staff.
As you can see, there is a variety of conditions encountered today, even in one species, the canine. No cats or hamsters came today.
My car's dashboard showed "check coolant level" again after repair last month. The mechanic had replaced the pump and had said the radiator was OK. It was a poor diagnosis as now the problem re-surfaced. I had to send the car down again. It was a radiator leak.
On the way, I visited my mentor, a senior vet to wish him a Happy New Year. "Where's XXX?" he asked about the 4th year vet student who was supposed to do internship. "He's got to re-sit his exam and has to study." I said. I asked about his son who had started an ice-cream production using artificial sweetener. He was already producing the ice-cream. The nurse brought in two cones in the vet's office where a fish tank of ordinary small golden fishes were kept (to give life to the office, the father said). "How's the ice-cream?" the son asked me later. "Too sweet," I said. "That's strange. The others said it was not sweet." I said: "Not as sweet as The Magnum ice-cream but I prefer less sweet so as not to over-work my pancreas and get diabetes at my age." He asked: "Take a tub back to the vet office." I declined as I did not have a big fridge there. I advised him to accept investors and not worry about "dilution of the brand." I said: "Cash flow is important. If investors provide the cash flow, you can invest in better equipment and retail stores." At the moment, he is selling it online.
INTERESTING CASES
Case 1. The 12-year-old Silkie with two firm and enlarge testicles.
"You removed his kidney stones 5 years ago," the young couple said. "It cost us $600." I looked at the 2007 records and yes I did the surgery for $300. "Any difficulty in peeing?" I asked. "No more. Sometimes we see blood in the urine."
4 weeks ago, Vet 1 had treated the dog for fever. 2 weeks ago, Vet 1 gave some medication for the testicular problem but the size of the two testicles did not reduce. They were 3x the normal size. "Did Ve1 1 propose surgery?" I asked. The couple went to Vet 1 as it was nearer to their place but had wanted me to operate in 2007 as I was cheaper. "I think so," the young man said. I scheduled the dog for surgery the next day. "No other way to cure" I said. "Likely to be testicular tumours or cancer. You need to pay for histopathology lab to check out."
"What if I don't want the lab test?" the young man asked. "It is a personal decision," I said. "What advantages in having a lab test?" he asked. "If the growth is not cancerous, the dog will live to its normal life." I said. "If cancerous, medication may be needed."
"There are only 3 types of testicular cancer in the dog," the young man said.
"No, there are more but 3 main types," I said. "Only a histopathology will tell. In your dog, he is very old. You may not see him alive again if his heart fails during anaesthesia," I warned the couple. "I will try to shorten the surgery. I still need to cut off the whole black scrotum instead of just taking out the testicles. It will take some time to stitch."
The young man asked: "Why?"
I said: "Just in case there is cancer and the scrotum, if not removed, still harbours the cancerous cells."
I hope all will be well during the anaesthesia.
Blood and urine tests are done. "It costs $600 like last time," the young man said. "You are fortunate that your dog costs you so little over the last 12 years as he needed only a bladder stone surgery," I replied. "For some owners, they spend thousands of dollars for treatment of their sick dog. The $600 include histopathology, blood and urine tests which should be done." I did not include consultation fees for this couple. It was a joy to see the dog again. I do recognise him now as he has that golden hair in his head.
I was thinking sadly of the 12-year old Schnauzer Cross admitted yesterday Sunday due to fits and recumbency. He died at 4 a.m today. His owner had spent some money trying to prolong his life and would be getting TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) from Vet 1 today, Monday. He had chronic kidney failure and was gasping and recumbent and had fits and was hospitalised. He vomited food and died around 4 am. "How do you know it was 4 am?" the owner asked when he came at 11 am to make cremation arrangements. "My staff was on duty," I said.
Case 2. As regards a dog in recumbency (unable to sit or stand up), an older man and a gentleman friend brought in his Mini-Bull Terrier with pus in the eyes and flat out. His dog was OK and was boarded at a friend's place. Such old dogs are seldom vaccinated. "Very high fever" I said. "Was he boarded in a dog kennel?" I asked. "No," he said. "A laundry." I took the blood test, gave the dog IV drip, anti-fever and anti-antibiotics. The fever went down and the dog sat up and looked around at around 6 p.m. I was glad he was OK for the time being. As to the cause of his very high fever, it is hard to tell.
Case 3. The 15-year-old Beagle with a painful mouth.
A couple in their late 50s asked: "Is it possible just to give antibiotics every time the dog has painful mouth instead of anaesthesia and extraction? We don't want the dog to die on the operating table!"
"Antibiotics will not work over time," I replied. "They will not be effective. The bacteria will spread all over the dog's body. As he gets much older, his immune system will not cope. He will die of toxaemia and bacterial infections." Sounds dramatic? The husband showed me his iPhone picture of the dog's teeth. They were clear pictures and showed tartar and red ulcers at the gum level. He lifted the dog's side and showed me the real gum and teeth.
"You are aware of the high risk of anaesthesia in dogs over 8 years of age," I advised. "This dog is 16 years old." I checked the heart. He did not have serious heart murmurs. "There is one swelling below his right eye and a smaller one in his left," the husband pointed the lumps to me. "Yes," I said. "They will be the starting of the carnaissal tooth abscess. The bacteria from the root of the teeth had punctured the facial bone and abscess will pop out below the face some time later. It is also called an oro-nasal fistula." I took out the Hills' Anatomy book and showed the picture of the carnaissal tooth abscess.
Anaesthesia and dental work would be done tomorrow. It would be very high risk and the owners had expected a good outcome.
Case 4. Pyometra? A very thin Shih Tzu female around 1 year old had been vomiting for the past 6 days. "What's the cause?" the owner asked. There were no diarrhoea or abdominal pain or swelling or fever. The owner did not want blood test. This was difficult. The only finding was that the vulval area was inflamed and wet. "When was the dog on heat?" I asked. "Some 4 weeks ago." he said. So, the probable diagnosis was open pyometra. I put the dog on IV drip and antibiotics and kept her for 2 days. Owners don't like longer hospitalisation.
Case 5. Luxated lens. The father did hit the dog on the head 2 weeks ago. The dog had been rubbing his left eyelid area and it was red. "Is it glaucoma?" the owner asked me yesterday and pointed to a black spot in the upper eyelid. I examined the dog properly under general anaesthesia (domitor and isoflurane). There was a slight increase in intro-ocular pressure in the left eye. The main problem was that the lens had luxated into the anterior chamber, causing pain and eye rubbing. Surgery was advised. Much depends on the owner.
Case 6. 12-year-old dog with teeth extracted.
The young man and his father brought the old dog for dental extraction (periodontitis Grade 4 - the worst of the disease) and was boarded yesterday. They bargained hard. "$400 is the lowest rate for everything including hospitalisation, IV drips and antibiotics, anaesthesia and surgery," I said. The dog survived the anaesthesia. The 10 rotten teeth were kept but my man did not show him at first. He phoned me as I was off work. "I pay $400 just for some dental work and one day stay," he said over the phone in an "taken for the ride" tone of voice. This is the type of calculating client I dislike a lot. This is not the way to conduct business.
I said: "The fees have been agreed. I cap it at $400 for you so that you know the costs. It should be much more. I charge $20/tooth extracted." I asked my assistant to get the teeth out to show him. It is best to attach all evidence next time. Later he text messaged me to apologise. I text back "Thanks." All vets get all types of personalities a day and some of them can be abusive to staff.
As you can see, there is a variety of conditions encountered today, even in one species, the canine. No cats or hamsters came today.
Monday, January 3, 2011
287. Jan 2, 2011 (Sunday) cases
Bright sunshine day. Sunday. Most vet clinics are closed but Toa Payoh Vets has traditionally been open on Sundays. As Dr Vanessa is on leave till Jan 10, 2011, I work the whole day. If not, I will work from 9 am to 11 am on Sundays and weekdays.
INTERESTING CASES
CASE 1. GUINEA PIG NEUTER
A young man wanted his 2-day-purchased male 6-month-old guinea pig to be neutered. "The female is still with Pet Lovers' Centre," he said. "I don't want her to get pregnant. So I keep her there first." It is best not to neuter so soon after purchase.
"Is the guinea pig adjusted to your new home? Is he passing stools?"
"Yes," the man said. "Lots of stools. Too much. He is running around happily. In fact, I purchased the anti-stress powder as advised by Pet Lovers' Centre."
Since the guinea pig was OK, I agreed to neuter him. There is no point rushing to neuter newly purchased guinea pigs or pets as demanded by owners as they may be incubating diseases. After the surgery, the disease shows the symptoms and the vet gets the blame.
ANAESTHETIC RISK
This guinea pig weighed only 500g. What anaesthetic to use? The following was done successfully.
PER KG Bodyweight, Domitor 0.2 ml and Ketamine 0.1 ml in one syringe, totalling 0.3 ml.
I prepared the above and shook the syringe a few times. In this 500g guinea pig, I injected 0.15 ml SC. The guinea pig squealed during injection. 5 minutes later, surgical anaesthesia was excellent for the next 5 - 10 minutes. Neuter using 1 ligature (twice knotted) on the close tunica was done.
ANTIDOTE. Many guinea pigs will wake up slowly by themselves. As the guinea pig was young, I decided to wake him up after surgery. He was breathing but not standing. I gave Antisedan 0.1 ml (with saline) SC. Within 2 minutes, he was awake and squealed when carried to the crate.
When the owner came, the guinea pig was standing. Pain-killers, antibiotic and Fibreplex were given. This was the ideal treatment regime for this guinea pig.
CASE 2. 8-YEAR-OLD SCHNAUZER HAD FITS AND VOMITING. The young couple had been giving, at home, the Hartman and saline drips SC from Vet 1 who had diagnosed chronic kidney failure. Since Vet 1 was closed today (Sunday), I was consulted as the dog had 3 episodes of fits and was gasping for breath. Vomiting had occurred.
"Vet 1 would be giving TCM tomorrow," the couple said to me. I had to be frank with them that their dog will not live long once fits are seen as the toxic blood from the kidney failure causes uraemic fits. "It may be kinder to let the stop more suffering as some dogs die violently vomiting blood." It was bad news. In any case, I advised that the dog be given IV drips (glucose of 50 ml, dextrose saline, antibiotics, anti-fits, anti-diuretics and painkillers).
"Vet 1 had not given antibiotics but this is a matter of judgment," I said to the owners. "Each vet has his own way of treatment and I don't want to cause blame on Vet 1 nor do I want other vets to cause blame to me."
The dog was hospitalised and we would wait 24 hours. Economics play a great part. The couple did not want blood tests and so the present treatment would suffice. There is no kidney dialysis and transplant for dogs in Singapore and if there were, the costs would be too much for the ordinary folks. This was a very sad case.
CASE 3. The black cat bit the lady's nose.
A handsome couple. I noted the bespectacled fair lady had a 2-cm scratch on the left side of her pale white nose and kept quiet. She had came with her husband to visit the hissing black cat hospitalised and given treatment by my associate Dr Jason Teo yesterday (Saturday).
"How's the cat today?" the slim lady in her 30s asked me. "No more high fever," I replied. "She can go home to her safe environment as she looks stressed here."
There is no pure cat clinic in Singapore and some cats may not be happy to be hospitalised with dogs. I put sick cats in a different location away from dogs but still there are dogs around.
"What's the cause of the fever?" the young lady lawyer said that the cat was brought outdoors on a leash the day before. The cat was reluctant to go out and rushed to hide inside a shrub. She had been frightened sometime ago when a dog came towards her. She was perfectly happy in the apartment but the owners wanted to give her some outdoor exercise. "Is she suffering from a viral infection?" the young lady asked. The cat had her vaccinations.
"Some bacterial infection from the soil," I speculated. "Then you put more chemicals on her body by using body wipes and she tried to lick the perfumed smell away. Together, with the stress of outdoors, she developed fever as her immune system must be down."
As my associate did not take a blood sample, I did not confirm the bacterial infection but the sudden onset of high fever and outdoor exposure to soil would point to a bacterial infection rather than a viral infection.
"Did the cat scratch your nose?" I asked the lady.
"She bit me on the nose when I said hello to her," the lady laughed. "Just a gentle bite and she did not dig her teeth into my nose."
"Fortunately you are married," I presumed. "If not, your marriage prospects are poor!"
It would not be true as the lady had that innate inner beauty expressed through her communication, facial gestures, physical attributes and voice. It is hard to describe this inner beauty presented in some handsome young ladies. Charisma? You just feel the good and gentle vibrations.
The cat went home. Later the gentleman phoned: "The cat is not eating." I said: "Wait another 24 hours. She may be recovering from her stress."
CASES 4 & 5. BACK SPINAL AREA ITCHY IN 2 CATS. Two cats, with back spinal area itchy. One grey cat had grown a different golden brown patch of hair but was still itchy. I could not find any fleas as I thought it could be flea-bite allergy. The owner could have given treatment. I checked the anal glands. Dried, black grey particles of oil. This could be a cause. It is hard to say. I gave an anti-itch injection. As for the second cat, its back area was matted. It was fat and had dirty years. It was constipated despite being fed "hair ball diet" from Royal Canin. I got the groomer to clean her up, clip her coat and hospitalise her one or two days to treat the constipation and observe her.
CASE 6. PERIODONTAL DISEASE STAGE 4. The father and son tried to delay dental treatment but now the old 8-year-old Silkie had pus in the mouth and lost weight. "My cat must be in Stage 5," the son said when I showed them the pictures of Stage 4. "No more stage 5," I said. "The worst stage is Stage 4." I hospitalise the dog for IV drip and antibiotics treatment before doing dental work the next day (Monday).
CASE 7. TRAUMATIC INJURY IN LEFT EYE. "Can it be glaucoma? Do you do eye glaucoma test?" the lady presented me an old mixed terrier with a white cataract eye. The dog had been scratching the left eye as I noted that the eyelid areas were reddish.
"Did this acute conjunctivitis happen after the injury?" I asked. "Yes," she said. "In this case, it is best to check for traumatic injuries in the upper eyelid." The lady said: "There is a black spot inside the upper eyelid." Indeed there was if you evert the upper eyelid fully. I took some pictures. "This could be a foreign body stuck inside, making the dog crazy and painful in the eye. Therefore he rubs his eye trying to get rid of it."
I will be examining the dog under anaesthesia on the next day and cut off the black spot. Sometimes, the cause is not obvious and we think of glaucoma which may still be present.
I finished work at 6 pm and went to watch "Gullivers' Travels" at Ang Mo Kio Hub with my family. It was probably more interesting to a child.
INTERESTING CASES
CASE 1. GUINEA PIG NEUTER
A young man wanted his 2-day-purchased male 6-month-old guinea pig to be neutered. "The female is still with Pet Lovers' Centre," he said. "I don't want her to get pregnant. So I keep her there first." It is best not to neuter so soon after purchase.
"Is the guinea pig adjusted to your new home? Is he passing stools?"
"Yes," the man said. "Lots of stools. Too much. He is running around happily. In fact, I purchased the anti-stress powder as advised by Pet Lovers' Centre."
Since the guinea pig was OK, I agreed to neuter him. There is no point rushing to neuter newly purchased guinea pigs or pets as demanded by owners as they may be incubating diseases. After the surgery, the disease shows the symptoms and the vet gets the blame.
ANAESTHETIC RISK
This guinea pig weighed only 500g. What anaesthetic to use? The following was done successfully.
PER KG Bodyweight, Domitor 0.2 ml and Ketamine 0.1 ml in one syringe, totalling 0.3 ml.
I prepared the above and shook the syringe a few times. In this 500g guinea pig, I injected 0.15 ml SC. The guinea pig squealed during injection. 5 minutes later, surgical anaesthesia was excellent for the next 5 - 10 minutes. Neuter using 1 ligature (twice knotted) on the close tunica was done.
ANTIDOTE. Many guinea pigs will wake up slowly by themselves. As the guinea pig was young, I decided to wake him up after surgery. He was breathing but not standing. I gave Antisedan 0.1 ml (with saline) SC. Within 2 minutes, he was awake and squealed when carried to the crate.
When the owner came, the guinea pig was standing. Pain-killers, antibiotic and Fibreplex were given. This was the ideal treatment regime for this guinea pig.
CASE 2. 8-YEAR-OLD SCHNAUZER HAD FITS AND VOMITING. The young couple had been giving, at home, the Hartman and saline drips SC from Vet 1 who had diagnosed chronic kidney failure. Since Vet 1 was closed today (Sunday), I was consulted as the dog had 3 episodes of fits and was gasping for breath. Vomiting had occurred.
"Vet 1 would be giving TCM tomorrow," the couple said to me. I had to be frank with them that their dog will not live long once fits are seen as the toxic blood from the kidney failure causes uraemic fits. "It may be kinder to let the stop more suffering as some dogs die violently vomiting blood." It was bad news. In any case, I advised that the dog be given IV drips (glucose of 50 ml, dextrose saline, antibiotics, anti-fits, anti-diuretics and painkillers).
"Vet 1 had not given antibiotics but this is a matter of judgment," I said to the owners. "Each vet has his own way of treatment and I don't want to cause blame on Vet 1 nor do I want other vets to cause blame to me."
The dog was hospitalised and we would wait 24 hours. Economics play a great part. The couple did not want blood tests and so the present treatment would suffice. There is no kidney dialysis and transplant for dogs in Singapore and if there were, the costs would be too much for the ordinary folks. This was a very sad case.
CASE 3. The black cat bit the lady's nose.
A handsome couple. I noted the bespectacled fair lady had a 2-cm scratch on the left side of her pale white nose and kept quiet. She had came with her husband to visit the hissing black cat hospitalised and given treatment by my associate Dr Jason Teo yesterday (Saturday).
"How's the cat today?" the slim lady in her 30s asked me. "No more high fever," I replied. "She can go home to her safe environment as she looks stressed here."
There is no pure cat clinic in Singapore and some cats may not be happy to be hospitalised with dogs. I put sick cats in a different location away from dogs but still there are dogs around.
"What's the cause of the fever?" the young lady lawyer said that the cat was brought outdoors on a leash the day before. The cat was reluctant to go out and rushed to hide inside a shrub. She had been frightened sometime ago when a dog came towards her. She was perfectly happy in the apartment but the owners wanted to give her some outdoor exercise. "Is she suffering from a viral infection?" the young lady asked. The cat had her vaccinations.
"Some bacterial infection from the soil," I speculated. "Then you put more chemicals on her body by using body wipes and she tried to lick the perfumed smell away. Together, with the stress of outdoors, she developed fever as her immune system must be down."
As my associate did not take a blood sample, I did not confirm the bacterial infection but the sudden onset of high fever and outdoor exposure to soil would point to a bacterial infection rather than a viral infection.
"Did the cat scratch your nose?" I asked the lady.
"She bit me on the nose when I said hello to her," the lady laughed. "Just a gentle bite and she did not dig her teeth into my nose."
"Fortunately you are married," I presumed. "If not, your marriage prospects are poor!"
It would not be true as the lady had that innate inner beauty expressed through her communication, facial gestures, physical attributes and voice. It is hard to describe this inner beauty presented in some handsome young ladies. Charisma? You just feel the good and gentle vibrations.
The cat went home. Later the gentleman phoned: "The cat is not eating." I said: "Wait another 24 hours. She may be recovering from her stress."
CASES 4 & 5. BACK SPINAL AREA ITCHY IN 2 CATS. Two cats, with back spinal area itchy. One grey cat had grown a different golden brown patch of hair but was still itchy. I could not find any fleas as I thought it could be flea-bite allergy. The owner could have given treatment. I checked the anal glands. Dried, black grey particles of oil. This could be a cause. It is hard to say. I gave an anti-itch injection. As for the second cat, its back area was matted. It was fat and had dirty years. It was constipated despite being fed "hair ball diet" from Royal Canin. I got the groomer to clean her up, clip her coat and hospitalise her one or two days to treat the constipation and observe her.
CASE 6. PERIODONTAL DISEASE STAGE 4. The father and son tried to delay dental treatment but now the old 8-year-old Silkie had pus in the mouth and lost weight. "My cat must be in Stage 5," the son said when I showed them the pictures of Stage 4. "No more stage 5," I said. "The worst stage is Stage 4." I hospitalise the dog for IV drip and antibiotics treatment before doing dental work the next day (Monday).
CASE 7. TRAUMATIC INJURY IN LEFT EYE. "Can it be glaucoma? Do you do eye glaucoma test?" the lady presented me an old mixed terrier with a white cataract eye. The dog had been scratching the left eye as I noted that the eyelid areas were reddish.
"Did this acute conjunctivitis happen after the injury?" I asked. "Yes," she said. "In this case, it is best to check for traumatic injuries in the upper eyelid." The lady said: "There is a black spot inside the upper eyelid." Indeed there was if you evert the upper eyelid fully. I took some pictures. "This could be a foreign body stuck inside, making the dog crazy and painful in the eye. Therefore he rubs his eye trying to get rid of it."
I will be examining the dog under anaesthesia on the next day and cut off the black spot. Sometimes, the cause is not obvious and we think of glaucoma which may still be present.
I finished work at 6 pm and went to watch "Gullivers' Travels" at Ang Mo Kio Hub with my family. It was probably more interesting to a child.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
multi-media stories compared to photo stories
Almost all my articles at www.toapayohvets.com and in this blog have been photo stories as it takes a lot of time to produce photos and to write.
Multimedia stories - more demanding. I will need character-driven narratives, strong personalities whose issue can connect to readers and globally via the world wide web. Audio needed. Scenes with impact and evoke feelings. There is a need for collaborators from animators and multimedia graduates and money. So, it may not be financially possible as such projects are very expensive and time-consuming. Producing one project may take months.
Producing a simple educational video may be possible as one done on dental scaling in dogs. See www.toapayohvets.com.
Any volunteers interested, please contact me at judy@toapayohvets.com
Multimedia stories - more demanding. I will need character-driven narratives, strong personalities whose issue can connect to readers and globally via the world wide web. Audio needed. Scenes with impact and evoke feelings. There is a need for collaborators from animators and multimedia graduates and money. So, it may not be financially possible as such projects are very expensive and time-consuming. Producing one project may take months.
Producing a simple educational video may be possible as one done on dental scaling in dogs. See www.toapayohvets.com.
Any volunteers interested, please contact me at judy@toapayohvets.com
285. Factors for success --- Chinese saying: tian shi, di li, ren he
Chinese saying: "tian shi, di li, ren he". This means the factors for success are time, place and people.
You still got to be energetic and hardworking even if you have the 3 factors.
You still got to be energetic and hardworking even if you have the 3 factors.
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