GREAT WORK DONE BY TWO TEMASEK POLYTECHNIC VET TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS
in OCT 14, 2011.
Thank you for your help in producing the two videos.
You had the excellent idea for two parties to narrate the video as it makes the video much more interesting to watch.
Can hear clearly an loudly.
May need to do some editing as "diagnosis" is spelt as "diagnosi" etc.
It was great to get to know both of you.
Best wishes to your studies. Thank you again.
The URL are:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvV-00dDRg4&NR=1
CYSTITIS IN A MALE DOG
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntHweZD49ec&feature=related
FIV IN A STRAY CAT
P.S. The two students did not want to be acknowledged. So, they gave me all the credit.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
687. Abusing veterinary staff
On Thursday Oct 15, 2011, I paid a visit to my mentor, a senior vet. I asked if he has an X-ray of urinary stones in the cat as I had not seen one in over 30 years of practice. He said that cats usually suffer from urinary sand and he had none. At that time, he showed me an X-ray of the Chihuahua with at least 10 urinary stones stuck in the os penis. The bladder was full due to urethral obstruction and there were no radio-dense stones seen in the bladder. A younger vet had referred this dog to him. Well, this is the type of surgery with wounds that are difficult to heal sometimes and so it is wise to refer to this senior vet.
"Do you use urohydropropulsion by syringing saline to flush back the stones to the bladder and then remove them from the bladder?" I asked him, just in case I can get some tips from his long hours spent in veterinary medicine and surgery. He is likely the most experienced vet in Singapore as he puts in the long hours over 40 years of practice when many vets would have been burnt out or work short hours.
Obviously the most efficient and simple way is to cut a hole into the urethra behind the penile bone and take the stones out. Then stitch up the urethra. Where the complications come in is that the urethra does not close properly and the male Chihuahua will leak urine through this hole, soiling the apartment floor. If the healing is good, the male dog pees normally.
"No point opening up the bladder as there are not stones seen inside," he said. "The bladder is full and any stones inside may not be visible but are likely to be small."
On another matter, I was surprised when he asked me whether the presence of 50 veterinary practices nowadays can be supported by the number of dogs and cats.
He said: "30 years ago, there were only 5 practices - myself, Deveraj, Cho Chak Nam, Animal Clinic and The Veterinary Surgery. I estimated that the number of dogs have increased twice but the number of vet practice has increased 10X. Many dog owners did not license their dogs in the old days. What do you think (of the impact of so many vet practices)?"
"I estimated that the number of dogs would have increased at least 3X based on the number of licences issued and the fact that micro-chipping of dogs is compulsory and enforcement action for unlicensed dogs," I replied. "Some newer vet practices will not be profitable as prices will have to be below costs for such practices in order to attract clientele.
"However, Singaporeans tend to go for proximity and therefore, convenience and affordable costs will bring some business to the new practices and with good personality, some of the newer practices will do very well. Experience and white hairs don't count for most Singaporeans. It is proximity and personality of the younger vets."
I was surprised to see a notice on his reception counter educating members of the public not to be abusive towards his staff. Such notices have been put up by the Singapore General Hospital some 2 years ago but no longer seen and are put up in some government offices or statutory boards like the National Library Board.
Life must be more stressful for some members of the public nowadays such that they become abusive at serving staff. Three Sundays ago, I was on the receiving end of the abusive dog owner who made an appointment to consult Dr Vanessa. He was rude and shouting inside the consultation room where Dr Vanessa and I were present while Dr Vanessa examined his dog's paw. Dr Vanessa kept mum and I left the room, forgetting about the behaviour. At the end of consultation, this man forced his way into the Surgery room where I was consulting with another dog owner and shouted at me to go to the back of the practice and pay him for advice as to what's wrong with my management of Toa Payoh Vets. He was loud and his adult son pulled him away. Such type of clients should be banned and I told Dr Vanessa how to handle such clients in the future. If she keeps silent, she encourages repetition of anger and abuse to me and the staff, except to herself.
Another of Dr Vanessa's client, a young Indian man, punched his fist into the gypsum wall of the consultation room when his family members and him were performing rites on his old dog with oral tumours. The dog had just been put to sleep by Dr Vanessa and the family had prepared some flowers and funeral paraphernalia for the farewell ritual and to wait for the cremation man. Dr Vanessa left the room to attend to another dog at the kennels. I was at the reception area. Suddenly, there was a loud explosive bang on the wall separating the reception from the consultation room. I went inside the consultation room to investigate the bang and since the family was grieving, I did not raise any complaint about the damage.
You can see the dent on the wall when you enter the consultation room of Toa Payoh Vets.
I spoke to Dr Vanessa recently about these two clients of hers. In my 30 years of veterinary practice, I had not encountered such rage. I told her that she had to let such clients know that their behaviour is not acceptable by me, the Principal. If she keeps silent, such behaviour will continue.
"What will you do?" she asked me. "I don't talk to them about their behaviour but focus on consultation."
Well, such anger was not directed at her in the first place. In fact, she was the doctor in charge and consulted. But ignoring such misbehaviour is not good for the team as she obviously cannot work alone. If the vet does not care for the team, the vet should not be accredited to work at Toa Payoh Vets. This is my policy.
This is how she should handle this matter.
I said: "Ask your client courteously - 'Is there some deficiency in my veterinary services to you? How may I help you to improve our veterinary services?"
This is better than keeping silent. I am prepared to ban such abusive clients from Toa Payoh Vets even if they say Dr Vanessa is the best vet in Singapore! Poor anger management is very dangerous to veterinary staff as some angry males do assault and kill. So, it is wise that the Principal or the associate vet know how to handle such clients. Putting up "educational notices" on the walls of Toa Payoh Vets telling clients not to abuse staff is not the answer, in my opinion. This is because the vast majority of Toa Payoh Vets clientele is excellent. The abusive ones make up 1% of the clientele and so I don't permit such "educational notices" to be put up.
The younger generation is into a new golden age of the internet. Those that can manage their anger will prosper. As for those that cannot, the service providers will shun them and not provide them any services if they think that "cash is king" and that they are masters of the universe.
"Do you use urohydropropulsion by syringing saline to flush back the stones to the bladder and then remove them from the bladder?" I asked him, just in case I can get some tips from his long hours spent in veterinary medicine and surgery. He is likely the most experienced vet in Singapore as he puts in the long hours over 40 years of practice when many vets would have been burnt out or work short hours.
Obviously the most efficient and simple way is to cut a hole into the urethra behind the penile bone and take the stones out. Then stitch up the urethra. Where the complications come in is that the urethra does not close properly and the male Chihuahua will leak urine through this hole, soiling the apartment floor. If the healing is good, the male dog pees normally.
"No point opening up the bladder as there are not stones seen inside," he said. "The bladder is full and any stones inside may not be visible but are likely to be small."
On another matter, I was surprised when he asked me whether the presence of 50 veterinary practices nowadays can be supported by the number of dogs and cats.
He said: "30 years ago, there were only 5 practices - myself, Deveraj, Cho Chak Nam, Animal Clinic and The Veterinary Surgery. I estimated that the number of dogs have increased twice but the number of vet practice has increased 10X. Many dog owners did not license their dogs in the old days. What do you think (of the impact of so many vet practices)?"
"I estimated that the number of dogs would have increased at least 3X based on the number of licences issued and the fact that micro-chipping of dogs is compulsory and enforcement action for unlicensed dogs," I replied. "Some newer vet practices will not be profitable as prices will have to be below costs for such practices in order to attract clientele.
"However, Singaporeans tend to go for proximity and therefore, convenience and affordable costs will bring some business to the new practices and with good personality, some of the newer practices will do very well. Experience and white hairs don't count for most Singaporeans. It is proximity and personality of the younger vets."
I was surprised to see a notice on his reception counter educating members of the public not to be abusive towards his staff. Such notices have been put up by the Singapore General Hospital some 2 years ago but no longer seen and are put up in some government offices or statutory boards like the National Library Board.
Life must be more stressful for some members of the public nowadays such that they become abusive at serving staff. Three Sundays ago, I was on the receiving end of the abusive dog owner who made an appointment to consult Dr Vanessa. He was rude and shouting inside the consultation room where Dr Vanessa and I were present while Dr Vanessa examined his dog's paw. Dr Vanessa kept mum and I left the room, forgetting about the behaviour. At the end of consultation, this man forced his way into the Surgery room where I was consulting with another dog owner and shouted at me to go to the back of the practice and pay him for advice as to what's wrong with my management of Toa Payoh Vets. He was loud and his adult son pulled him away. Such type of clients should be banned and I told Dr Vanessa how to handle such clients in the future. If she keeps silent, she encourages repetition of anger and abuse to me and the staff, except to herself.
Another of Dr Vanessa's client, a young Indian man, punched his fist into the gypsum wall of the consultation room when his family members and him were performing rites on his old dog with oral tumours. The dog had just been put to sleep by Dr Vanessa and the family had prepared some flowers and funeral paraphernalia for the farewell ritual and to wait for the cremation man. Dr Vanessa left the room to attend to another dog at the kennels. I was at the reception area. Suddenly, there was a loud explosive bang on the wall separating the reception from the consultation room. I went inside the consultation room to investigate the bang and since the family was grieving, I did not raise any complaint about the damage.
You can see the dent on the wall when you enter the consultation room of Toa Payoh Vets.
I spoke to Dr Vanessa recently about these two clients of hers. In my 30 years of veterinary practice, I had not encountered such rage. I told her that she had to let such clients know that their behaviour is not acceptable by me, the Principal. If she keeps silent, such behaviour will continue.
"What will you do?" she asked me. "I don't talk to them about their behaviour but focus on consultation."
Well, such anger was not directed at her in the first place. In fact, she was the doctor in charge and consulted. But ignoring such misbehaviour is not good for the team as she obviously cannot work alone. If the vet does not care for the team, the vet should not be accredited to work at Toa Payoh Vets. This is my policy.
This is how she should handle this matter.
I said: "Ask your client courteously - 'Is there some deficiency in my veterinary services to you? How may I help you to improve our veterinary services?"
This is better than keeping silent. I am prepared to ban such abusive clients from Toa Payoh Vets even if they say Dr Vanessa is the best vet in Singapore! Poor anger management is very dangerous to veterinary staff as some angry males do assault and kill. So, it is wise that the Principal or the associate vet know how to handle such clients. Putting up "educational notices" on the walls of Toa Payoh Vets telling clients not to abuse staff is not the answer, in my opinion. This is because the vast majority of Toa Payoh Vets clientele is excellent. The abusive ones make up 1% of the clientele and so I don't permit such "educational notices" to be put up.
The younger generation is into a new golden age of the internet. Those that can manage their anger will prosper. As for those that cannot, the service providers will shun them and not provide them any services if they think that "cash is king" and that they are masters of the universe.
686. Prescription without seeing the dog patient
>
> On Thu, Oct 13, 2011 at 11:13 PM, J@yahoo.com.sg> wrote:
>
> Dear Dr.Sing,
>
> My 1 year old male Siberian Husky was diagnosed with epilepsy few months back. My dog is back in my home country and sadly epileptic medications are not accessible there. So I wonder whether I could have a consultation without bringing my dog and get his medication as well.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Yours sincerely,
> J
------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Oct 14, 2011, at 2:10 AM, Kong Yuen Sing <99pups@gmail.com> wrote:
> Was your dog diagnosed at Toa Payoh Vets?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 2:39 PM, Jessica wrote:
No.. My dog is back in Indonesia. Can I consult you without bringing my dog as he's back in Indonesia.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-MAIL FROM DR SING DATED Oct 15, 2011
Sorry, I can't help you as it is against the laws to prescribe medication without seeing the patient. Pl contact the Singapore vet you had sent the dog in for consultation and treatment and he or she will be able to help you.
> On Thu, Oct 13, 2011 at 11:13 PM, J@yahoo.com.sg> wrote:
>
> Dear Dr.Sing,
>
> My 1 year old male Siberian Husky was diagnosed with epilepsy few months back. My dog is back in my home country and sadly epileptic medications are not accessible there. So I wonder whether I could have a consultation without bringing my dog and get his medication as well.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Yours sincerely,
> J
------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Oct 14, 2011, at 2:10 AM, Kong Yuen Sing <99pups@gmail.com> wrote:
> Was your dog diagnosed at Toa Payoh Vets?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 2:39 PM, Jessica
No.. My dog is back in Indonesia. Can I consult you without bringing my dog as he's back in Indonesia.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-MAIL FROM DR SING DATED Oct 15, 2011
Sorry, I can't help you as it is against the laws to prescribe medication without seeing the patient. Pl contact the Singapore vet you had sent the dog in for consultation and treatment and he or she will be able to help you.
Friday, October 14, 2011
685. Use one method to toilet-train your new puppy
Dear Dr Sing,
I would like to seek your advise with regards to paper training. Three pictures are attached for your reference; a picture of the cage he sleeps in, the toilet area with newspaper, and a view of his cage from the toilet.
I have a 3 month old male miniature poodle whom I brought home about a week ago from a pet shop. We bought him a cage and are in the process of training him to eliminate in the toilet on the newspaper. At the pet shop, he would eliminate about 15 minutes after his meal. However, he eliminates only after a few hours. For example, we will give him dinner at 7.30PM and most of the time he will not eliminate until the next morning. It is rare that he will eliminate within 2 hours. When we spot signs that he wants to eliminate when he is outside the cage, we will bring him to the toilet and coax him to eliminate, whether big or small ‘business’. Most of the time he will not do it unless he has not gone into his cage for a very long time, say a few hours. There are times when he will run to the toilet and smell the newspapers, only to run out, which we take as a hint that he wants to eliminate and put him into the toilet telling him to pee, using the same word every time. Rewards given when he does the right thing.
When we put him into the cage, he will eliminate within a few minutes or even seconds when we are not looking, and that is after we have just brought him to the toilet. The areas which he eliminates in the cage are not consistent. Even if he does not intend to eliminate, he will turn in circles and give us false alarms, as I believe he knows we will bring him out when he does that. We tried washing his entire cage with antiseptic but he still does it inside the cage. The newspapers in the toilet have traces of his pee and also a kind of liquid we bought from the pet shop to help him recognise the place.
For the first two or three days, he used to pee all over the place but after scolding him a few times and cleaning with vinegar, he has not done it since. A crate didn’t help as he peed inside it.
Are we doing something wrong? Some expressed their opinion that a pee tray would be better and the distance between the toilet and cage is too far for him, making him confused. He has not had his third vaccination so we have yet to bring him out.
Thank you very much for taking time to read this email, and also for your informative articles. Looking forward to hear from you soon!
Best regards,
Name of owner
3 attachments — Download all attachments View all images
E-MAIL REPLY FROM DR SING DATED OCT 14, 2011
Thank you for your detailed e-mail and the 3 images. As every puppy and owner is different in personality and training experience, the following reply may or may not be useful to you.
1. You have confused the puppy in attempting to grate-train (using the cage) and paper-train him (inside the toilet) at the same time. Puppies, like babies, are creatures of routine. One method of toilet training is needed. Either grate-training or paper training.
2. At the pet shop, the puppy has had been trained to eliminate in the grate (floor of the crate or cage). This type of grate+pee pan housing is prevalent in the Singapore pet shops as shown in the image you posted to me. The puppy wanted to eliminate on the grate but you wanted him to do on the paper and most likely paid extra attention and fuss. So, the puppy was not free to eliminate in privacy after eating as in the pet shop.
3. To make a long story short, I would propose just write about paper training as I presume this is what you want to achieve instead of writing about grate+pee pan training or both methods. The grate+pee pan method involves buying the grate + pee pan separately or the use of your existing crate.
PAPER TRAINING
3.1 You confine the puppy inside the toilet. Install a baby-gate. Cover the toilet floor 100% with paper. At one corner (e.g. left half, back), away from the baby gate, put a piece of paper with the puppy's urine or tissue paper with his urine smell. At the other corner (e.g. right half, front), his food and water. In the right half, place his towel, bed, or floor mat, for example. This will be his clean area.
3.2 The puppy is left there for the next 2 - 4 weeks and given privacy, not stressed out by your scoldings or presence or the presence of children and family members during eating for at least 1 hour.
3.3 The puppy can be taken out to play after he has pooped regularly and this may take a week. This is where you observe signs of elimination (squatting, turning) and put him quickly back to his toilet.
3.4 Change soiled papers frequently.
3.5 Within 7 days, you should see that the papered corner where the puppy pees and poops will be. Reduce the paper area.
3.6 If the puppy shreds the paper, you still need to persevere and do not scold or shout at him.
In conclusion, confinement for the first 2-4 weeks is the key to success in toilet training. What you do during the confinement will require your perseverance, hard work of keeping the puppy's "den" (toilet) clean.
The training is much more than what I write. The devil is in the execution. Pl let me know when you have succeeded or if you have more queries.
Best wishes.
I would like to seek your advise with regards to paper training. Three pictures are attached for your reference; a picture of the cage he sleeps in, the toilet area with newspaper, and a view of his cage from the toilet.
I have a 3 month old male miniature poodle whom I brought home about a week ago from a pet shop. We bought him a cage and are in the process of training him to eliminate in the toilet on the newspaper. At the pet shop, he would eliminate about 15 minutes after his meal. However, he eliminates only after a few hours. For example, we will give him dinner at 7.30PM and most of the time he will not eliminate until the next morning. It is rare that he will eliminate within 2 hours. When we spot signs that he wants to eliminate when he is outside the cage, we will bring him to the toilet and coax him to eliminate, whether big or small ‘business’. Most of the time he will not do it unless he has not gone into his cage for a very long time, say a few hours. There are times when he will run to the toilet and smell the newspapers, only to run out, which we take as a hint that he wants to eliminate and put him into the toilet telling him to pee, using the same word every time. Rewards given when he does the right thing.
When we put him into the cage, he will eliminate within a few minutes or even seconds when we are not looking, and that is after we have just brought him to the toilet. The areas which he eliminates in the cage are not consistent. Even if he does not intend to eliminate, he will turn in circles and give us false alarms, as I believe he knows we will bring him out when he does that. We tried washing his entire cage with antiseptic but he still does it inside the cage. The newspapers in the toilet have traces of his pee and also a kind of liquid we bought from the pet shop to help him recognise the place.
For the first two or three days, he used to pee all over the place but after scolding him a few times and cleaning with vinegar, he has not done it since. A crate didn’t help as he peed inside it.
Are we doing something wrong? Some expressed their opinion that a pee tray would be better and the distance between the toilet and cage is too far for him, making him confused. He has not had his third vaccination so we have yet to bring him out.
Thank you very much for taking time to read this email, and also for your informative articles. Looking forward to hear from you soon!
Best regards,
Name of owner
3 attachments — Download all attachments View all images
E-MAIL REPLY FROM DR SING DATED OCT 14, 2011
Thank you for your detailed e-mail and the 3 images. As every puppy and owner is different in personality and training experience, the following reply may or may not be useful to you.
1. You have confused the puppy in attempting to grate-train (using the cage) and paper-train him (inside the toilet) at the same time. Puppies, like babies, are creatures of routine. One method of toilet training is needed. Either grate-training or paper training.
2. At the pet shop, the puppy has had been trained to eliminate in the grate (floor of the crate or cage). This type of grate+pee pan housing is prevalent in the Singapore pet shops as shown in the image you posted to me. The puppy wanted to eliminate on the grate but you wanted him to do on the paper and most likely paid extra attention and fuss. So, the puppy was not free to eliminate in privacy after eating as in the pet shop.
3. To make a long story short, I would propose just write about paper training as I presume this is what you want to achieve instead of writing about grate+pee pan training or both methods. The grate+pee pan method involves buying the grate + pee pan separately or the use of your existing crate.
PAPER TRAINING
3.1 You confine the puppy inside the toilet. Install a baby-gate. Cover the toilet floor 100% with paper. At one corner (e.g. left half, back), away from the baby gate, put a piece of paper with the puppy's urine or tissue paper with his urine smell. At the other corner (e.g. right half, front), his food and water. In the right half, place his towel, bed, or floor mat, for example. This will be his clean area.
3.2 The puppy is left there for the next 2 - 4 weeks and given privacy, not stressed out by your scoldings or presence or the presence of children and family members during eating for at least 1 hour.
3.3 The puppy can be taken out to play after he has pooped regularly and this may take a week. This is where you observe signs of elimination (squatting, turning) and put him quickly back to his toilet.
3.4 Change soiled papers frequently.
3.5 Within 7 days, you should see that the papered corner where the puppy pees and poops will be. Reduce the paper area.
3.6 If the puppy shreds the paper, you still need to persevere and do not scold or shout at him.
In conclusion, confinement for the first 2-4 weeks is the key to success in toilet training. What you do during the confinement will require your perseverance, hard work of keeping the puppy's "den" (toilet) clean.
The training is much more than what I write. The devil is in the execution. Pl let me know when you have succeeded or if you have more queries.
Best wishes.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Submissive/excitation urination in a female Shih Tzu?
E-MAIL TO DR SING DATED SEP 23, 2011
Hi Judy,
I read this article http://www.toapayohvets.com/sinpets/050620play_pen_toilet_training.htm and find it very useful. I am currently actively looking for a family pet and would be very thankful if you could help to answer my following query.
I am interested to use the crate + pee pan method or play pen + pee pan method. With one of these method, does it mean that they are trained to pee/poo inside the crate/play pen and I do not have to bring him/her out to pee/poo? How about at night? Do I still have to wake up and bring it to pee/poo or should I leave him/her in the crate/play pen? Your kind advise would be greatly appreciated.
Rgds,
Owner
E-MAIL FROM DR SING DATED SEP 24, 2011
I am Dr Sing from Toa Payoh Vets, http://www.toapayohvets.com.
Thank you for your email.
1. The objective of the two methods you mention in your email below is to confine the puppy for 2-4 weeks so that they will pee and poop within that confined area. However, the owner must clean up the soiled area immediately after the puppy has had eliminated. The puppy is naturally a clean animal and if the owner does not remove the stools or wash the soiled area, the chances of early sucess (ie. within 4 weeks) are slim.
1.1 Therefore, you do not have to bring the puppy out to pee and poop using the above methods. However, after midnight, in some situations where there is no distraction from many family members, (e.g. a couple living alone), some new puppies do make a lot of noise asking the owner to change/wash the soiled area. Owners who sleep near the puppies will do it. But most owners don't know and think that the puppy needs company.
2. If you wish to take the puppy out to pee and poop, you can do it but do it as a routine (i.e. at certain times e.g. after each meal) but you sabotage your objective as stated in Para 1. You just need to be consistent in your routine in toilet training.
I hope the above answers your questions.
- Show quoted text -
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-MAIL TO DR SING DATED OCT 6, 2011
Hi Dr Sing (apologize for the wrong address previously),
Thanks for the advice. I have attachd a photo of the cage layout. My puppy is able to go to the other half of the cage with the Pee tray (note that I placed the Pee tray below the grill for ease of cleaning) since day 1 to pee and pooh. It is able to keep the blue portion clean without any incident of pee or pooh there.
During the time I let her out to play, she will tend to pee on the floor and she is really fast. By the time I see her swatting trying to pee, it is already too late and what I did was to scold her by say loudly "No pee", show her the pee and bring her back to the cage for 5 minutes. Is this the right approach? Again, thanks alot for your advice.
Rgds,
(1st time dog owner)
E-MAIL FROM DR SING DATED OCT 6, 2011
Oct 6, 2011
I am Dr Sing from Toa Payoh Vets. Sorry, I missed reading your email as I have over a hundred junk mails a day. In reply, after 2-4 weeks, depending on your puppy's intelligence and your training methods and patience, expand the outer space (floor area by 100%. For example, you fence off a floor area 100% of the floor area of the cage. The puppy comes out to this area to eat and drink and jumps back to the cage (or pee pan) to pee and poop (in theory!) and sleep. do this for another 2 weeks or less. Once the puppy has the routine, you can expand the space to a room e.g. kitchen or balcony. Gradually increase the space till the puppy knows what to do.
I hope you understand what I am talking about. If not, let me know.
As I don't have pictures of what is the exact housing of this puppy, it is extremely difficult to know how to advise you. You may wish to email 3 pictures of how the puppy is housed and where it pees and poops. Otherwise you say one thing and I imagine and advise on another incorrectly. That is the problem with email advices on toilet training in puppies.
Thanks alot for the advice. One more question if you do not mind. After 4 weeks, do I still let the puppy pee and poop inside or do I have to switch training method to let the puppy pee and poop outside on a pee pan (without the cage). The intention is to eventually get rid of the cage so that the puppy can sleep in a cosy basket in my children's room, but will go back to the pee pan to pee and poop.
Rgds,
Owner
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-MAIL TO DR SING DATED OCT 11, 2011
Hi Dr Sing,
I have been confining the puppy to the cage but whenever I release my puppy to play during the evening, she will pee on the floor as if she is holding her pee for this period of time. She is super quick and by the time I shouted, she would have already peed on the floor. Is this normal. When she is confined, she does pee at one corner of the cage where I put a pee tray below the grill.
Rgds,
Owner
E-MAIL FROM DR SING DATED OCT 13, 2011
There are at least 5 possible explanations to the puppy behaviour
1. Duration of training. She has not been confined long enough to use the "corner" of the crate as the only toilet area. Your method is grate-training although you do have paper on the pee tray below as the puppy stands on the grate to pee.
2. No cage door. It looks like your crate has NO door. So, the puppy cannot run back into the crate even she wants to, when let out.
3. Submissive/excitation urination. If she has submissive urination, she will pee when you come home, greet or shout at her loudly (before and after the fact). This behaviour is to please the alpha member of the dog family and you are the alpha. Changing your behaviour will need a different approach when you let her out. This seems to be the likely explanation.
4. Smell of urine in the outside area. Puppies pee on areas with urine smell. Neutralise the area with white vinegar + water at 1:3.
5. Attention-seeking. "Getting shouted at" is great attention for your puppy. Some puppy needs more attention than others.
SUGGESTION
1. If you don't have a door in your crate, open up the side of one crate. Fence up the external area by another 50-100% for the next 2 weeks, using the usual puppy pen gates available from the pet shop. Gradually increase the fenced up areas as the puppy learns to go back to the grate to pee in the evening. No shouting or attention giving when you see her in the evening (I assume you come home from work). Read up on "submissive urination". Let me know if it works.
- Show quoted text -
Hi Judy,
I read this article http://www.toapayohvets.com/sinpets/050620play_pen_toilet_training.htm and find it very useful. I am currently actively looking for a family pet and would be very thankful if you could help to answer my following query.
I am interested to use the crate + pee pan method or play pen + pee pan method. With one of these method, does it mean that they are trained to pee/poo inside the crate/play pen and I do not have to bring him/her out to pee/poo? How about at night? Do I still have to wake up and bring it to pee/poo or should I leave him/her in the crate/play pen? Your kind advise would be greatly appreciated.
Rgds,
Owner
E-MAIL FROM DR SING DATED SEP 24, 2011
I am Dr Sing from Toa Payoh Vets, http://www.toapayohvets.com.
Thank you for your email.
1. The objective of the two methods you mention in your email below is to confine the puppy for 2-4 weeks so that they will pee and poop within that confined area. However, the owner must clean up the soiled area immediately after the puppy has had eliminated. The puppy is naturally a clean animal and if the owner does not remove the stools or wash the soiled area, the chances of early sucess (ie. within 4 weeks) are slim.
1.1 Therefore, you do not have to bring the puppy out to pee and poop using the above methods. However, after midnight, in some situations where there is no distraction from many family members, (e.g. a couple living alone), some new puppies do make a lot of noise asking the owner to change/wash the soiled area. Owners who sleep near the puppies will do it. But most owners don't know and think that the puppy needs company.
2. If you wish to take the puppy out to pee and poop, you can do it but do it as a routine (i.e. at certain times e.g. after each meal) but you sabotage your objective as stated in Para 1. You just need to be consistent in your routine in toilet training.
I hope the above answers your questions.
- Show quoted text -
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E-MAIL TO DR SING DATED OCT 6, 2011
Hi Dr Sing (apologize for the wrong address previously),
Thanks for the advice. I have attachd a photo of the cage layout. My puppy is able to go to the other half of the cage with the Pee tray (note that I placed the Pee tray below the grill for ease of cleaning) since day 1 to pee and pooh. It is able to keep the blue portion clean without any incident of pee or pooh there.
During the time I let her out to play, she will tend to pee on the floor and she is really fast. By the time I see her swatting trying to pee, it is already too late and what I did was to scold her by say loudly "No pee", show her the pee and bring her back to the cage for 5 minutes. Is this the right approach? Again, thanks alot for your advice.
Rgds,
(1st time dog owner)
E-MAIL FROM DR SING DATED OCT 6, 2011
Oct 6, 2011
I am Dr Sing from Toa Payoh Vets. Sorry, I missed reading your email as I have over a hundred junk mails a day. In reply, after 2-4 weeks, depending on your puppy's intelligence and your training methods and patience, expand the outer space (floor area by 100%. For example, you fence off a floor area 100% of the floor area of the cage. The puppy comes out to this area to eat and drink and jumps back to the cage (or pee pan) to pee and poop (in theory!) and sleep. do this for another 2 weeks or less. Once the puppy has the routine, you can expand the space to a room e.g. kitchen or balcony. Gradually increase the space till the puppy knows what to do.
I hope you understand what I am talking about. If not, let me know.
As I don't have pictures of what is the exact housing of this puppy, it is extremely difficult to know how to advise you. You may wish to email 3 pictures of how the puppy is housed and where it pees and poops. Otherwise you say one thing and I imagine and advise on another incorrectly. That is the problem with email advices on toilet training in puppies.
Thanks alot for the advice. One more question if you do not mind. After 4 weeks, do I still let the puppy pee and poop inside or do I have to switch training method to let the puppy pee and poop outside on a pee pan (without the cage). The intention is to eventually get rid of the cage so that the puppy can sleep in a cosy basket in my children's room, but will go back to the pee pan to pee and poop.
Rgds,
Owner
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E-MAIL TO DR SING DATED OCT 11, 2011
Hi Dr Sing,
I have been confining the puppy to the cage but whenever I release my puppy to play during the evening, she will pee on the floor as if she is holding her pee for this period of time. She is super quick and by the time I shouted, she would have already peed on the floor. Is this normal. When she is confined, she does pee at one corner of the cage where I put a pee tray below the grill.
Rgds,
Owner
E-MAIL FROM DR SING DATED OCT 13, 2011
There are at least 5 possible explanations to the puppy behaviour
1. Duration of training. She has not been confined long enough to use the "corner" of the crate as the only toilet area. Your method is grate-training although you do have paper on the pee tray below as the puppy stands on the grate to pee.
2. No cage door. It looks like your crate has NO door. So, the puppy cannot run back into the crate even she wants to, when let out.
3. Submissive/excitation urination. If she has submissive urination, she will pee when you come home, greet or shout at her loudly (before and after the fact). This behaviour is to please the alpha member of the dog family and you are the alpha. Changing your behaviour will need a different approach when you let her out. This seems to be the likely explanation.
4. Smell of urine in the outside area. Puppies pee on areas with urine smell. Neutralise the area with white vinegar + water at 1:3.
5. Attention-seeking. "Getting shouted at" is great attention for your puppy. Some puppy needs more attention than others.
SUGGESTION
1. If you don't have a door in your crate, open up the side of one crate. Fence up the external area by another 50-100% for the next 2 weeks, using the usual puppy pen gates available from the pet shop. Gradually increase the fenced up areas as the puppy learns to go back to the grate to pee in the evening. No shouting or attention giving when you see her in the evening (I assume you come home from work). Read up on "submissive urination". Let me know if it works.
- Show quoted text -
683. Follow up - FIV in a stray cat
FIV in a stray cat with URTI & periodontal disease
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
13 October, 2011
toapayohvets.com
Be Kind To Pets
Veterinary Education
Project 2010-0129
FIV in a stray cat - the interest of the stray cat is to get him eating and not sneezing
A mother with two young daughters found an adult stray cat. "Had runny nose and cough for the past 2 months," she said to me. "The cat follows us home. Must have been kept as a pet before. Just goes to the bathroom herself. Very gentle. I adopted her. But she can't eat now."
Dr Vanessa and I examined the cat. Deep yellow runny nose, saliva drooling from her mouth and her front legs were slimy by a thick crust of purplish red stains.
"How do you know this is a stray cat?" the mother asked.
"The left ear tip is clipped," I said. "There are kind people who get stray cat sterilised by the vet. The vet cuts a piece of the left ear off to show the law enforcement AVA officers that the cat had been sterilised and is a stray. Hopefully, this cat does not get netted and taken away to be put to sleep."
"I had intended to get a cat from the SPCA," she said. "But they charge for adoption."
"Well, you can adopt some from the roadside," I replied but actually, stray cats are quite uncommon nowadays, in coffee shops unlike 10 years ago. They are an endangered species.
I opened the mouth of the cat. Periodontal diseases with gum ulcers and loose teeth. That means painful mouth and so he can't eat properly. Saliva drooled continuously.
"It is best to get the ulcers treated and then the bad teeth extracted." This would be the most economical cost for a stray cat adopted by a family in the heartlands. There was a delay of 2 months in seeking veterinary treatment and I assess this as due to financial priorities as the cost of living in Singapore gets higher as the bureaucrats think of various ways to increase or introduce new regulatory fees every year.
"Stray cats do have FIV," Dr Vanessa said. "You should test the cat for FIV."
"What is FIV?" the mother asked.
"Cat AIDS," Dr Vanessa said.
"AIDS, like AIDS in people?"
"FIV is cat AIDS," Dr Vanessa explained.
"Will my children get AIDS from the cat then?" the mother was worried that she would also get AIDS if I could read her mind.
"No, no, cat AIDS don't infect people. However, the infected cat's life is short."
"How much to test for AIDS?" the mother asked.
"$85.00"
The mother hesitated. This money would be better spent on treatment as stray cat owners seldom want to pay much.
"It is better to get the infection of the nose and the mouth treated," I advised the owner and proposed a package of treatment and hospitalisation excluding FIV test.
Later I spoke to Dr Vanessa to think from the point of view and economics of heartland practice of stray cats in Toa Payoh area.
I asked her: "Assume I am the stray cat owner. Can you tell me that there a cure when I spend $85.00 and you diagnose that my stray cat has feline FIV?"
"No," she said.
"Therefore, in real world, it is in the best interest of the stray cat with or without FIV to get treated for her URTI (Upper Respiratory Tract Infection) - yellow nasal discharge and sneezing for the past 2 months with antibiotics and cleaned up her mouth.
"The cat will be able to eat and if not stressed out (by being a stray cat but housed and cared for), the cat will thrive. FIV does not need to be a terrible death for a cat that is well cared for. In other words, the limited money of the average heartlander is better spent on treatment rather than on blood tests."
Dr Vanessa nodded her head. The owner hospitalised the cat for the next 7 days as advised by me. Later she phoned to say she wanted the FIV and the blood test. Today, 2 days after antibiotic treatment, I asked Mr Min whether the cat had improved in health. Mr Min was non-committal. "Dr Vanessa tested the cat FIV positive," he said.
"Just see her nose," I said. "Any yellow discharge? Is the cat looking better? Has she got good appetite?"
The cat had clear clean nostrils and he looked bright-eyed and alert. Her front paws had less dark brown sticky stains as when he came in. Those stains were caused by his continuous and excessive salivation and her runny nose stuck onto and stained the front forelimbs when she failed to groom properly.
"Did you clean his noses?" I asked Mr Min.
"No," he mumbled. He just gave antibiotics as instructed by me. A normal cat always clean himself but definitely, the antibiotics had worked for him.
So Mr Min could see that there is an improvement if he was observant. The cat had no fever at admission. Despite having been tested for FIV positive, she had shown health improvement. A few days later, I will get his dental work done. So, she had a fair chance of leading a normal life if well cared for.
I need a lot of patience to mentor Mr Min as he is new to small animal medicine and surgery. Overall, I respect him as a veterinarian graduated from Myanmar and working in Singapore enables him to see the varied cases of dogs, cats and small animals that he has no opportunity to see in Yangon which does not have that large number of pet lovers as in Singapore in 2011. But I predict Yangon's small animal veterinary medicine and surgery should be expanding in 5 years' time as Yangon is growing fast and prospering.
In heartland practice of stray cat, the financial considerations are very important and expensive FIV tests take up the budget. So, in the best interest of the cat, I prefer to get her treated for her bacterial infections and periodontal diseases first rather than confirming the diagnosis of FIV. Of course, in an upscale practice, FIV is routinely done without a thought as the owners don't worry about a cent.
Follow up on the stray cat with FIV 5 days later
"Do you know how to open the cat's mouth to check the gum ulcers?" I asked the Temasek Poly lady who was volunteering and had chosen "pneumonia" as her first case study. This was the stray cat with the FIV and she had to write a report and produce a video.
No point just see like a tourist. Writing will bring vet medicine alive to a student and so I do insist on such recording. Her writing was excellent as I admire good neat handwriting. She had not come for the past 3 days and in that time, the stray cat made excellent progress.
I got the 3 classmates together to review this stray cat's case with them and come to a conclusion. First, I asked Min to get the cat out and demonstrated how to open a cat's mouth.
The student tried while her male classmate was positioned to video the mouth. The cat swung out her right hand and claws came out. She withdrew her hand to prevent being scratched.
"This is a gentle cat," I could see that the cat had not hissed or moved away. She just did not want her mouth to be opened. "Try again," I encouraged this lady. She did not succeed 100%. The cat swung out her left hand and claws came out.
"Lift the upper lip at the side," I said. "You will see that the gum ulcers have healed a lot." The students were convinced by seeing.
Blood tests were normal. No immuno-suppression and no systemic infection by bacteria despite having a FIV positive test. The 2 months of yellow nasal discharge was gone. The mouth ulcers had healed. The drooling of the past 2 months had ceased. The two teenaged daughters visited this cat daily, brought the canned food. This was a family that cared very much for this stray cat.
Deep purple saliva stains on the forelimbs are evidence that the cat had been unable to groom herself as there were continuous and excessive nasal discharge and drooling of periodontal diseases for the past two months. The cat looked normal now as she had 5 days of antibiotics and was able to groom herself
Dr Vanessa had the cat's dental work done on the 7th day and the cat went home to a happy family on the 7th day after hospitalisation.
This was an excellent case study of "pneumonia" for the lady student from the Polytechnic. It is a case of an upper respiratory tract infection rather than pneumonia. The cat also had periodontal disease. The FIV test was positive.
As a student, learning is best when real cases are studied in detail and written up. Being an observer leads to superficial knowledge because such knowledge is forgotten soon. I will see how she produces the video. She had produced an excellent video on "urinary tract infection in a dog". See:
Urinary Tract Infections & Cystitis - case study video production by two students
She would make a good video-journalist if you watch her video.
Toa Payoh Vets webpage at:
http://www.sinpets.com/F5/20111021stray-cat-runny-nose-drooling-FIV-singapore-toapayohvets.htm
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
13 October, 2011
toapayohvets.com
Be Kind To Pets
Veterinary Education
Project 2010-0129
FIV in a stray cat - the interest of the stray cat is to get him eating and not sneezing
A mother with two young daughters found an adult stray cat. "Had runny nose and cough for the past 2 months," she said to me. "The cat follows us home. Must have been kept as a pet before. Just goes to the bathroom herself. Very gentle. I adopted her. But she can't eat now."
Dr Vanessa and I examined the cat. Deep yellow runny nose, saliva drooling from her mouth and her front legs were slimy by a thick crust of purplish red stains.
"How do you know this is a stray cat?" the mother asked.
"The left ear tip is clipped," I said. "There are kind people who get stray cat sterilised by the vet. The vet cuts a piece of the left ear off to show the law enforcement AVA officers that the cat had been sterilised and is a stray. Hopefully, this cat does not get netted and taken away to be put to sleep."
"I had intended to get a cat from the SPCA," she said. "But they charge for adoption."
"Well, you can adopt some from the roadside," I replied but actually, stray cats are quite uncommon nowadays, in coffee shops unlike 10 years ago. They are an endangered species.
I opened the mouth of the cat. Periodontal diseases with gum ulcers and loose teeth. That means painful mouth and so he can't eat properly. Saliva drooled continuously.
"It is best to get the ulcers treated and then the bad teeth extracted." This would be the most economical cost for a stray cat adopted by a family in the heartlands. There was a delay of 2 months in seeking veterinary treatment and I assess this as due to financial priorities as the cost of living in Singapore gets higher as the bureaucrats think of various ways to increase or introduce new regulatory fees every year.
"Stray cats do have FIV," Dr Vanessa said. "You should test the cat for FIV."
"What is FIV?" the mother asked.
"Cat AIDS," Dr Vanessa said.
"AIDS, like AIDS in people?"
"FIV is cat AIDS," Dr Vanessa explained.
"Will my children get AIDS from the cat then?" the mother was worried that she would also get AIDS if I could read her mind.
"No, no, cat AIDS don't infect people. However, the infected cat's life is short."
"How much to test for AIDS?" the mother asked.
"$85.00"
The mother hesitated. This money would be better spent on treatment as stray cat owners seldom want to pay much.
"It is better to get the infection of the nose and the mouth treated," I advised the owner and proposed a package of treatment and hospitalisation excluding FIV test.
Later I spoke to Dr Vanessa to think from the point of view and economics of heartland practice of stray cats in Toa Payoh area.
I asked her: "Assume I am the stray cat owner. Can you tell me that there a cure when I spend $85.00 and you diagnose that my stray cat has feline FIV?"
"No," she said.
"Therefore, in real world, it is in the best interest of the stray cat with or without FIV to get treated for her URTI (Upper Respiratory Tract Infection) - yellow nasal discharge and sneezing for the past 2 months with antibiotics and cleaned up her mouth.
"The cat will be able to eat and if not stressed out (by being a stray cat but housed and cared for), the cat will thrive. FIV does not need to be a terrible death for a cat that is well cared for. In other words, the limited money of the average heartlander is better spent on treatment rather than on blood tests."
Dr Vanessa nodded her head. The owner hospitalised the cat for the next 7 days as advised by me. Later she phoned to say she wanted the FIV and the blood test. Today, 2 days after antibiotic treatment, I asked Mr Min whether the cat had improved in health. Mr Min was non-committal. "Dr Vanessa tested the cat FIV positive," he said.
"Just see her nose," I said. "Any yellow discharge? Is the cat looking better? Has she got good appetite?"
The cat had clear clean nostrils and he looked bright-eyed and alert. Her front paws had less dark brown sticky stains as when he came in. Those stains were caused by his continuous and excessive salivation and her runny nose stuck onto and stained the front forelimbs when she failed to groom properly.
"Did you clean his noses?" I asked Mr Min.
"No," he mumbled. He just gave antibiotics as instructed by me. A normal cat always clean himself but definitely, the antibiotics had worked for him.
So Mr Min could see that there is an improvement if he was observant. The cat had no fever at admission. Despite having been tested for FIV positive, she had shown health improvement. A few days later, I will get his dental work done. So, she had a fair chance of leading a normal life if well cared for.
I need a lot of patience to mentor Mr Min as he is new to small animal medicine and surgery. Overall, I respect him as a veterinarian graduated from Myanmar and working in Singapore enables him to see the varied cases of dogs, cats and small animals that he has no opportunity to see in Yangon which does not have that large number of pet lovers as in Singapore in 2011. But I predict Yangon's small animal veterinary medicine and surgery should be expanding in 5 years' time as Yangon is growing fast and prospering.
In heartland practice of stray cat, the financial considerations are very important and expensive FIV tests take up the budget. So, in the best interest of the cat, I prefer to get her treated for her bacterial infections and periodontal diseases first rather than confirming the diagnosis of FIV. Of course, in an upscale practice, FIV is routinely done without a thought as the owners don't worry about a cent.
Follow up on the stray cat with FIV 5 days later
"Do you know how to open the cat's mouth to check the gum ulcers?" I asked the Temasek Poly lady who was volunteering and had chosen "pneumonia" as her first case study. This was the stray cat with the FIV and she had to write a report and produce a video.
No point just see like a tourist. Writing will bring vet medicine alive to a student and so I do insist on such recording. Her writing was excellent as I admire good neat handwriting. She had not come for the past 3 days and in that time, the stray cat made excellent progress.
I got the 3 classmates together to review this stray cat's case with them and come to a conclusion. First, I asked Min to get the cat out and demonstrated how to open a cat's mouth.
The student tried while her male classmate was positioned to video the mouth. The cat swung out her right hand and claws came out. She withdrew her hand to prevent being scratched.
"This is a gentle cat," I could see that the cat had not hissed or moved away. She just did not want her mouth to be opened. "Try again," I encouraged this lady. She did not succeed 100%. The cat swung out her left hand and claws came out.
"Lift the upper lip at the side," I said. "You will see that the gum ulcers have healed a lot." The students were convinced by seeing.
Blood tests were normal. No immuno-suppression and no systemic infection by bacteria despite having a FIV positive test. The 2 months of yellow nasal discharge was gone. The mouth ulcers had healed. The drooling of the past 2 months had ceased. The two teenaged daughters visited this cat daily, brought the canned food. This was a family that cared very much for this stray cat.
Deep purple saliva stains on the forelimbs are evidence that the cat had been unable to groom herself as there were continuous and excessive nasal discharge and drooling of periodontal diseases for the past two months. The cat looked normal now as she had 5 days of antibiotics and was able to groom herself
Dr Vanessa had the cat's dental work done on the 7th day and the cat went home to a happy family on the 7th day after hospitalisation.
This was an excellent case study of "pneumonia" for the lady student from the Polytechnic. It is a case of an upper respiratory tract infection rather than pneumonia. The cat also had periodontal disease. The FIV test was positive.
As a student, learning is best when real cases are studied in detail and written up. Being an observer leads to superficial knowledge because such knowledge is forgotten soon. I will see how she produces the video. She had produced an excellent video on "urinary tract infection in a dog". See:
Urinary Tract Infections & Cystitis - case study video production by two students
She would make a good video-journalist if you watch her video.
Toa Payoh Vets webpage at:
http://www.sinpets.com/F5/20111021stray-cat-runny-nose-drooling-FIV-singapore-toapayohvets.htm
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Abercrombie & Fitch advertisement in Orchard Road, Singapore
Abercrombie & Fitch Advertisement - Young & Sexy?
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
12 October, 2011
toapayohvets.com
Be Kind To Pets
Veterinary Education
Project 2010-0129
I did not bother with the big advertisement along Orchard Road, Singapore until recently when the Advertising Regulatory Body asked the advertiser to take it down in response to a Straits Times reader's complaint about its vulgarity or something similar.
Abercrombie & Fitch said they would take down the advertisement as their store's renovation is nearly completed. It is not due to the complaint as they had got the proper permission to put up the advert.
Such publicity is worth much more than the large advertisement put up for many weeks along Orchard Road as the Straits Times is read by the majority of Singaporeans!
Now I pay more attention to the words "Abercrombie & Fitch" fashions! As I walked along Orchard Road last Saturday afternoon, I was at an angle where the afternoon sun rays shone on parts of the "bare body" and took 2 pictures.
I hope readers appreciate the picture of the advert and the video. The video song of the Beatles, I mean!
Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK5ippOwA9s
Toa Payoh Vets website:
http://www.sinpets.com/F6/20111020Abercrombie-&-Fitch-Orchard-Road-Singapore-advert_ToaPayohVets.htm
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
12 October, 2011
toapayohvets.com
Be Kind To Pets
Veterinary Education
Project 2010-0129
I did not bother with the big advertisement along Orchard Road, Singapore until recently when the Advertising Regulatory Body asked the advertiser to take it down in response to a Straits Times reader's complaint about its vulgarity or something similar.
Abercrombie & Fitch said they would take down the advertisement as their store's renovation is nearly completed. It is not due to the complaint as they had got the proper permission to put up the advert.
Such publicity is worth much more than the large advertisement put up for many weeks along Orchard Road as the Straits Times is read by the majority of Singaporeans!
Now I pay more attention to the words "Abercrombie & Fitch" fashions! As I walked along Orchard Road last Saturday afternoon, I was at an angle where the afternoon sun rays shone on parts of the "bare body" and took 2 pictures.
I hope readers appreciate the picture of the advert and the video. The video song of the Beatles, I mean!
Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK5ippOwA9s
Toa Payoh Vets website:
http://www.sinpets.com/F6/20111020Abercrombie-&-Fitch-Orchard-Road-Singapore-advert_ToaPayohVets.htm
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