Saturday, January 12, 2013

Create veterinary videos to educate and entertain


Veterinary videos by interns  
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
First written:  9 January 2013
Date:   12 January, 2013  
toapayohvets.com 
Be Kind To Pets
Veterinary Education
Project 2010-0129
"It is better to create 3 imperfect video rather than create one perfect video as you are doing hands-on learning as an intern," I said to the girl who produced 3 videos for me and told me she might edit it if I find some major flaws. "It takes too long for an intern to produce a video as they are not professionals. Once the video is done, no editing will be done. Producing veterinary videos is part of the experiential learning for an intern at Toa Payoh Vets ."

She produced 3 videos for me as follows:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWkbYU0dZwM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODSUlKygenc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKuotAsSRAA

Friday, January 11, 2013

Be proactive and create









Focus: Small animals - dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs & rabbits
First Romance or Fall In Love With You? Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
First written: 9 January 2013
Date: 12 January, 2013
toapayohvets.com
Be Kind To Pets
Veterinary Education
Project 2010-0129
For the past 20 years, I have been writing text and inserting images.

Now I try to learn how to create interesting videos. The following is one of my first few attempts to create video with interest. This video was filmed by me at at the 25th Anniversary of the Nonyas and Babas at Malacca in late 2012. There were around 700 participants from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Australia. I am not a Peranakan (Straits-born Chinese adopting the Malay culture), Instead of sitting down with strangers making small talk, I took my camera to the dance floor and tried to do some videos. One video may be of interest to viewers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0f0ZTKlS6U
HOW DID I PRODUCE THE VIDEO ABOVE?
Hook - Protagonist -- An attractive woman with flower in her hair. She loves dancing.
Introduction - Crowded dance floor. Focus on this dancer if possible.
Middle - Antagonist -- Another good-looking woman who loves dancing too. Unable to video protagonist as the dance floor is crowded.
Break boredom of viewer -- I angled the zooms lens vertically. Not a good idea.
Zoom on singer
A camera man went into the dance floor and blocked my view.
Steady hand to produce good video with focus
Back to protagonist
Antagonist is hearing some conversation but the music is loud.
Other dances
Ending - End of song

Is this video capturing the attention of viewers? I think so. But it is up to the general viewer to judge.

Join the fun rather than just eat and watch the poor quality TV screens of the dancers. See the real people and appreciate life if you know how to dance!

I thought the song was "First Romance" but could not find it in You Tube. I grow up listening to Cliff Richard's songs. At that time in the 1960s, there were no distractions like coloured TVs and the internet or mobile phones.

I presume the song was "Falling In Love With You" by Cliff Richard and they are at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRq642i-VVA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB_fTsVcv24

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=dEeP42flo6o&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEz3emlyZhs (with lyrics)

Song: The Young Ones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=5Tmv7YMcdXc&NR=1

Apache
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=bNAyPK2O4fk

These songs are for baby-boomers who grow up with music of the 60s. Unfortunately, the young generation seldom hear them as the baby-boomer generation was too busy building up their careers working long hours. I may go to the Cliff Richard's performance in Singapore in Feb 2013.

1237. Industrial dogs in Singapore dying from distemper

Jan 11, 2013

I had a chat with a lady who cycles to feed industrial dogs in the evening and nights and had adopted two.

"Do you know that industrial dogs are dying of distemper?" she asked me.
"No," I said. Many industrial dogs had been culled by the authorities and so there are few seen at Toa Payoh Vets.
"They lie down, shivering. Their muscles start twitching," she said. "The vet said nothing can be done to cure it and put them to sleep."
"Is it an infectious disease to all dogs?" she asked.
"Yes," I said. "The virus attacks the brain cells and other parts of the body. There is an effective vaccination."
"Factory owners don't vaccinate the dogs," she said. "How come in a group of dogs, not all will die?"
"Some dogs will be resistant to the distemper viral infection. These will not die. It is like drinking a small potion of poison. You will not die unless it is a lot or very potent. If the dogs are dead, how come you are still feeding the industrial dogs?"
"Another part of the industrial estate," she laughed.
She continues her cycling to feed the stray dogs her home-cooked food.
"It is fortunate that your husband does not mind you adopting the stray puppy," I said and found that she adopted two.
"He nags and nags," she said. "I am looking for homes for them."


ADVICE
All Singapore dog owners should get their dogs vaccinated against distemper yearly but sadly, many don't bother. Dogs at dog parks, boarding and grooming should ensure protection from distemper by just taking time off to see the vet and get the dog vaccinated.  

Referral is best but the vet must deliver

tpvets_logo.jpg (2726 bytes)TOA PAYOH VETS
toapayohvets.com

Date: 11 January, 2013

Focus: Small animals - dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs & rabbits
Referral is best but the vet must deliver Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
First written: 9 January 2013
Date: 11 January, 2013
toapayohvets.com
Be Kind To Pets
Veterinary Education
Project 2010-0129

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

The 14-year-old Burmese has 3 large abscessed mammary glands

Yesterday, Wednesday Jan 9, 2013, I phoned the gentleman to follow up on a hissing 14-year-old Burmese cat brought in on last Saturday and advised by Dr Jason Teo to operate.

So on Sunday, Jan 6, 2013, I phoned the owner to tell him the high risks involved. "Your cat may just die on the operating table," I said. "She has fever and infections of the ulcerated breast lumps - half as big as fish balls and very smelly."

"I will ask my mum first," he later phoned me to give consent. I decided to get the cat operated on Sunday, 24 hours after admission and after antibiotic injections given. The cat was angry and so she was still in good "health" for one with such smelly mammary ulcers. Dr Daniel would operate. This needed to be a fast operation. The problem was the dosage of anaesthesia. How much that would be effective and not kill the old dame?

"Give xylazine 0.1 and ketamine 0.4 ml IM," I said to Dr Daniel. Clip the hair and bathe the cat after sedation as this is an angry cat."

Dr Daniel had used electro-excision to remove the 3 tumours. I had one young lady intern with top academic results waiting to study vet in Australia. She put a finger to cover her nose. I was surprised. "My father is house-proud," she said when I asked whether she lived in a fragrant household with aromatherapy. Definitely no smells of infection and sick animals.

"Not cutting well," Dr Daniel said as the long elliptical incision of the skin to remove all 3 tumours by the needle electrode did not seem to be effective. "Well, the contact with the skin of the inguinal area is not there," I pressed the soaked saline gauze and folded the return plate so as to close the circuit for the electricity to cut through and return back to the equipment. Mr Min was monitoring the gaseous anaesthesia and he was good at this.

AN INTERN CAN'T STAND THE SMELLS

The young intern was really feeling nauseous as the wisps of smoke on flesh and the putrefying smell of the ulcerated mammary glands filled the operating room air.

"You better go outside," I wondered how she would be able to pass out as a vet. The next day she wore a mask. Another day, she wore one glove when she handled a skin-diseased dog so as not to infect her own cat. She would wash her hands after touching a dog and her mum would remind her. "I can be a hygienic vet," she said to me. Top grades from a top class in a top school and money of $300,000 or more to fund her veterinary studies- what more does a 19-year-old scholar desire?

I did not expect this 14-year-old cat to survive the anaesthesia. She was thin. She was bright 12 hours after surgery after fluid therapy and antibiotics and pain-killers. I phoned the son to take her home as cats usually don't eat at the surgery.

As a follow up with trepidation, expecting bad news, I phoned the owner yesterday which was Jan 8, 2013 at 5 pm. "My cat is very active. Eats a lot. Walk here and there! My mum is very happy as the cat was not eating."
"Did she lick the stitches?" I asked.
"She has an e-collar and could not lick." Actually it was the tolfedine pain-killers that made her so normal post op.
"How did you give her the tablet medicine?" I asked.
"Just crush the tablet and mix it inside her food - canned food. No problem."

CATERWAULING
As this cat was never spayed, I enquired how he coped with angry loud meowing which could be misconstrued as beating up the cat in some cases of caterwauling.
"No problem of noise nuisance due to her being 'bising' (noisy)," he said.
"Does she still do it? At this age? "
"She does it 3-4 X per year. But not nosily."

PRE-OP CONDITION
I asked about the cat before op as this was a first-timer and Dr Teo was consulted. I worked from 9 am to 11 am on Saturdays usually and the client came later.

"Day by day, she lost appetite," the son related the history of his cat during this follow-up call. "She became very weak. My mother wanted the cat to be cured but at the same time did not want to lose the cat (to death on the operating table). Yet my cat will suffer more if no operation is done."

"How long were the lumps present?'
"The lumps were small some weeks ago but started to grow bigger and bigger recently," the owner said.
According to the operating surgeon, these could be abscesses. To save money for the owner, no lumps were sent to the laboratory for histology to check whether they were breast cancers or not. The owner confirmed that he had this cat as a kitten and therefore she was 14 years old.

STITCH OUT IN 14 DAYS
I advised stitch out in 14 days as most cat owners don't come and the knots get buried into the skin and cause stitch abscess and irritation to the cat some months later. The Monosyn stitches used look like nylon and are absorbable..



REFERRAL
He lived in Tampines, near the Changi Airport. This is a 15-minute drive to Toa Payoh Vets and there are several vet clinics closer to him.

"Why did you come to Toa Payoh Vets when there are vets nearby?" I asked this filial son. "My friends in Bedok refer you to me."

I guess these friends were the two Malay ladies with cats that I had vaccinated some weeks ago as I seldom have any clients from Bedok. Proximity is the choice of pet owners as most Singaporeans are time-pressed and so the majority of clientele for me would be around a 5-minute drive to Toa Payoh Vets.

Referral is best as the client trust is there. But the veterinary surgeon must deliver. Nothing less than a live 14-year-old cat at the end of surgery and being alert and hungry at home after surgery. Essentially, this means assessing the anaesthetic risks such that the minimal dose is given without killing the cat. How do you do it? This depends on the good judgment of the individual vet.

In this case, Dr Daniel asked me and I judged that this 4-kg Burmese cat should be given xylazine 0.1 ml and Ketamine 0.4 ml IM and it was effective and safe. "Do a fast surgery in an old cat," I advised. "Electro-excise the 3 big lumps as fast as possible. Ligate the main vessels. There were no big blood vessels to ligate as I expected some from the caudal superficial blood vessels. Perhaps the tumours were necrotic and septic and the blood supply was being terminated or damaged.

UPDATE AS AT JAN 11, 2013
As at Friday, Jan 11, 2013, no news from the owner. In this case, no news is good news.  


Some problem with blogger.com's alignment of text. URL is at:
http://www.kongyuensing.com/folder7/20130110burmese_cat_breast_tumours_toapayohvets.htm
 

 

A case study of recurring urolithiasis in a Miniature Schnauzer - Struvites Video: Kidney & bladder stones
More info of interesting case studies at: Dogs or Cats
To make an appointment:
e-mail judy@toapayohvets.com
tel: +65 9668-6469, 6254-3326
tpvets_logo.jpg (2726 bytes)Toa Payoh Vets
Clinical Research

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

1236. Not recognised vet degree

Nobody can "influence" the AVA on your behalf unless you are the son of a big important person, things may be reviewed again. That is a fact of life.

I have given your resume to an employment agent. It is NOT possible for you to be a vet in Singapore due to AVA's licensing requirements of accredited vet universities for practising vets and your degree is not recognised by the AVA. .

But if you are flexible, you may get other industry jobs or even in Yangon. But the pay is not what you expected and if you are agreeable, you may get a job e.g. in a vet pharmaceutical company that is looking for a vet to provide after-sales services for its veterinary products to vets in Singapore and the region..

I am really sad that you are in this situation but life is full of ups and downs. Whether you can be resilient or not, it is up to you.

House-call to vaccinate 2 cats



On Tue, Jan 8, 2013 at 8:37 AM, Daniei@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi.  I live near Orchard and my two cats need their annual
vaccinations.  Can you tell me how much it would cost to get these
vaccinations done via a house call?

Thanks,
Dan



 Thank you for your email. House-call will be $250 and 2 vaccinations will be $70. Total $320.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

1234. Anaesthetic risks for the young rabbit and the old cat

Jan 8, 2013

Recently Dr Daniel and I had 2 cases of high anaesthetic risks - the very young and the very old patient. Every vet will inform the owner of the high risks. Invariably, the owner would not want the operation. So, the disease progresses as in the following cases:

Case 1. Rabbit, F, 3.5 months
The lady bought 2 siblings at 1 month old at Farm Mart which is in Chua Chu Kang. This patient had a twisted leg but the appetite was "good." Over the next 2.5 months, her sibling doubled in size while this rabbit started to hide in a corner.

"She refused to move as she grows older," the lady had phoned me for the fees for amputation. "The two vets in the same practice wanted to charge $1,000 to cut off the leg. I have already spent over $1,000 treating this rabbit!"
"I have to examine the rabbit in order to quote you," I said. "If the surgery is short, the fees are lower."
The lady came while I was out. Dr Daniel advised amputation. "She wanted to try TCM (traditional chinese medicine)," Dr Daniel said when I asked why he had bandaged the leg.

I spoke to the owner as she was paying the bills after consultation with Dr Daniel and not accepting amputation as the medical advice. The rabbit's leg had swollen at least 3 times and multiple yellow abscesses flowered inside the leg. "Do you know that this rabbit's life is endangered as his leg will become gangrenous and septic, spreading bacteria to her whole body and killing her? I have already given you a below cost fee to amputate her twisted leg. Yet you want to try TCM."

"I tried TCM in the sibling which was similarly lame and he recovered," she said.
"The sibling did not have the same condition of fractured lowered leg that became twisted and infected," I had not seen the sibling but it is highly improbable that both siblings suffered fractured legs. The sibling was probably weak in his hind limbs but the fact is that he is a thriving rabbit, double the size now.