March 8, 2016
Toa Payoh Vets do see at least one terrapin or turtle per week for the past 3 years. I find them interesting.
Terrapins, the size of 50-cent coins, would be around 1-3 months old. They are sold at around $5.00 in the pet shops. Some pet shops have some good quality terrapins imported from the USA for sale but some are sickly.
These two cases are typical of diseases seen at Toa Payoh Vets
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
2941. A 1-year-old Cavapoo vomited many times for 2 days, with blood today. X-rays of throat.
March 8, 2016
The owners were concerned that the 1-year-old male neutered cavapoo vomited out blood this morning but had started vomiting yesterday.
No abdominal pain or foreign body. The throat was painful, probably due to vomiting.
X-rays did not show any abnormality or foreign body in the throat or stomach. Only painful throat but no abdominal pain on my palpation (video).
On further discussion with the two ladies, the dog did bite a hard toy to pieces. He probably tried to swallow the pieces, injuring his throat. He vomited many times, including blood-tinged vomit this morning.
Blood test done.
Conclusion. The dog vomited lots of water during the IV drip and baytril and spasmogesic injections. The cause of vomiting could be the hard toy pieces that the owners saw the dog chewing and swallowing. These are non-fabric toys for dogs to play.
The owners were concerned that the 1-year-old male neutered cavapoo vomited out blood this morning but had started vomiting yesterday.
No abdominal pain or foreign body. The throat was painful, probably due to vomiting.
X-rays did not show any abnormality or foreign body in the throat or stomach. Only painful throat but no abdominal pain on my palpation (video).
On further discussion with the two ladies, the dog did bite a hard toy to pieces. He probably tried to swallow the pieces, injuring his throat. He vomited many times, including blood-tinged vomit this morning.
Blood test done.
Conclusion. The dog vomited lots of water during the IV drip and baytril and spasmogesic injections. The cause of vomiting could be the hard toy pieces that the owners saw the dog chewing and swallowing. These are non-fabric toys for dogs to play.
Post-op complications after umbilical hernia repair
The swelling appeared around 10 days after an inguinal hernia repair by Dr Daniel who was now in Vietnam. The young couple WhatsApp the image on Feb 26, 2016 "Hi, my dog jux went for the hernia ops at the tummy wif ur vet and the plaster drop off a while alrdy den the tummy starts dropping like dat. Is it OK?"
I replied: "Pl bring in for check up tmrow" in an inexpert way of texting unlike the younger generation.
At the consultation, I said: "It could be a blood collection called a haematoma or a hernia due to a stitch breakdown. These are post-op complications due to the dog being too active and not confined to a small area."
Apparently Dr Daniel did not give such instructions to confine the dog in a small area and so the dog had this large swelling. I told the owner that the vet was in Vietnam and so he could not reply. Post-operation complications do occur as the dog is very active.
"He could have licked the wound," I said.
"No," the owners said. "He had worn a large E-collar."
"There are bruised purplish areas towards the end of the stitching nearer the tail area," I said. "This is evidence of the e-collar's edges traumatising the skin."
The dog was anaesthesized and over 300 ml of unclotted blood was taken out by syringe.
WHEN DID THE BLEEDING OCCU?
This unclotted blood showed that bleeding was recent, probably yesterday. The stitches did not break down and so there was no umbilical hernia.
Evidence of the bruised area is important. The dog had been hitting the back area of the wound, damaging the subcutaneous blood vessels, leaking blood under the skin, causing a large swelling which the couple thought was bigger than the original hernia.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
2939. The Sheltie swallows an "aluminum foil wrapper of sweets" but it is actually an ankle sock
Feb 29, 2016
"No way he had swallowed the aluminium wrapper. It appears like a disc in the X rays
Tues March 8, 2016
The couple had promised to provide feedback to me although they had gone to another vet for the operation.Total cost of surgery (removal of ankle sock) and hospitalisation was around $2,500 as compared to another vet practice (Vet 3) that quoted $6,000. Some bruising in the gut but nothing serious.
The wife phoned me to say that her dog had recovered from the intestinal surgery done by Vet 4.
The dog went home last Saturday.
The dog had swallowed an ankle sock. That was how I palpated a hard golf-ball lump in the mid-abdomen as the sock must have had bunched up. I had advised surgery but the dog had a blood bacterial infection on that day. Surgery was postponed to the next day after IV antibiotics and drip. However the owner went to Vet 4 who did the surgery.
The dog is OK now and had not passed much stools yet. "He had not eaten for the past few days and so no stools were formed," I explained. The owner fed porridge and chicken. The big skin wound was necessary to open up the abdomen to take out the intestines.
Video of dog pre-op in You Tube.
EVIDENCE
2 ultrasounds
2 x-rays
Several vet consultations
In my opinion, a painless hard golf-ball lump in the mid abdomen and the first ultrasound stating possible foreign body would have been sufficient evidence to go for exploratory surgery. Barium meal contrast X-ray is another option but all these cost money.
"No way he had swallowed the aluminium wrapper. It appears like a disc in the X rays
Tues March 8, 2016
The couple had promised to provide feedback to me although they had gone to another vet for the operation.Total cost of surgery (removal of ankle sock) and hospitalisation was around $2,500 as compared to another vet practice (Vet 3) that quoted $6,000. Some bruising in the gut but nothing serious.
The wife phoned me to say that her dog had recovered from the intestinal surgery done by Vet 4.
The dog went home last Saturday.
The dog had swallowed an ankle sock. That was how I palpated a hard golf-ball lump in the mid-abdomen as the sock must have had bunched up. I had advised surgery but the dog had a blood bacterial infection on that day. Surgery was postponed to the next day after IV antibiotics and drip. However the owner went to Vet 4 who did the surgery.
The dog is OK now and had not passed much stools yet. "He had not eaten for the past few days and so no stools were formed," I explained. The owner fed porridge and chicken. The big skin wound was necessary to open up the abdomen to take out the intestines.
Video of dog pre-op in You Tube.
EVIDENCE
2 ultrasounds
2 x-rays
Several vet consultations
In my opinion, a painless hard golf-ball lump in the mid abdomen and the first ultrasound stating possible foreign body would have been sufficient evidence to go for exploratory surgery. Barium meal contrast X-ray is another option but all these cost money.
2938. A golden retriever fell into a drain and hurt his back and right hip
The Golden Retriever from Marine Parade, East Singapore, fell into a deep drain yesterday and was all right after being taken up.
"He even walked several km," the owner said. "Without any lameness."
Later in the evening, he limped on his right hind.
"I tried palpating the back spinal area," the owner saw me doing it before. "He growled when I felt part above his hip."
X-rays show slight dislocation of the right hip joint.
Sunday, February 28, 2016
2937. A 9-year-old Jack Russell bites himself sore
Sunday Jan 27, 2016
It has been several years since I saw this Jack Russll. Now he has bigger bleeding sore on his elbows, chest, back perineal area and all 4 paws.
Never been to the groomer or pet shop for the past 9 yars
I checked right elbow hair which is full of raw skin sores. Anal sac almost empty of anal sac oil but both perineal areas were bald and hair loss.
It has been several years since I saw this Jack Russll. Now he has bigger bleeding sore on his elbows, chest, back perineal area and all 4 paws.
Never been to the groomer or pet shop for the past 9 yars
I checked right elbow hair which is full of raw skin sores. Anal sac almost empty of anal sac oil but both perineal areas were bald and hair loss.
2936. Vetoryl 60 mg for Cushing Disease
Sunday Feb 28, 2016
In 2014, his 15-year-old Shih Tzu kept looking for food every hour and drank a lot. Her body hairs did not grow back after clipping. Her belly became pot-bellied. She passed blood in the urine.
The vet diagnosed 5 bladder stones, the biggest being 0.5 cm on X-rays. However, he advised not operating as the wound would not heal well as the dog had abnormal cortisol levels from Cushing Disease.
So the ACTH stimulation test was done for half a day, costing him $200. 10mg Vetoryl was given orally for one week, then 15 mg twice a day for one month. After several months, the effective dose was 30 mg once a day.
The dog no longer has Cushing Disease. He came to Toa Payoh Vets to get prescription of 2 boxes of 60 mg as it is less expensive. One capsule content is divided into two. Carefully he apportioned the alloted portion to an empty capsule. The dog has a little pot-belly but would eat and drink normally.
CUSHING DISEASE - 2 types.
Brain and adrenal glands. His dog's was the brain.
In 2014, his 15-year-old Shih Tzu kept looking for food every hour and drank a lot. Her body hairs did not grow back after clipping. Her belly became pot-bellied. She passed blood in the urine.
The vet diagnosed 5 bladder stones, the biggest being 0.5 cm on X-rays. However, he advised not operating as the wound would not heal well as the dog had abnormal cortisol levels from Cushing Disease.
So the ACTH stimulation test was done for half a day, costing him $200. 10mg Vetoryl was given orally for one week, then 15 mg twice a day for one month. After several months, the effective dose was 30 mg once a day.
The dog no longer has Cushing Disease. He came to Toa Payoh Vets to get prescription of 2 boxes of 60 mg as it is less expensive. One capsule content is divided into two. Carefully he apportioned the alloted portion to an empty capsule. The dog has a little pot-belly but would eat and drink normally.
CUSHING DISEASE - 2 types.
Brain and adrenal glands. His dog's was the brain.
Cushing's Syndrome - dogs
SYNETHIN 15 BOXES PER MONTH - goes fast. 250 I U of per ml
VETORYL TO TREAT
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