2934. A 5-month-old poodle vomits and has diarrhoea for 5 days

Oct 4, 2016

"Persistent vomiting and diarrhoea for 5 days," the lyoung ady owner was perplexed. "The stools are now becoming smaller and loose."

I palpated gas inside the anterior abdomen but there was no pain.
"Did the poodle swallow bones, toys, socks or other things," I asked as young dogs do put things into their mouth.

"No bones," the lady said. "But she did chew sponges from the sofa set."

She did not want blood test which would have indicated infection and state of the liver and lungs.
X-rays were approved and showed some impaction of the stomach and small intestines, with lots of gas bubbles. Pieces of sponges are possibly inside.

An IV drip with vitamins, antibiotics and pain-killers were given. The dog would be given a laxative to pass out the sponges.

2933. A Golden Retriever may have tick fever - Babesia gibonsi antibody test. A Presa had tick fever in 2014

In 2016, the supplier stocks Babesia gibsoni antibody test kits and Toa Payoh Vets have some. Yesterday, Sep 28, 2016, a young couple probably google "Imidocarb Singapore Vets" or some words similarly and phoned me.

His vet had no stock of the test kit. The 2.5-year-old Golden Retriever lives in an apartment and was unable to stand and had smelly diarrhea. He farted but could walk on his hind legs. He had a fever of 40.8 C and a lower RBC, Hb count of less than 5% in the low range. Platelets were very low at 36. The vet tested with Cani-Vet 4 which does not cover Babesia and so told the owners accordingly.
Anti-diarrhea drugs and electroltyes and prednisolone medication were prescribed.

So, the boyfriend surfed and phoned me. I had the test kit. The dog was negative to the test. If clinical signs are present (anaemia, seizure, fever) and this test is negative, it is interpreted as 2-4 weeks after infection. But the dog's gum are pink and though he has weakness in his back legs and diarrhea, this may or may not be a suspected case of tick fever.

Vet 1 did not want to give the imidocarb injection and so I did not want to interfere as the owner only wanted a test kit for Babesia and/or a PCR test.    

"Was a blood smear done by Vet 1?" I asked. The owner said a blood test was done. As the owner would be going back to Vet 1, I did not want to confused him further.

The owner wanted a PCR test which Vet 1 had advised.


PCR (polymerase chain reaction) is a technique that permits the analysis of samples containing only minute quantities of DNA or RNA. PCR is used to reproduce (amplify) selected sections of DNA or RNA for analysis.


AN INTERESTING CASE OF A PRESA with Babesia gibsoni treated successfully in Mar 2014 is at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1b0DrZKx-I&feature=youtu.be

At that time, there were no Babesia gibsoni antibody test kit. The blood smear was positive as the dog had clinical signs. Treatment was early and the dog is now normal.  

2932. A rabbit has a solitary bladder stone removed

The rabbit's bladder stone was removed by Dr Daniel and he is back to normal

2931. Lame RH, neck pain

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Said a vet diagnosed knee cruciate ligament rupture
Hip arthritis
Teeth decay
Heart disease

2930. An 8-year-old Silkie has constipation and right perineal hernia

Sep 23, 2016

2929. A 7-year-old female pug is ataxic after 2 days at the boarding kennel

Sep 16, 2016

"Walks like a drunken person," I palpated the pug's hips which elicited painful cries.
The pug had been clipped bald and  was in a boarding kennel for the last 2 days. Now she has lost appetite, was thirsty and had diarrhea.

"Yes, yes," the man said. "She walks like me when I am drunk, swaying from side to side!"

"It is possible that the boarding kennel had used a strong body wash after clipping the coat. The pug could have drank some of the chemicals or she had suffered some hip injuries as the hips are very painful."

The owner did not want a blood tests. X-rays of hips were normal. I gave an IV drip. The pug went home and was OK the next day.

2928. FUS - Pollakiuria in a 6-year-old male neutered cat

Sep 13, 2016

"My cat keeps going to and fro the litter box, meowing painfully," the owner said.
"Your cat has pollakiuria which is an abnormal frequent urination.," I palpated a small bladder, hence no urethral obstruction. "How many cats are there in the apartment?"
"One cat only," the owner said.

"Did you change the dry cat food?" I asked.

"No, but I gave him more cat treats recently," the owner showed me a packet of Friskies Party Mix cat treats given for the past 1 month.

"Did you change the litter often?" I asked. The owner had not changed the litter for around 7 days or more and had not picked up the stools. It is possible that the cat was stressed and this could cause FUS (Feline Urological Syndrome).

X-rays showed no urinary stones. Blood and urine test was not done to lower medical costs.




3 days later, I phoned. The cat is back to normal and the litter is changed regularly and often. Early vet consultation and treatment enabled the cat to recover the next day.