Wednesday, February 26, 2020

4092. Syringe feeding a red-eared slider - videos

Videos

*Final Video. This video shows the process of syringe feeding the slider.
https://youtu.be/1Ja0VN9oV0I


2.

4091. An emaciated dog was not eating and standing up. Why?


In Singapore, many dogs live to a ripe old age of over 10 years. However, some become very thin or emaciated. There is a belief by some owners that weight loss is a natural progression of ageing. The
dog "does eat" but cannot put on weight. 






A TYPICAL CASE STUDY.
"My dog is unable to stand up and has head tremors," said the lady owner. "I had brought him to see you some 8 years ago."

"Your dog is emaciated," I pointed to the visible ribs of this cross-bred dog. "There is no body fat. she has lost most of her teeth and has pale gums, suggesting anaemia. This means insufficient fed blood cells and haemoglobin."
"I feed her the most expensive food purchased from the Pet Shop," she informed me. "My dog does eat it."
"If he ate the food, he ought to put on more weight. I will need a blood test to check the health of his blood system, liver and kidneys."

The owner gave consent. Blood test showed very low red blood cell numbers and disorder of the liver and kidneys. Together with the signs and symptoms, the dog is in very poor health. An IV drip perked her up as she felt stronger. A therapeutic diet of Hill's K/D was prescribed. However, the dog's health deteriorated and he passed away at home 5 days later.  


TIPS AND ADVICES
Old dogs do not lose weight if they are healthy. Consult your veterinarian for early detection of disease and treatment.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

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IMAGES

Ataxia, head tremors

Ribs are prominent

Pale gums. Most teeth had dropped out







BLOOD TEST RESULTS ON 20 Feb 2020
TP 42087

Abnormal results:
LIVER PROFILE
ALT 878 U/L  (normal is less than 59)
AST 171 U/L  (normal is less than 81)

KIDNEY PROFILE
Urea 67.4 mmol/L  (normal is 4.3 - 6.3)
Creatinine 329 umol/L (normal is 89 - 177)

HAEMATOLOGY
Haemoglobin 8.6g/dL  (normal is 12 - 18)
Red cell count 3.6x10^12/L (normal is 5.5 - 8.5)
Haematocrit (PCV) is 0.27 (normal is 0.37 - 0.55)




Tuesday, February 25, 2020

4090. REYNA. A rabbit has a watery eye. Epiphora.

A rabbit has a watery eye. Epiphora.




















Tears overflow right eye downwards to the nose
What are the causes?
1. Usually two main causes - the corneal or obstruction of the
lacrimal drainage 



Eye irrigation of the right eye, to flush away foreign bodies like grass seeds and dirt under general anaesthesia.
In-patient for 4 days. Went home. 


"Doc, look at the eye! No green corneal ulcer, right?" my assistant said as she saw no green stain on the cornea.
.














UPDATE ON 25 FEB 2020
The owner said the rabbit had recovered from the eye ulcer.
He had passed away as he was aged at 8 years.


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NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE
A proverb. There's always some reason for a rumour or signs of a problem.





Sunday, February 23, 2020

4089. REYNA. A dwarf hamster has two large mammary lumps


Thu 21 Feb 2020

The young lady came to Toa Payoh Vets as her first hamster passed away during surgery to remove a shoulder tumour at another vet clinic. The hamster died on the operating table. So the lady surfed the internet and made an appointment with Toa Payoh Vets today.






"There is always a risk in anaesthesia," I explained to the owner. "No vet can guarantee 100% risk-free anaesthesia and surgery."

"My hamster bites," the young lady warned me. "She has one large globular lump."
On closer examination and under restraint, I discovered she had two. They measured around 8m x 8 mm. That meant a longer time to anaesthesize, increasing the risk of death on the operating table.
We let the hamster rest for one day and gave pre-op antibiotics and painkillers.

The owner decided to take a chance on a different vet clinic. The hamster was operated by Dr Daniel Sing the next day and would go home today, Saturday. All was OK (show video post op).





OPERATION
Anaesthesia - describe
Surgery - describe
Sutures
Histology of tumours done?


  A cyst with small tumours?
A tumour? 





POST-OP VIDEO

FOLLOW UP PHONE CALL ON FEB 27, 2020 - Hamster is OK. 

Friday, February 21, 2020

4088. Story telling using the 3Ds - Do dogs suffer from toothaches? Carnassial Tooth Abscess in a Pomeranian

The 3-act structure prevents boredom. Arranging events in an order that conflict causes change, which in turn causes more conflict, building and building, until the story's final confrontation and resolution. 3 acts. Beginning, middle and end. 

From a plot point of view: Set-up, Conflict, Resolution
From an emotional POV, Attraction, Tension, Satisfaction
From a thematic POV. Subject, Development, Fulfillment.


ACT 1 - ATTRACTION.
Grab the reader's attention by establishing the genre and mood, which create the anticipation of desired feelings such as laughter for a comedy or tension in a thriller. 

First, introduce the main character with whom the reader will bond. You estabish the main problem which captures the reader's interest and creates curiosity and anticipation as to how the protagonist will solve his dilemma. The opening hook is an essential emotional element in this act.

Several types of opening:
1. Hero in action.  Introduce the protagonist in the middle of conflict (most common opening, most effective---character bonding and drama). This hero in action opening gives you a choice to focus on e.g. character's uniqueness or character empathy (misfortune or mistreatment). 

2. Villain in action. 
3. Backstory/prologue  eg. traumatic prologues
4. Spectacle e.g stunts, special effects, over-the-top events generate thrill for the reader. Joyous occasions like a wedding (The Godfather).
5. Mystery. Intriguing event that arouses curiosity in the reader, making him wonder what is going on, is also a great way to open a script. Alien, The matrix,E.T. --- where are we? Who are these characters, what are they talking about, what's going on?

6.  Unique world. World of the mafia (The Godfater), world of aliens on earth (Men in Black), the Amish world, panoramic bird's-eye view of a future Los Angeles - Blade runner. 

7. Exposition. As long as the basic information about the world of your story is intereswting and crucial to the understanding of the plot e.g. the scrolling exposition (Star Wars). 

8. Breaking the fourth wall. A rare but effective way to open a story with a character speaking directly to the reader which creates immediacy and connections. e.g. voice-over eg. American Beauty or Sunset Boulevard or having the character speak directly into the camera, thus "breaking the fourth wall", e.g. High Fidelity, Ferris Bueller's Day off or Annie Hall.  

9. Book-ended flashback  A popular device or structure to open period pieces or detective stories that involves investigation of a past event.  Eg. Titanic, Amadeus, Citizen Kane, The Bridges of madison County or Double Indemnity. Make sure the past is more important than the one in the present. 

10. STORY TELLING USING THE 3D's to sell a product or service
Details
Dialogue
Discovery
All wrapped up in Drama




Malocclusion

In this case, this rabbit has been diagnosed with malocclusion, which means misaligned teeth. As we can see in this video, the 4 upper jaw teeth (2 maxillary incisors and 2 peg teeth) were overgrown and grew sideways. The 2 lower jaw teeth (2 mandibular incisors) were overgrown and broke off. Therefore, it appeared very small.

What is Malocclusion?

Malocclusion means misaligned teeth and a rabbit with misaligned teeth cannot eat hay and other food easily.

How it is developed?

A rabbit’s teeth are constantly growing and it is crucial that the normal process of chewing wears down a rabbit’s teeth. When the teeth are not worn down, they overgrow. The top incisors grow inwards towards the mouth and the bottom ones grow outwards. This can lead to the rabbit at risk for jaw infections causing pain and discomfort.

Why is it important?

If left undetected, your pet will eventually stop eating. Rabbits need a continual supply of roughage moving through their digestive system to prevent gut stasis. Even 12 hours without food can cause serious digestive disorders and further health complications like death. The rabbit dies if he is not treated as he becomes malnourished and dehydrated over time.

How it is diagnosed?

Malocclusion is diagnosed by the physical examination of the rabbit’s mouth and X-Ray of the jaw and tooth root. The treatment will depend on the severity of the malocclusion.

Reasons for Malocclusion?

Rabbit malocclusions can be either hereditary or acquired. Hereditary malocclusion are observed more in dwarf breeds due to their shortened heads and jaw developments. However, majority of malocclusion are acquired when the teeth are not ground down properly over time and are often due to poor feeding practices. It’s recommended the majority of a rabbit’s diet comprises hay (80%), with a limit to vegetables (10%), fruits (5%) and pellets (5%).


Malocclusion

Preventions for Malocclusion?

Malocclusion can be easily prevented by the correct diet advised by veterinarians. Hay is a crucial ingredient in a rabbit’s diet as it helps trim the constantly growing rabbits teeth. Routine health check every once to twice a year ensures that the rabbit’s teeth are not overgrown. When abnormal growing of the teeth is observed during vet visits, the teeth are trimmed before it gets overgrown.

Treatment for malocclusion?

The overgrown teeth are being trimmed by the veterinarians.

In severe cases, surgery to remove the affected teeth may be an option. Any tooth with deep pockets, mobility and purulent debris is subject to extraction, especially if an abscess is present. Extraction of the overgrown front teeth will have prevented the development of molar spurs and dental abscess which are expensive treatments.

In this case, the extraction of the 6 front teeth enables the rabbit to eat properly. Rabbits without their incisors use their lips and tongue to pick up food and move it to the back of their mouth, where it's ground by the molars. However,

Rabbits cannot live without any teeth. Therefore, it is important to detect malocclusion earlier or even better to prevent it. Is it crucial to remove the teeth or trimming is sufficient and a better choice?

Other dental problems (Is it needed to include molar spurs?)

Molar spurs are sharp edges developed by the overgrown molars. They are present when the incisors are overgrown and causes difficulty in chewing the food properly. The inability to grind the food properly leads to the sides of the molars to get worn out abnormally.

The developed sharp edges cut into the inside of the cheeks causing cheek ulcerations and entrapment of the tongue, making it difficult for the rabbit to move its tongue to eat properly. Molar spurs causes incorrect positioning of the molars, leading to bacteria entering the roots of the molars causing dental or jaw abscess.

Complications of dental problems are very painful and expensive treatment. Therefore, it is very important to bring your rabbits for regular dental exams every once to twice a year. Prevention is always better than cure.



https://www.ufaw.org.uk/rabbits/netherland-dwarf-dental-malocclusion

STORY TELLING USING THE 3D's to sell a product or service
Details
Dialogue
Discovery
All wrapped up in Drama


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BE KIND TO PETS VETERINARY STORIES

DO DOGS SUFFER FROM TOOTHACHES?
The Carnassial Tooth Abscess
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow)

DETAILS
Dogs do suffer from toothaches. I will say that the most painful one must be the carnassial tooth
abscess. The canine carnassial tooth is the 4th premolar tooth. When there is chronic gingivitis or tooth fractures, the bacteria destroys the periodontal ligaments attaching the tooth to the gums. Bacteria destroys the tooth and forms a carnassial tooth abscess. An abscess is a collection of pus.

Carnassial tooth abscess is a common disease in the older dog that has poor dental care. It is very painful. The presenting sign is a festering facial wound below the eye. Pus and blood seep out daily like an active volcano spewing hot lava and ash daily. Home remedies like antibiotic powder and silver cream or antibiotics are ineffective. Most owners think this is just a traumatic wound. But this open facial wound never heals, despite medication and cleansing as shown in this case of a 4-year-old Pomeranian seen at Toa Payoh Vets in 2007. 



DIALOGUE
“I am sick and tired of cleaning this wound for the past many weeks,” Mrs Jaswant Singh pointed to the wound below the Pomeranian’s left eye. “I pour antibiotic powder and also gave antibiotics, but the wound keeps discharging dirty blood daily! My cat could have scratched my naughty baby causing this wound or something sharp had poked into his face!”

“This wound is a result of a tooth root infection,” I took out the Hills’ illustrated drawings of this common dental disease in dogs in Western countries. It is easier to show than to tell. I lifted the dog’s left upper cheek, but the carnassial tooth showed thick tartar and an inflamed gum. No pus and blood leaking out from the gums. “The permanent cure is to extract the rotten carnassial tooth. Antibiotics will not resolve the problem.”

“Just get on with the tooth extraction,” Mrs Singh showed me her dog’s discharge stain in her silk black sari with big red flowers. “My saris are very expensive as I buy them from New Delhi in India, not from the shops in Little India here! My baby keeps soiling them. I have to clean the soiled bed, sofas and mop the floor to remove her discharges for the past weeks! I have no maid to help me.”

“Hey, wait, wait, wait,” Mr Singh interjected. “Are you sure our dog suffers from carnal, cunning or whatever?”  As this was their first visit to Toa Payoh Vets, the husband eyed my diagnosis as money-making.

This doctor is talking nonsense,” Mr Singh whispered, not too softly in his wife’s ear. “The tooth and the wound are so far apart and separated by the sinus bones. How can infection travel so far? He must be nuts and out to make money from us!”

“I can take an X-ray to show you that the root or roots of the carnassial tooth is infected,” I said when Mr Singh turned towards me. “No need to do it,” the husband put up his hand. “Thank you very much. We will let you know if we want you to pull out the tooth.”

Around 2 months later, Mrs Singh consented to the dental extraction. There is the root canal and associated treatment, but it will be expensive. I extracted the loose left carnassial tooth and the first molar.


DISCOVERY
ADVICES TO DOG OWNERS:  
In the blink of an eye, 6 years passed by when Mrs Singh had her Pomeranian treated for bad teeth. “My dog’s facial sore healed within 10 days,” Mrs Singh reminisced. “Hence, I do not see you.” 
She did not get her dog’s teeth checked yearly as advised by me. Her dog had not suffered another carnassial tooth abscess in the right side but now had several loose and decayed teeth extracted.

Carnassial tooth abscess is also known as malar abscess or oro-nasal fistula. Some vets do mis-diagnose this disease as allergies or infected traumatic wounds. A spot-on usually accurate diagnosis is made if there is a festering non-healing facial wound below your dog’s eye. Dental extraction is the least expensive effective treatment. Yearly dental check ups will prevent most of your dog’s teeth from decaying so that your dog has teeth up to old age.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Phone 6254-3326, 9668-4668,  
judy@toapayohvets.com, www.toapayohvets.com


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General anaesthesia for dental works.  Periodontal Disease.
4th premolar and lst molar teeth are encrusted
with thick tartar. There is inflammation of the gum area - chronic gingivitis 

Image 2. Rotten 4th premolar and lst molar teeth extracted  and are shown
to the owners

Image 3. No more oro-nasal fistula since the
dental extraction 6 years ago








VIDEO PRODUCED






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Thursday, February 20, 2020

4087. DRAFTDr Sing's Canine caesarean section in 2004

Water bag




The appearance of the water bag outside the vulva tended to confuse the new breeder.  Would the puppy be coming out soon?  How long should he wait before consulting the vet?  What happened if the bitch ruptured the water bag with her teeth and lots of clear water spilled out. Should he wait for the puppy to be delivered and how long should he wait?

Once the water bag appears and no puppy is delivered for over 30 minutes , an experienced breeder will rush to the veterinary surgeon for an emergency Caesarean delivery. If surgery is done within 60 minutes, chances are that the puppy will still be alive and not stressed out.








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Uterine inertia



2 water bags


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SilkieXShetland in Feb 10, 2004 (around 14 weeks old).Fighting to be first
It is not very common to see TWO water bags in any bitch. This meant that two puppies were jammed up inside the birth canal (vagina) and time is of the essence to save the puppies and this means an emergency Caesarean delivery.

The Silkie bitch was accidentally mated by a Sheltie. The puppies were larger than ordinary Silkie. Would they be born naturally if the two water bags had not presented themselves?  It is hard to say. 

To provide affordable Caesarean surgeries, no X-rays were taken. The breeder thought there would be two large puppies. After all, Shelties are larger than Silkies and the crosses would be definitely larger. The bitch did not look heavily pregnant.

Surprisingly, four Silkie X Shetland puppies were delivered by Caesarean section after midnight and were strong and vigorous.  They grew up well and two were vaccinated by me at around 14 weeks old (see picture below).   Very attractive cross bred puppies. Small bitches will mate with large dogs even though the owners think that they cannot do it. 
Case 3: Dystocia - Uterine Inertia. Case seen in February 13 2010 on Chinese New Year's Eve 2 hours before my reunion dinner. See full report at:
Oxytocin injection and wait or an elective Caesarean section?





Motor bikes are a most common form of transport, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Motor bikes are a most common form of transport, Siem Reap, Cambodia






I was the observer at the above Caesarean section on this 2010 Chinese New Year's Eve. As I had no car, I rode pillion on a motorcycle similar to the ones in the pictures above, to visit the vet with a salt and pepper Miniature Schnauzer with dystocia (difficulty in giving birth).
The vet had given an oxytocin injection. If the dog or cow has dystocia, give oxytocin first. Puppies would then be born naturally. So easy as that?

But you can't tell that oxytocin injections in a heavily pregnant Miniature Schnauzer will lead to natural delivery of 5 pups. So, the vet has to step down from theory to practical aspects. Waiting and waiting will mean some delays and possible deaths of a pup or two. Or even the death of the dam. Only the vet can make a decision as to whether to perform an elective Caesarean section or not. In this case, oxytocin was given. Nothing happened for half an hour. It was wise for the vet to perform the Caesarean section and the outcome was excellent. The white pup was larger and might not be born alive if there was more delay waiting for oxytocin injection to work. The owner wants a happy ending and in this case, all 5 pups were vigorous and the dam was safe.
 
The above reports on canine entropion and dystocias are written primarily for the veterinary undergraduates introducing them to a brand new animal world they don't usually see as Singapore is not an agricultural country. Undergraduates are encouraged to write their medical reports to improve and store their knowledge to make themselves better veterinarians.