Friday, May 8, 2020

4121. Do rabbits suffer from toothache? Malocclusion

BE KIND TO PETS VETERINARY STORIES

DO RABBITS SUFFER FROM TOOTHACHES?
A rabbit has overgrown front teethWritten and narrated by: Natalie.......
Natalie See
Mentor:  Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow)



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

see below example of the dog with a case study.

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DETAILS


Rabbits do suffer from toothaches. The most common cause is malocclusion.
What is malocclusion?  Malocclusion means misaligned teeth. The upper and lower teeth do not meet to cut or grind the hay and other food properly and therefore do not wear out.

In people, (image of your front teeth), the permanent teeth stops growing. But not in the rabbit. His teeth are constantly growing but if they are not worn out by chewing and grinding of the food, they overgrow sideways, foreward or backward. (IMAGES.. see my blog, do not use other people's images.)

Toa Payoh Vets has a case of malocclusion. (Video footage of the misaligned teeth - few seconds). The 4 upper incisors grow inwards towards the mouth and the 2 lower ones grow outwards. They also grow sideways.   The 2 lower could have fractured as they looked very short.

ANATOMY. ILLUSTRATION OF THE 6 FRONT TEETH. YOU CAN USE THEIR MEDICAL NAMES MAXILLARY, MANDIBULAR.

ILLUSTRATION. SIDE VIEW OF CHEEK TEETH.


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DIALOGUE  (Listen to the owner's voices and remarks in the video and then construct a narrative. I cannot do for you. Some narrative will be ENACTMENT. A  Q & A.



Owner: "Doctor, my rabbit has such long and twisted teeth. Why other rabbits don't have this problem?" 

Doctor: "Your rabbit's upper and lower front teeth do not meet normally. The upper jaw is too  (short?) while the lower jaw is  longer than normal.  Therefore........


Owner:" He cannot eat his hay properly. Pieces keep coming out. What can be done to help my poor rabbit to eat normally? 


USE NARRATION TO ANSWER THE 5W'S AND ONE H.


Doctor: "I need to examine the cheek teeth as they may not be worn out normally. 
Owner: "How do you do it? Can you see them really?"  




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DISCOVERY

1. Malocculsion is a serious condition affecting the rabbit's health.  /...lose weight, ileus....

2. Vets need to look for molar spurs when the front teeth are affected. Palpation, otoscopic examination, dental gags........

3. For owners, Two choices of treatment. Trimming every month. Extraction of all 6 front teeth is preferred for the rabbit. Must be in good health to take the anaesthesia.

4. In this case, more expensive treatment...molar spurs. Sometimes dental abscess...cheek tooth extraction....cost more.

5. Prompt attention is best for your rabbit.  













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.

The 4 upper jaw teeth are known as 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.




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








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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?
A dog has carnaissal 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, 9668-6468, 
judy@toapayohvets.com, www.toapayohvets.com

VIDEO PRODUCED





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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








Tuesday, May 5, 2020

4120. The brown butterfly in Singapore

A rare sighting of a brown butterfly in Yio Chu Kang, Singapore. It does not have several eye spots as seen in the common ones.



The common ones are the dark brown with many eye spots.  Other butterflies have shades of brown colour

4122. Red-eared slider has difficulty laying eggs. Oxytocin injection can induce egg laying if done early in dystocia


A COVID-19 PANDEMIC STORY




ON MAY 9, 2020, I FOLLOWED UP

"She is not eating even though it was a week ago that she had laid eggs after the oxytocin injection," the owner said over the phone. "Could she have another egg to lay?"

"X-ray showed 9 eggs and she laid 9," I said. "Unlikely, unless it is a soft-shelled egg that had ruptured."

MAY10, 2020.
"Still restless, not eating," the owner noted. "In the past, she ate around 3 days after injection and egg laying. Now, it is over 7 days! When would she recover her appetite?"

The slider was brought to the garden now that the Government had relaxed to rules in closing it. There had been complaints that the Government ought not have closed the condo gardens. After all, only condo residents are permitted. With closure, the argument went, the condo residents had to exercise outside the condo, increasing the crowd in public parks.

But all playgrounds in Singapore had been closed.

"Did she lay the eggs?" I aside.
"Nothing, but she lingered for one hour.

CONDO MANAGEMENT did not prohibit this slider from digging the soil?
"No, she covered up after laying the eggs."
She doesn't eat the flowers or plants, the watchful owner saw to it that dogs do not get close to her. Many children and residents including expatriates looked forward to seeing her.

FEEDING

Adopted at around 2 years of age. Ate veg for the 6 mths to 1 year. Then no interest.
Changed to prawns. Daily 2-3 light grey prawns. MUST be fresh boiled, or will not eat.
Eats only the expensive purplish leaves seen in salads

Now, mainly fresh grey prawns, not the black Tiger prawns. Must be fresh.
Tried cod fish, but not keen after first 3 times.



Very relaxed watching TV
But when need to lay eggs, will go to the main door.
Adopted at around 2 years old. Now 6 years old.

Oct 2017.   First time visited Toa Payoh Vets. For anorexia. X-rays. No eggs. Antibiotics.
Oct 2018.   X-ray  5 eggs. Laid eggs naturally.
Aug 2019.  X-ray and inj oxytocin   1.5 ml SC          10 eggs   1.9kg
Dec 2019.     "                  "                                            7 eggs
Mar 2020      "                  "                                            9 eggs
May 2, 2020      "                  "                                           9 eggs  2.2 kg. Not eating for over 1 week instead of usual 3 days. Why?

May 10, 2020. Egg laying signs. Brought downstairs. Garden.
Dig a hole, laid there for 1-2 hrs. Tried to push out, but no egg.
(Maybe expelled the remnants of soft-shelled broken eggs stuck inside for the past one week," I said. "Did you see any green discharge?"
"It was too dark, but I saw twice that she passed the unusual green discharge inside the water!"

"She is not eating," the owner had to persuade her by talking to eat 2 prawns for the past 7 days.

  




Did passed unusual greenish discharge (not brown stools) in water 2 times. Just not hungry. Why. 
Dug deep hole. Stayed there for 2 hours. Owner wanted to sleep.Brought back to condo to clean up. Bath tub. Suddenly, very hungry. "Ate 2 prawns and wanted more," the owner had to boil the prawns first. So had fed 40 shrimps. 




After digging hole and lying in the soil for around 2 hours, she was brought up, cleaned.
Very hungry...

        40 shrimps while owner boiled the grey prawns. Not the blackish Tiger Prawns as she does not like them. She also liked the purplish leaves seen in salad dishes. Prawns are boiled. But she is very fussy about the freshness. Would not eat those prawns that are not fresh.



EGG LAYING BEHAVIOUR
1. Not eating. Restless
2. Makes noises whole night. Few days. 
3. Goes to the main door wanting to go out.


Carried to the garden. Pandan trees but few flowers. Management do not mind.
But on 1 May 20, the garden was closed up during lockdown which ends in Jun 1.
Security patrols. "Why not do it quietly?" I asked.
"A lot of residents will take photos and sent to the authorities," she told me. $300 fine. So, waited till next morning and brought to Toa Payoh Vets.
  





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2/5/2020. She had come to Toa Payoh Vets as Covid-19 pandemic circuit breaker lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus meant that the condo management had closed the condo playground garden.

So, the slider could not go to the soft soil to dig and lay eggs that night.  All playgrounds and exercise areas in Singapore were also closed to prevent community spread of Covid-19.

GARDEN WITH LESS FLOWERS, LOOSE SOIL WHICH APPEALS TO HER. 

Not eating. Restless instead of being relaxed, tried to open the main door to go out.
She would have scouted a safe spot, dig the soil to lay eggs naturally. Around 2 hours.



X-rays showed 9 eggs. Dr Daniel Sing gave Oxytocin injection of 1.5ml SC.
The first egg was laid around 30 minutes after the injection.

The other 8 eggs were inside the car on the way home.

























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Some Singapore owners of red-eared sliders are concerned when their slider has difficulty laying eggs as in the following case study. Early oxytocin injection can induce egg laying, in our experience with our cases. Do not wait more than 24 hours.

See
CASE 1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3zfw0oh99M


CASE 2.

This 8-year-old female Red Eared Slider has a body weight of 2.2kg.

She lays eggs once every 3 months or once every 6 months for last 2-3 years.
Nowadays, she lays eggs once a month. Sometimes she lays eggs naturally. Other times, she will need the oxytocin injection given by Toa Payoh Vets.

The following is the history:
.
14/12/2019 - x-ray (7 eggs) , gave Oxytocin inj -1.5ml SC , 1st egg lay 15 mins after inj
After that lay eggs by herself for 2 times

22/3/2020 - x-ray (9 eggs, including one big egg) ,  gave Oxytocin inj -1.5ml SC , 1st egg lay 20 mins after inj


In April, she laid eggs naturally in the garden.

2/5/2020. She had come to Toa Payoh Vets as Covid-19 pandemic lockdown has closed the playground garden sand where she would dig to lay eggs naturally.
X-rays showed 9 eggs. Dr Daniel Sing gave Oxytocin injection of 1.5ml SC.
The first egg was laid around 30 minutes after the injection.
The other 8 eggs were inside the car on the way home.

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Mar 27, 2020


Kong Yuen Sing 99pups@gmail.com

Mar 27, 2020, 7:42 PM


to jimmyme

Hi
I am Dr Sing Kong Yuen from Toa Payoh Vets,
I am doing research on your red-eared slider.
May I ask you the following:
1. Since April 2019 when I injected and Kame laid eggs, was there any other occasions she laid eggs?

2. Was she laying eggs monthly for past 12 months?

3. What diet is she fed?

4. How did you know she could not lay eggs in Mar 2020?


Many thanks to both of you.   


Dear Dr David Sing



Thank you for your interest in understudying Kate. 



My wife, R... who handles Kate daily has other households matter to settle and will get back to you after reviewing photos and collecting the data. 



Item 1. (yes other on occasions) is once every 1 month or 2 months. 



Item 2. (yes, must check the dates because some time she can lay naturally) but we do not know how many more eggs ( without X Ray ), So when she displays certain signs  ie very restless , at night can’t sleep, making a lot of noise and kicking around, and she will run to the main door signalling to go downstairs  to lay eggs which my wife feels she wants to lay eggs.  R.. will bring her downstairs to look for a suitable place, ie suitable sand.  



Item 3. Kate eats mainly cooked prawn and small dry shrimp twice a day.  She also eats vegetable and on a few occasions we feed her cooked scallops. 

Item 4. She was laying eggs monthly since Dec 19 (the last time we brought her to inject oxytocin) with Jan and Feb (lay eggs naturally) and Mar 20 (oxytocin iinjection).

DECEMBER 2019

4 eggs were laid naturally. Dystocia. Came for oxytocin injection after X rays





MARCH 2020
We let her lay eggs naturally but on Saturday, 21st March 2020, it was raining and we tried 3 times. We were not successful, so we brought her over on Sunday 22nd March. 

After x ray, Dr Daniel Sing injected her with oxytocin. She laid 8 eggs.  Dr Daniel indicated 9 eggs were inside her abdomen. One big egg seen in the X Ray was on Tuesday, 24 March 20 at about 7pm naturally (she dug the hole and laid and covered it).  My wife dug it out to take a photo of it. 















MAY 2, 2020. COVID-19 LOCKDOWN.


2/5/2020. She had come to Toa Payoh Vets as Covid-19 pandemic lockdown has closed the playground garden sand where she would dig to lay eggs

X-rays showed 9 eggs. Dr Daniel Sing gave Oxytocin injection of 1.5ml SC.
The first egg was laid around 30 minutes after the injection.


The other 8 eggs were inside the car on the way home.






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Abstract

Oxytocin dosage was determined experimentally for the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans). Five dosages including 20, 10, 5, 4, and 2 units/kg were experimentally compared in 253 female turtles in a series of experiments conducted in 1999 and 2000. The 3 highest doses were equally effective overall following a maximum of 2 injections. The 2 lower doses were equally effective overall following a maximum of 2 injections. Success rate (i.e., turtles laid all eggs or retained 2 or fewer eggs following a maximum of 2 injections) ranged from 100% (20 and 10 unit/kg doses) to an average of 88.9% for the lowest doses (4 and 2 units/kg). When reduction in oxytocin exposure is desired, the lower dosages are recommended; when turtles are being treated for egg retention, the higher dosages may be more desirable. No difference in oxytocin efficacy was found among 3 species of chelonians (red-eared slider; stinkpot, Sternotherus odoratus; and painted turtle, Chrysemys picta) when oxytocin was given at 4 units/kg. No difference in efficacy was found among 2669 red-eared sliders from 2 collecting areas in west-central Illinois induced with 4 units/kg between 2000 and 2005.



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Abstract

Nonobstructive egg retention is quite common in captive-bred turtles and may result from several different factors, including poor husbandry and poor physical condition. Oxytocin, 1 to 40 IU/kg, can be used to stimulate oviductal contraction and induce egg deposition. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of low-dose intravenous (IV) and intramuscular (IM) oxytocin for managing turtles with nonobstructive egg retention. Physical examination and radiographic and computed tomographic evaluations were performed in 39 female red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) that were showing overt clinical signs of egg retention. After being placed for 7 days in a suitable environment without laying their eggs, a diagnosis of nonobstructive egg retention was made in 30 of the turtles. These 30 turtles were then randomly divided in 2 groups. Group OXY-IM (n = 15) received 2 IU/kg of oxytocin IM, whereas group OXY-IV (n = 15) received the same dose IV. If animals did not lay all of their eggs within 60 minutes, a second dose (2 IU/kg) was administered. Follow-up doses were given every 120 minutes until all eggs were laid. The mean time for animals on OXY-IM to start laying and complete egg deposition was 97 ± 22.4 minutes and 246.1± 27.37 minutes, respectively. All animals required a second dose, 10 turtles (66.6%) required a third dose, and 5 turtles (33.3%) required a fourth dose. The animals in OXY-IV started laying eggs on average of 61.26 ± 13.9 minutes after treatment and completed laying eggs 147.2 ± 25.5 minutes after treatment. Six animals (40%) required a second dose of oxytocin, and 4 (26.6%) required a third dose. There were significant differences (p < 0.001) in the elapsed time between the first injection and the start of egg deposition and total egg deposition between the 2 treatment groups. In conclusion, oxytocin administered IV provided faster results than IM dosing for the treatment of nonobstructive egg retention in red-eared sliders. No side effects were observed in either treatment group.