3954. The use of the Dremel 300 cutting wheel to trim overgrown teeth in guinea pigs and rabbits - script

How to trim the guinea pig's overgrown teeth using the Dremel 300 Cutting Wheel

SCRIPT FOR VIDEO PRODUCTION

HOOK (Actual footage of the case during consultation)

Healthy guinea pigs eat a lot. When they eat less, there is usually a medical problem. Many times, the loss of appetite is caused by something happening to their teeth. A person's adult teeth remain the same size. But an adult guinea pig's tooth keeps growing longer daily. The guinea pig chews hay and hard food to wear down the teeth. If he does not eat, his teeth will not be properly worn out. The teeth overgrow as in this 4-year-old, male guinea pig. The guinea pig will die from malnutrition and weight loss over the next few weeks.

The owner consulted Dr Sing Kong Yuen of Toa Payoh Vets on May 8, 2016. This guinea pig has not been eating for the past 4 weeks. The owner was worried. Video clip of a guinea pig with overgrown front teeth during consultation). This condition can be serious as the guinea pig will die from hunger if he cannot chew his food.

BKTP (Image) SEE BELOW

TITLE (Image) SEE BELOW

INTRODUCTION
A normal guinea pig has 4 front teeth. Two are upper and two are lower. But this 4-year-old male guinea pig has 6 front teeth. Over the past 4 weeks, the owner has fed him less hay and carrots. The teeth continued growing as they were not close to each other to be worn out by the chewing the hay and carrots. They grow longer and curved inwards towards the tongue.

 (Video 1.  Consultation, history taking and examination)

BE KIND TO PETS
VETERINARY EDUCATIONAL VIDEO
HOW TO TRIM THE OVERGROWN TEETH USING THE DREMEL CUTTING WHEEL

TREATMENT 
There are two ways of trimming the teeth. A nail cutter or the cutting wheel. The nail cutter may fracture the length of the tooth. The cutting wheel trims the teeth evenly and smoothly without fracturing the tooth. This video shows how Dr Sing uses the Dremel 300 cutting wheel to trim the teeth.

(Videos 2,3,4,5)

VIDEOS
2.  Equipment used. (Include image and list them).

3.  Anaesthetic gas is piped inside the container.  The guinea pig is given the minimal dose of isoflurane gas anaesthesia to prevent stress and pain during tooth trimming. He is placed inside a gas container.

When he looks sedated, he is taken out for trimming. When he wakes up, he is placed inside the container again.  This careful short anaesthesia ensures that he will not die from anaesthetic overdosage.

4. The Dremel 300 cutting wheel spins and cuts the teeth layer by layer

It is used with great care. It is important that the guinea pig's tongue and cheeks or the operator's fingers are not cut. Safety is most important for the pet and operator. A rodent's mouth gag may be used. 

5. It takes time and lots of patience to trim the 6 front teeth. A rushed job means giving high anesthetic dose or longer duration and this will kill the guinea pig. The teeth are trimmed. The owner is very happy. Follow up 2 days later - the owner says the guinea pig has eaten more food now. 

CONCLUSION 
The Dremel 300 cutting wheel works effectively to cut the teeth smoothly, without fracturing the sides of the teeth. An ordinary nail cutter may fracture the teeth.  General anaesthesia calms the guinea pig and prevents traumatic injury to the tongue and lips due to struggling and movements.

ADVICES TO THE OWNER.

1. Separate from the other guinea pig so that he will recover. Feed more hay and carrots.

2. Early Treatment is best to prevent overgrowth of the cheek teeth. In this case, the cheek teeth have not overgrown and do not need trimming or cutting.  Do not wait four weeks to seek treatment.
 
3. A permanent solution is to extract all the 4 front teeth of the guinea pig to prevent the need for trimming of overgrown front teeth.  

FINAL VIDEO

https://youtu.be/KtvEhjcT87M

THIS BLOG:

https://2010vets.blogspot.com/2021/01/3954-use-of-dremel-300-cutting-wheel-to.html

  Presented in Instagram Toa Payoh Vets

3953. How to tell whether your slider has shell rot or not?

 INSTAGRAM STORIES

3952. Cat stories and images

 

3951. Chinese proverb. May you have abundance year after year

 

Using Photoshop 2021 neural filter

Photoshop 2021 without neural filter

3950. Cactus plant in outdoors in Singapore

 Although slow-growing, a cactus plant is fairly self-sustaining as it stores moisture in its roots, leaves and stems, and so largely regulates its own food intake. A cactus plant likes a light, airy and warm spot – but not too hot, around 18°C is ideal – and can cope well in direct sunlight.

1. Are cactus plants indestructible?

No, if you've ever killed a cactus you are not alone. The easiest way is by over watering, poor drainage and using the wrong compost. Ordinary potting compost holds water well, which is a huge bonus for most plants, but not for cacti, as they need very good drainage. If you want to keep them alive it's best to use specialist cactus soil instead.

2. What's the best spot in the home to place a cactus?

A cactus can tolerate a warm and sunny spot in the summer, even outdoors on the patio or balcony. But in winter the placement should be cooler and light.

3. Does a cactus flower?

Cacti are all flowering plants, but some have more prominent blooms and there are a few, such as Mammillaria, Gymnocalycium and Parodia, that will flower quite easily with impressive, colourful displays.

4. How do you get a cactus to flower?

Cacti flower on fresh growth, so if your plant just sits there, unchanging year after year, it's very unlikely to flower. What you should do is to get the plant to follow its natural growth cycle. It needs to go dormant in winter and then wake up in spring. So, put it somewhere dry and cold – but not dark – over winter, and stop watering all together. In spring give it as much sunshine as possible and start to water it.

5. So how often should you water a cactus?

It’s best to give more water in spring/summer and less in winter. Remember, avoid over watering. It’s better to allow the soil to dry out a bit before watering the plant again.

6. Types of cactus: what are the most common species?

The species that are most commonly sold are Echinocactus, Ferocactus, Gymnocalycium, Opuntia and Mamillaria.

ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW

7. And what are the best varieties for beginners?

Moon cactus (Gymnocalycium) have very colourful tops, usually red or yellow. These aren't flowers so the colour is there all year round. Bunny ears cactus (Opuntia), also known as polka dot cactus, have spots of golden bristles against a green background so they look modern and geometric. And the spiny Pincushion cactus (Mammillaria) is easy to grow and has lovely little pink flowers.

8. How to look after a cactus: what's the best way to handle them?

Carefully! Either with very thick gloves or use folded newspaper to loop around the top. If you’ve been stuck with a spike, you can remove large ones with tweezers. Remove small spikes by sticking duct tape on them and then pulling it off, or by rolling an old pair of tights into a ball and rapidly rubbing this over the spot. The final fine spikes should be worked out using olive oil, advise the plant experts at Thejoyofplants.co.uk.

9. What pests do you need to look out for?

Check that your cactus is free of mealybugs on both the plant itself (the body) and the root system. With its woolly white wax coating containing oval insects, it's one of the most common pests in cactuses, and difficult to get rid of. Additionally, red spider mite (eight-legged insects that weave a delicate and dense web over the plant), aphids, scale insects and thrips can also occur. Also, check for damage and that the root system is intact. If cacti have been kept too wet for a long time they may have rotted 'from the pot', which can also be caused by fungi and bacteria. The green part – the actual stem – can then feel soft.

ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW

10. Are all cacti prickly?

No. What we usually think of as cacti are desert cacti, but there are also forest cacti without the bristles, however, please note that the range available as houseplants is quite small.

11. How long does a cactus plant live?

In the wild cacti can live for hundreds of years. Indoors they may survive for 10 years or more. The trouble with old ones is that every single knock, scratch or blemish they get stays with them, so they tend to look less appealing as they get older.

12. Is a cactus the same as a succulent?

'Every cactus is a succulent, but not all succulents are cacti,' explain Thejoyofplants.co.uk. 'Like many other succulents, cacti have succulent properties – the ability to store moisture in their thick fleshy trunk and stems. These reservoirs are used to bridge periods of drought.' A difference, however, is that cacti are 'defined by the presence of areoles (specialised sites where spines form) whereas succulents have none', explain the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).

13. What is a Christmas cactus? And how is it different?

A Christmas cactus is a popular Christmas plant during the festive season. The Brazilian coastal plant, known as an epiphyte, grows on top of other plants, trees or rocks, and there are two species: Schlumbergera truncata and S. × buckleyi. A Christmas cactus flowers for around two months from late November to late January, with lots of little flower buds – in red, white, yellow, pink and purple – appearing throughout the Christmas period. Find more Christmas cactus care and growing tips here.

https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/garden/plants/news/a295/7-things-you-may-not-know-about-cacti/

The cactus plant grows in the soil in Singapore, to heights taller than a man. There are some red flowers seen by me. I took these photos around  
Nov 5, 2020. 

3949. Oxytocin injections to induce non-obstructive egg laying in red-eared sliders

2 Jan 2021.

Agnes

1. Edit video

https://youtu.be/-3zfw0oh99M

1.  HOOK

Handphone video from the owner shows a 10-year-old red-eared slider, 860 g digging the soil to lay eggs for two hours. approx 0:00 to 1:58

NARRATE the following using the above footage which should include some of the owner's voices too:

Female red-eared slider, 10 years old, 860 g. Soil digging. 

For the past 7 days, the slider dug the apartment floor with her back legs as if she wanted to lay eggs. She lost appetite and was restless. The owner brought her to a garden area. She dug holes but could not lay the eggs. On the 7th day, she failed again to lay eggs. The lady owner brought her to Toa Payoh Vets.

2. BE KIND TO PETS IMAGE.

3. TITLE. How to treat a red-eared slider that had difficulty laying eggs? 

4. SINGAPORE SETTING
Around 80% of the residents in Singapore live in apartments (IMAGES, videos). This owner is one of them. Her red-eared slider wanted to lay eggs in the soil, but she did not have a garden for the slider to lay eggs which may take several hours or days. She brought the slider down for short hours, but there were no eggs laid. The slider's agitated digging behaviour at night affected the family members as they could not sleep.

What is the solution to her problem?

5. TREATMENT AT TOA PAYOH VETS. The standard operating procedures are:

1. History taking. The onset and duration of egg laying behaviour. 

2. Physical examination. General examination. Examination of the cloacal area to check whether the egg is stuck in that area. If it is, this is a case of OBSTRUCTIVE EGG RETENTION. The egg will be taken out manually. Oxytocin injections will not be effective and will not be given.

3. X-rays confirm NON-OBSTRUCTIVE EGG RETENTION as in this case. 

4. Oxytocin injection. 1 or 2 injections (use images of oxytocin bottle below).

4.1  One injection of oxytocin IM or SC is given. If all 3 eggs are laid within 24 hours, there will be no need for a second injection.  All 3 eggs were laid. Two are normal and the third egg was cracked.

4.2  If no eggs are laid after the second injection, chances are that the owner had delayed seeking veterinary treatment for over 7 days. The owner is advised to wait and see.   

4. The red-eared slider goes home. 

CREDITS (CLIP FROM THE ORIGINAL VIDEO. Add one image with your name (see Stefanie's image and videos). 

    
The video should be 2 to 10 minutes.  

---------------------------------------

SECOND VIDEO BELOW.

HOOK

Use another video footage from several of my Youtube videos. I will not be spoon-feeding.

BKTP IMAGES ETC. FOLLOW FORMAT AS IN FIRST VIDEO

SUMMARY OF CASES IN THIS VIDEO

EGG LAYING DIFFICULTIES IN RED-EARED SLIDERS IN SINGAPORE

1. Obstructive egg retention - 1 case

2. Non-obstructive egg retention - 7 cases (SEE BELOW AND VERIFY NUMBER OF CASES)

3. X-rays needed.



SOIL

Singapore apartments - No soil. Box of sand and soil not practical.

Oxytocin injection 2 I U/kg. 7 DAYS OF EGG RETENTION. Took a longer time to lay eggs. 

3 HOURS GAVE OXYTOCIN 2 I U/KG 3 HOURS AGO --- alL  eggs laid

 

Oxytocin is effective in inducing egg laying in red-eared sliders with non-obstructive egg retention.
10 I U/kg is best.
IM or SC
Muscles or skin near the tail end

LAID EGGS NATURALLY AFTER X RAY BUT BEFORE OXYTOCIN INJECTION

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INSTAGRAM POSTINGS DONE

31 Dec 2020. HOW TO TREAT RED-EARED SLIDERS THAT HAVE DIFFICULTY LAYING EGGS? IMAGE 1/12

Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow).

Toa Payoh Vets has been getting several egg binding/retention red-eared sliders from the internet for the past 5 years.

Although the number of cases treated are less than 100 to come to a statistically significant finding, my cases show that oxytocin injections, IM or SC or both can be effective in getting red-eared sliders to lay all eggs, in cases of NON-OBSTRUCTIVE egg retention. Sometimes, two injections 24-48 hours apart are needed to ensure 100% success rate.

The vet must ensure that the slider has NO obstruction of the egg, for example, an egg is stuck near the cloaca, obstructing other eggs from being laid. Otherwise, oxytocin use will be ineffective and risky to the life of the slider.  

------------------

Edit Video footage - use some footage to show that this is a case of OBSTRUCTION OF THE EGG.
Treatment is by manual removal of the egg. Do not use oxytocin as it will not be effective. 

https://youtu.be/9-S1L3CiJCM

--------------------------

X-rays are recommended to differentiate the two types of egg retention. The following cases are sliders treated from 2017 to 2020. They are cases of NON-obstructive egg retention. Oxytocin injection in one or two doses effectively passed out all eggs.

(NARRATE CASES OF X RAYS AS SHOWN BELOW)

---------------------------------------------

Two injections of oxytocin 24-48 hours apart may be needed to achieve 100% success. If the owner has had delayed seeking veterinary treatment for more than 10 days of digging/egg laying behaviour, oxytocin injections may not be effective.   

The Covid-19 pandemic adversely affected at least one egg-laying 
red-eared slider called Kame. She used to lay eggs in the soil in
the gardens of a condominum. The management sealed off the 

access to all residents. This included Kame. The owner had to go to
Toa Payoh Vets for the oxytocin injection to help her lay eggs.   

PHOTO OF KAME

https://youtu.be/ZJLCrXfNyTc
use some footage for the 20-year-old slider to make the video more interesting
otherwise, just showing slides of X-rays can be quite boring and sleepy 

The following is Kame having to come for oxytocin injection on  Christmas Eve.
The owner said that the soil in the condo garden is very dirty as there are debri and dust
from the construction of a new condo next door.

3948. Kame the red-eared slider couldn't lay eggs

24 Dec 2020. 

Toa Payoh Vets was closed on Christmas Eve. But there was an emergency. An owner phoned up at around 4 pm. Her 6-year-old female red-eared slider was very restless. She was scratching the flooring and moving a lot. Her front paws pushed away her favourite food which were the prawns.   I attended this emergency.

An X-ray showed 4 eggs.  I injected oxytocin 1.5 ml SC injection and 0.3 ml Calcium injection. One malformed egg laid after the X-ray but 30 minutes before my injection. "It is a malformed egg with a ridged shell," I told the lady who had been a costume jeweller creator.

"The government wanted $1,500 as a licensing fee as I was a jeweller," she told me. "Apparently, the licensing fee is to monitor jewellers for money laundering as the company would have to submit records of sales. I had to close the company as I don't make that kind of money as a jeweller!"

She filled a big plastic container with water and put the slider in after my injection. We waited nearly 45 minutes while she observed and talked to her pet. 

"Best to leave the slider alone as she might be too excited to lay eggs in your presence," I suggested.

"I am not disturbing her," she countered. So we waited and waited. Finally, she decided to take the slider home. 

"Bail out half the amount of water inside the tank," I suggested as she wanted the red-eared slider inside the water in the tank. Her husband helped her to carry the tank of water onto the back seat of the red car. It was a longish car that permitted ease of entry of the tank.

4 eggs were seem in the X-ray

This Egg 1 was laid before oxytocin and calcium injection

2 eggs were laid after the 2nd oxytocin injection on Boxing Day
26 Dec 2020

All 4 eggs were laid

She laid two eggs on Christmas Eve. One egg was laid after the X-ray but before the 1.5 ml SC oxytocin  and 0.3 ml Theracalcium injections.  The other two eggs were not laid on Christmas. A 2nd oxytocin 1.5 ml IM. Two eggs were laid after 45 minutes.  

-------------------------------------------------

19 Dec 2019.