The brown and white Cocker Spaniel, adopted 3 months ago, would bark when left alone in the balcony. Neighbours might complain. So she was let into the house in the first week. She was then 4 months old. Now, she would pee anywhere in the living and dining room and seldom on the newspapers in the balcony.
"What can I do?" the busy journalist who was referred to me to certify the height and weight of the Cocker Spaniel for licensing purposes, asked me. "My maid or I take the dog outdoors 6 times per day to let her pee outdoors. Yet she continues to urinate inside the apartment."
"This seems to be a case of urine marking rather than being a case of not house-broken?"
"She is a female dog," the lady reminded me.
"Some dominant female dogs do urine mark," I said.
"Where does she sleep at night?" I asked.
"In my bedroom."
"Does she pee inside the bedroom?" I expected a positive answer.
"No, no," she replied.
"Since your bedroom door is closed, she might need to pee and would then do it on the bedroom floor."
"No," the lady laughed. "I left the bedroom ajar so that she could go to the balcony to pee."
Is there any permanent solution to this problem? Each case is different as each dog has his or her own personality.
"In my opinion," I said. "You are not firm enough with your dog and so she takes advantage of you. In the first week, you permitted her to go indoors when she ought to be confined in the balcony all the time unless supervised, to be paper-trained. She tested you by barking and you just let her in. Now, she is 7 months old and her mind is not easy to train. She is equivalent to an adolescent - rebellious as she is no longer a 3-month-old puppy with a blank slate in the mind and therefore easily trained."
"What should I do?" she asked.
"Spaying her may or may not help to prevent urine marking. Start being assertive," I said to her. "For example, grip your dog's muzzle when she barks, give a light tap and say 'no barking' in a very loud and firm voice."
"She is such a lovable dog," the career lady said.
"Yet she is a wolf in sheep's clothing and has had manipulated you. She has little respect for you. So she urine-marks."
"In the dog's hierarchy," I explained, "There is a leader in a pack of dogs. This leader can be a male or female. The leader bites the subordinate dog if the subordinate goes out of line. The mother gives the pup a nip if the pups misbehaves. In your apartment, you did not display that leadership quality. So, the dog does as she pleases and urine-mark the floor to show you that she is the leader."
"I am firm towards her," the lady asserted.
"Not firm enough as this is your personality," I had observed her to be a non-confrontational personality type and asked her companion whether my observations were correct. The companion, a lady friend who was with her nodded her head.
So, what do we do to solve her problem?
1. Barking. Use the muzzle tap and voice command to stop her barking. Muzzle the dog when she barks, but for a short time of 5 minutes.
2. No water to drink after dinner at 8 pm.
3. Confine her to the balcony where there is newspapers for her to pee.
4. Positive reinforcement training. Give a food treat when the dog pees on the papers in the balcony or stop barking on command. "My dog is not interested in food treats," the lady said. "Well, the ones you give her may not press her buttons, but try and find one she is crazy about. Or reward her with play."
5. Negative reinforcement training. Many newer puppy books are talking about positive reinforcement training. But in this grown up dog, a light tap on the muzzle to stop barking or a tap on the back together with firm voice commands may be the answer at this age of rebellion. Before it is too late. Will the lady do it? It is hard to say.
6. Leash her to the dining table so that she can't urine-mark anywhere she likes. The lady had not thought of that.
7. Give her a routine daily as regards feeding, drinking and exercise. Go outdoors three x per day to pee. Not 6 X.
8. Neutralise the urine-marked spots with a piece of rag plus white vinegar at 1 part to 3 parts water. Now, the whole apartment is full of urine smells but the dog can smell it.
9. Neuter the dog. But she looked so pretty and breeding would not be possible.
There are so many suggestions I made. Since she did not take notes, as I imagined a journalist would do so, I presumed her mind would remember all. It takes a lot of time to talk to her about her dog behaviour problem. Weighing and measuring the height of her dog took less than 5 minutes. Well, I was free on this first Sunday I started work after a break in Perth, Australia. She seemed quite happy and later told my referral that she was very happy with my service.
Puppies at 4 months of age can be paper-trained effectively if the lady owner is the strong and firm type. After talking to this journalist, a couple came in with a 4-month-old brown Cocker Spaniel for the 3rd vaccination. The wife looks "fierce" and appears the dominant party of the couple from my interaction with her. So I asked, "Is the puppy paper-trained?" "No problem," she said. "The puppy goes to the newspapers every time."
Success in house-breaking depends so much on the personality of the trainer who is usually a lady. Most lady owners are the nuturing kind type and so that is where failures in paper training in an apartment arise.
Updates at www.toapayohvets.com -- TOILET TRAINING
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
29. High BUN - Fundamentals and Technicals in Veterinary Surgery
March 26, 2010 05:58:01 pm
SMS to Dr Sing
Hi Doc Sing, I am the owner of the Silkie terrier with kidney problem who came tis afternoon...Tkns god he is willing to finish 1/3 of the can food. I will monitor closely & email the amount of water he drunk to u weekly...Thank You so muz on ur advice & helpfulness of ur staff to my dog...Thank You
Saturday, March 27, 2010. Handphone call missed. I returned call to owner.
"My dog is feverish," the young lady said. "I feel that his belly is hotter than my other dog." I advised her to use the thermometer to check the rectal temperature. "What should the normal temperature be?" she asked. "From 38.0 - 39.0 deg C." She said, "My dog's temperature was 38.4 deg C." So, there was nothing to worry.
History:
Vomiting occasionally for the past years, according to the owner. Vet 1's blood test showed that the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) way above normal, at the high end. An earlier test showed BUN was high but not that high. So, the owner who consulted me as I treated the puppy when he vomited and that was 5 years ago. Vet 1 referred the owner to another vet for ultra-scan of the kidneys, possibly for kidney tumour. What she was worried was whether the dog was in the end stage of kidney failure since the BUN had peaked.
So, she phoned me and wanted to fax over the reports. "The dog must come to Toa Payoh Vets for examination," I said. "Reading reports cannot enable me to give you correct and proper advice." In fact, it is unprofessional to advise on a serious kidney failure dog based on technical reports and no history or prior examinations of any creature or person. When the dog was presented, he was as active as a normal dog. He had excellent appetite and was not vomiting daily or every few days. Definitely he was not at the end stage of kidney failure.
Fundamentals and Technicals
I just finished listening to the audio "A Maniac Commodity Trader's Guide For Making A Fortune - A Not-so-crazy roadmap to riches" by Kevin Kerr. The commodity trading advisor, said that the use of fundamentals and technical (charts) are important if one is to succeed in trading. His website is http://www.kerrtrade.com/
For this silkie terrier, the fundamentals will be the health and lifestyle of the dog himself. The technicals will be the blood tests, X-rays, ultra-scans and others. The technical reports of blood test indicate a very high BUN and therefore imminent kidney failure. Yet the dog himself does not look as if he was going to pass away the next few days. I advised monitoring water intake, bouts of vomiting and switching to a low protein diet for the next few weeks before jumping to the conclusion that this dog was dying of chronic kidney failure. Ultra-scans are useful but expensive.
If kidney tumours are detected by ultra-scan, would the cure of surgery and/or chemotherapy be effective and would it be worse than the disease? Singapore does not have veterinary specialists in dog kidney transplant. So, what could this young lady do in the event of the detection of kidney tumours besides depleting her savings? It is possible that this dog of 5 years has a congenital kidney disease but presently, he is not at the end stage of kidney failure. Is there a cure? Unlikely unless the kidneys are infected and the infection is cured by antibiotics.
In conclusion, this case shows that both the fundamentals and technicals of the profession must be studied together to be successful in giving correct advices of a case in the interest of the sick animal as it is in commodity futures trading.
I am not interested in commodity trading as I don't have the passion for it and time to learn about a new business. I read it to learn about the best practices of another industry as some best practices are applicable to veterinary medicine and surgery.
SMS to Dr Sing
Hi Doc Sing, I am the owner of the Silkie terrier with kidney problem who came tis afternoon...Tkns god he is willing to finish 1/3 of the can food. I will monitor closely & email the amount of water he drunk to u weekly...Thank You so muz on ur advice & helpfulness of ur staff to my dog...Thank You
Saturday, March 27, 2010. Handphone call missed. I returned call to owner.
"My dog is feverish," the young lady said. "I feel that his belly is hotter than my other dog." I advised her to use the thermometer to check the rectal temperature. "What should the normal temperature be?" she asked. "From 38.0 - 39.0 deg C." She said, "My dog's temperature was 38.4 deg C." So, there was nothing to worry.
History:
Vomiting occasionally for the past years, according to the owner. Vet 1's blood test showed that the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) way above normal, at the high end. An earlier test showed BUN was high but not that high. So, the owner who consulted me as I treated the puppy when he vomited and that was 5 years ago. Vet 1 referred the owner to another vet for ultra-scan of the kidneys, possibly for kidney tumour. What she was worried was whether the dog was in the end stage of kidney failure since the BUN had peaked.
So, she phoned me and wanted to fax over the reports. "The dog must come to Toa Payoh Vets for examination," I said. "Reading reports cannot enable me to give you correct and proper advice." In fact, it is unprofessional to advise on a serious kidney failure dog based on technical reports and no history or prior examinations of any creature or person. When the dog was presented, he was as active as a normal dog. He had excellent appetite and was not vomiting daily or every few days. Definitely he was not at the end stage of kidney failure.
Fundamentals and Technicals
I just finished listening to the audio "A Maniac Commodity Trader's Guide For Making A Fortune - A Not-so-crazy roadmap to riches" by Kevin Kerr. The commodity trading advisor, said that the use of fundamentals and technical (charts) are important if one is to succeed in trading. His website is http://www.kerrtrade.com/
For this silkie terrier, the fundamentals will be the health and lifestyle of the dog himself. The technicals will be the blood tests, X-rays, ultra-scans and others. The technical reports of blood test indicate a very high BUN and therefore imminent kidney failure. Yet the dog himself does not look as if he was going to pass away the next few days. I advised monitoring water intake, bouts of vomiting and switching to a low protein diet for the next few weeks before jumping to the conclusion that this dog was dying of chronic kidney failure. Ultra-scans are useful but expensive.
If kidney tumours are detected by ultra-scan, would the cure of surgery and/or chemotherapy be effective and would it be worse than the disease? Singapore does not have veterinary specialists in dog kidney transplant. So, what could this young lady do in the event of the detection of kidney tumours besides depleting her savings? It is possible that this dog of 5 years has a congenital kidney disease but presently, he is not at the end stage of kidney failure. Is there a cure? Unlikely unless the kidneys are infected and the infection is cured by antibiotics.
In conclusion, this case shows that both the fundamentals and technicals of the profession must be studied together to be successful in giving correct advices of a case in the interest of the sick animal as it is in commodity futures trading.
I am not interested in commodity trading as I don't have the passion for it and time to learn about a new business. I read it to learn about the best practices of another industry as some best practices are applicable to veterinary medicine and surgery.
Monday, February 22, 2010
A present of flowers and a blade
February 22, 2010 (First Appointment in the Resale of an HDB apartment)
"Tonight, I will present my wife with a bouquet of flowers and a blade," the husband's first appointment at the Housing & Development Board's first appointment was aborted. The Housing & Development Board (HDB) officer had shown him a 2-page letter hand-written in big letters from his file across the table and said: "Your wife had written to object to the sale of the HDB flat. You have to engage a private lawyer or bring your wife to see me to withdraw her objection. I am sorry I can't proceed with the processing of the sale now."
This was a man in dire straits. Down and out. A bankrupt. "How do you expect him to engage the services of a private lawyer when he is a bankrupt and unemployed?" I asked the HDB official. I was helping Realtor Khin Khin in her first case and after a caveat lodged by a bank of this man's first buyer, I thought this first appointment was a formality. The racehorse had galloped past the turn and was in the straight heading towards the finishing post.
The Buyer's Agent, a slim serious looking housing agent who had just given the HDB officer the original letter from the Official Assignee (OA) approving the sale of this HDB flat said, "The private lawyer could be paid from the proceeds of the sale."
The HDB officer flashed the OA's letter at her: "I am sorry to say that there will no proceeds from the sale for the Seller." He meant that the OA would grab all the monies on completion of the sale. So, no money to pay a private lawyer's fees which would be at least $1,200 in cash. More if the case is complicated. This man in dire straits was hanging around a shopping mall according to Khin Khin who frequented the same place. Therefore he could not be gainfully employed.
"If the private lawyer is paid, is there a guarantee that the sale can proceed if the wife still objects?" I asked the HDB officer, a pale-faced trim man with reddish brown hair was sympathetic but he would not give any legal advices. Why should he take the risk?
However, he was a kind man as he gave this man in dire straits a second chance, during his lunch-time next week. He could just postpone the next appointment several weeks later if he exercised his powers. The HDB officials are very helpful in some of my experiences of dealing with them.
If this man in dire straits, at the pits could not sell his HDB apartment, the HDB would force sell at 90% of valuation. That meant he would lose at least 10% of the sales proceeds. Although he would not get any cash at the completion of sales, he still would get money returned to his Central Provident Fund (CPF). The OA would return all his CPF monies from the sales proceeds to the CPF before paying the other creditors. I calculated that the balance would be around $5,000 for the creditors.
With his wife's objection lodged without his knowledge 2 months ago, he was fixed. If the HDB forced sale his apartment, he would lose out a lot of money.
As we left the HDB, I knew that this man was pushed to his mental limits. Would he be committing murder? I asked him "Why do you want to present your wife the flowers and the blade together?"
"Well, she has to choose one or the other," the man in dire straits said. "It will be best if you can arrange a meeting with your wife and I together to talk over," I knew that this man had suppressed his emotions and his frustrations for many months. I was surprised that he was not involved with the loan sharks as his HDB apartment was spared the spraying of paint and vandalism. He and his wife were residing there in peace. If he could complete the sale of his HDB apartment, he could have some freedom to travel overseas to work. Now, the OA would not permit him to travel overseas as he did not "contribute" to return monies to the debtors.
It is not easy to contact this man by phone as his top-up card and phones keep being "lost". Now, there are 7 days to wait and see.
"Tonight, I will present my wife with a bouquet of flowers and a blade," the husband's first appointment at the Housing & Development Board's first appointment was aborted. The Housing & Development Board (HDB) officer had shown him a 2-page letter hand-written in big letters from his file across the table and said: "Your wife had written to object to the sale of the HDB flat. You have to engage a private lawyer or bring your wife to see me to withdraw her objection. I am sorry I can't proceed with the processing of the sale now."
This was a man in dire straits. Down and out. A bankrupt. "How do you expect him to engage the services of a private lawyer when he is a bankrupt and unemployed?" I asked the HDB official. I was helping Realtor Khin Khin in her first case and after a caveat lodged by a bank of this man's first buyer, I thought this first appointment was a formality. The racehorse had galloped past the turn and was in the straight heading towards the finishing post.
The Buyer's Agent, a slim serious looking housing agent who had just given the HDB officer the original letter from the Official Assignee (OA) approving the sale of this HDB flat said, "The private lawyer could be paid from the proceeds of the sale."
The HDB officer flashed the OA's letter at her: "I am sorry to say that there will no proceeds from the sale for the Seller." He meant that the OA would grab all the monies on completion of the sale. So, no money to pay a private lawyer's fees which would be at least $1,200 in cash. More if the case is complicated. This man in dire straits was hanging around a shopping mall according to Khin Khin who frequented the same place. Therefore he could not be gainfully employed.
"If the private lawyer is paid, is there a guarantee that the sale can proceed if the wife still objects?" I asked the HDB officer, a pale-faced trim man with reddish brown hair was sympathetic but he would not give any legal advices. Why should he take the risk?
However, he was a kind man as he gave this man in dire straits a second chance, during his lunch-time next week. He could just postpone the next appointment several weeks later if he exercised his powers. The HDB officials are very helpful in some of my experiences of dealing with them.
If this man in dire straits, at the pits could not sell his HDB apartment, the HDB would force sell at 90% of valuation. That meant he would lose at least 10% of the sales proceeds. Although he would not get any cash at the completion of sales, he still would get money returned to his Central Provident Fund (CPF). The OA would return all his CPF monies from the sales proceeds to the CPF before paying the other creditors. I calculated that the balance would be around $5,000 for the creditors.
With his wife's objection lodged without his knowledge 2 months ago, he was fixed. If the HDB forced sale his apartment, he would lose out a lot of money.
As we left the HDB, I knew that this man was pushed to his mental limits. Would he be committing murder? I asked him "Why do you want to present your wife the flowers and the blade together?"
"Well, she has to choose one or the other," the man in dire straits said. "It will be best if you can arrange a meeting with your wife and I together to talk over," I knew that this man had suppressed his emotions and his frustrations for many months. I was surprised that he was not involved with the loan sharks as his HDB apartment was spared the spraying of paint and vandalism. He and his wife were residing there in peace. If he could complete the sale of his HDB apartment, he could have some freedom to travel overseas to work. Now, the OA would not permit him to travel overseas as he did not "contribute" to return monies to the debtors.
It is not easy to contact this man by phone as his top-up card and phones keep being "lost". Now, there are 7 days to wait and see.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
27. Chinese New Year 2010's interesting cases
Report written at Toa Payoh Vets: Feb 16, 2010. Chinese New Year (CNY) 3rd day. Still a holiday. I wrote the following since I was quite free.
CNY reviews of interesting cases.
During Chinese New Year, almost all Singapore small animal vets close. Feb 14, 2010 was Chinese New Year and also Valentine's Day. Toa Payoh Vets do open half days during Chinese New Year. During last Chinese New Year, I had no cases and so I thought the same would happen this time. However, there were a few cases. Vomiting and diarrhoea in dogs accounted for 3 cases. The following were some interesting cases for dog lovers.
Case 1. Hypersexuality in the male dog.
The career lady was in charge of a regional publishing operation and had no time to take leave. She planned one month ahead and took several days' leave to care for her Miniature Schnauzer after neutering as advised by me. Her dog had inflamed areas in his groin region due to humping and licking.
The dog was groomed first. Multiple rashes on his lower body. Treatment for 4 days. Then I neutered him and sent him home 4 hours after neutering. He would be given Tolfedine 60 mg at 1 tablet per day. I phoned the lady and she said that the dog felt no pain and was just normal. I told her that the urine analysis showed that the dog has no urinary crystals unlike the previous test in which some triple phosphate crystals were found. The dog had spermatozoa in the test, as in previous test. Why? This male dog had an anti-social habit of humping onto legs and pillows, injuring his groin area. I hope neutering would help as he is already 4 years old. Neutering before 1 year of age would be best. This owner slims her dog down now as she cooks for him. No more dry dog food. She takes good care of him and I expect this dog to live up to 20 years. He is only 4 years now and may outlive me as I am 15 times older than him.
"You can't shout at him," the gentle lady boss told me. When I commanded the Schnauzer in a firm voice to be still on the examination table, the dog suddenly turned around and opened his mouth to bite me. I just withdrew my fingers in time. No tough love for this dog. But no gentle kind words from me. I muzzle him instead.
Case 2. Medial Entropion. Shih Tzu, 7 kg, Male, Neutered, 1 year, 39deg C. Persistent eye tearing since puppyhood.
The Shih Tzu is well known for medial entropion causing life-long tearing and irritation but few owners are aware of a simple surgery to resolve the problem. Seldom does the owner bother to take the surgery. A case is recorded below for the benefit of vet undergraduates. Name of surgery: Nasal fold excision. I didn't know there is such a surgery.
Admitted: Feb 2, 2010
Surgery 1: Feb 5, 2010
Surgery 2 (left eyelid tearing on day 6, right eyelid has no tearing): Feb 11, 2010. Excised a bigger elliptical skin area below and lateral to the medial canthus. Rolled out the left eyelid more. Took out stitches of right eye area to review. Wound opens up as the area is under tension and has not healed firmly as it was 6 days only. Has not healed 100%. Re-stitch.
Tolfedine 60 mg (1/2 tab/day) x 10 days
Baytril 50 mg (1/2 tab/day) x 6 day
e-collar, eye drops
Daily cleaning of eyelid area is necessary for the next 10 days
Nylon 5/0 stitches to be taken out on Feb 25, 2010
Goes home on Feb 17, 2010 (pictures taken on Feb 16, 2010. Phoned owner at 10.30 am wakening him up.)
Case 3. Anal sacculitis or circum-anal tumour.
Miniature Pinscher, male, 5 years with hard lump on left anal sac area. Anal sacculitis/circum-anal tumour surgery. Heals well. Goes home on Feb 16, 2010. Is this a circum-anal tumour? Still Alive And Kicking - Circum-anal tumours. Should the dog get a second anti-androgenic injection and be neutered? Many owners are against neutering deeming it to be a cruel act. Or in this case, the dog is deemed too old and a anaesthetic risk. So I do not pursue the matter further as the owner may think that I am soliciting business from her and from the owner's point of view - this is patently obvious. Update: 2004 tips for young and older dogs
Case 4. Torticollis (head tilt) in a rabbit.
CNY 1st day. Rabbit, female, 2 years, 1.7kg
Feb 14, 2010 (Chinese New Year).
Left head tilt. Sudden onset at 1 am (loud noises heard). Left eyelid wide open. Nystagmus. Right eyelid injured as rabbit lies on right face. Keeps rolling to try to get up.
Ear canal - blood in cotton bud seen from deep inside the ear canal. Irrigate ears.
Prednisolone, Meloxicalm oral, Biolapis, Fiberplex. SC dextrose saline and baytril. Sent home the 2nd day as she could stand but with head tilted. Less Nystagmus. The lady owner to nurse and hand feed. No blood test or X-rays for the time being as this would increase vet costs.
CNY 2nd day.
Case 5. Suspected high fever in a hamster.
White dwarf hamster, Male, 14 m,
Eyelids closed. Not eating 2 days. Sleepy for 2 days
Young teenaged boy was upset that his pet became sick when he was in China for 9 days.
SC dextrose and Baytril and eye drops.
Day 2 - conjunctivitis and tearing esp. right eye (photography) and dehydration - will need electrolytes. Eating. Stools passed but only a few pieces. Not a good prognosis.
Owner to disinfect hamster cage, feed bowl and water bottle.
CNY 3rd day. Still a public holiday.
Case 6. Deep ulcerative keratitis in a Chihuahua.
Chihuahua, 2.6 kg, 38.8. adopted for 2 months. Abandoned. Eye cataracts. Possibly >8 years old. Male. 2.65 kg.
Right corneal eye ulcer very deep. Blood spots. Past 2 weeks. Why the delay? The owner thought it was a small matter.
Anaesthesia is high risk as dog has heart disease. Bad teeth. Eats only wet food. Big right flank abscess > 4cm x1 cm
Really eating? Owner asked to bring food to Surgery for me to check. 3rd eyelid flap on day 2.
Case 7. Poodle, Male, 2 years. Dental scaling. I was surprised that the lady owner made an appointment for dental scaling for a young dog. Rarely do Singapore owners bother at this age. Grooming 3-monthly and regularly yes. The external beauty is a priority.
But teeth check up once a year? No. This young dog eats home-cooked food and no dry food. So plaque and tartar form in the back teeth. Daily brushing will resolve all problems. Some dogs don't like teeth cleaning. This lady may be one of those more sophisticated ones who know the importance of dental health to enable her dog to live longer.
Case 8. A tele-conversation with a pet owner. One owner complained that his dog had been losing weight since being warded. His vet prescribed many types and sizes of capsules containing nutrients and vitamins for his old dog to "prolong his life". Yet the dog lost weight while he was warded. He said he was not given progress reports. The dog would not eat when brought home as he was force-fed. I don't make comments in this case as I only get one side of the story. Just provide a listening ear as I am sure that there will be owners with grievances against me as a vet.
Case 9. A tele-conversation with a new vet undergraduate. Young people prefer texting. I prefer phoning to thank Daphne for her help in producing 2 educational videos for vet students recently. Creating educational videos to bring veterinary surgery alive. She had been an intern at Toa Payoh Vets. I gave her my very best wishes for her new adventure as a veterinary undergraduate in Australia. She saw 5 beautiful Miniature Schnauzer puppies at a practice and was saying how cute they were. New-born puppies always tug's a lady's heart strings. I told her I did not perform the Caesarean section but was taking pictures. Oxytocin injection and wait or an elective Caesarean section?
This 2010 CNY was not a quiet day unlike 2009 CNY. My main lesson is from the feedback in Case 8. It is important that the vet does daily rounds of in-patients and check records of weight loss and appetite as a routine no matter how busy they are. Phone the owner to update and to phone the owner to visit the pet if the pet is dying. Before the pet dies so that the owner can pay the last visit. I wonder whether this is taught at veterinary schools for the 5th year students.
CNY reviews of interesting cases.
During Chinese New Year, almost all Singapore small animal vets close. Feb 14, 2010 was Chinese New Year and also Valentine's Day. Toa Payoh Vets do open half days during Chinese New Year. During last Chinese New Year, I had no cases and so I thought the same would happen this time. However, there were a few cases. Vomiting and diarrhoea in dogs accounted for 3 cases. The following were some interesting cases for dog lovers.
Case 1. Hypersexuality in the male dog.
The career lady was in charge of a regional publishing operation and had no time to take leave. She planned one month ahead and took several days' leave to care for her Miniature Schnauzer after neutering as advised by me. Her dog had inflamed areas in his groin region due to humping and licking.
The dog was groomed first. Multiple rashes on his lower body. Treatment for 4 days. Then I neutered him and sent him home 4 hours after neutering. He would be given Tolfedine 60 mg at 1 tablet per day. I phoned the lady and she said that the dog felt no pain and was just normal. I told her that the urine analysis showed that the dog has no urinary crystals unlike the previous test in which some triple phosphate crystals were found. The dog had spermatozoa in the test, as in previous test. Why? This male dog had an anti-social habit of humping onto legs and pillows, injuring his groin area. I hope neutering would help as he is already 4 years old. Neutering before 1 year of age would be best. This owner slims her dog down now as she cooks for him. No more dry dog food. She takes good care of him and I expect this dog to live up to 20 years. He is only 4 years now and may outlive me as I am 15 times older than him.
"You can't shout at him," the gentle lady boss told me. When I commanded the Schnauzer in a firm voice to be still on the examination table, the dog suddenly turned around and opened his mouth to bite me. I just withdrew my fingers in time. No tough love for this dog. But no gentle kind words from me. I muzzle him instead.
Case 2. Medial Entropion. Shih Tzu, 7 kg, Male, Neutered, 1 year, 39deg C. Persistent eye tearing since puppyhood.
The Shih Tzu is well known for medial entropion causing life-long tearing and irritation but few owners are aware of a simple surgery to resolve the problem. Seldom does the owner bother to take the surgery. A case is recorded below for the benefit of vet undergraduates. Name of surgery: Nasal fold excision. I didn't know there is such a surgery.
Admitted: Feb 2, 2010
Surgery 1: Feb 5, 2010
Surgery 2 (left eyelid tearing on day 6, right eyelid has no tearing): Feb 11, 2010. Excised a bigger elliptical skin area below and lateral to the medial canthus. Rolled out the left eyelid more. Took out stitches of right eye area to review. Wound opens up as the area is under tension and has not healed firmly as it was 6 days only. Has not healed 100%. Re-stitch.
Tolfedine 60 mg (1/2 tab/day) x 10 days
Baytril 50 mg (1/2 tab/day) x 6 day
e-collar, eye drops
Daily cleaning of eyelid area is necessary for the next 10 days
Nylon 5/0 stitches to be taken out on Feb 25, 2010
Goes home on Feb 17, 2010 (pictures taken on Feb 16, 2010. Phoned owner at 10.30 am wakening him up.)
Case 3. Anal sacculitis or circum-anal tumour.
Miniature Pinscher, male, 5 years with hard lump on left anal sac area. Anal sacculitis/circum-anal tumour surgery. Heals well. Goes home on Feb 16, 2010. Is this a circum-anal tumour? Still Alive And Kicking - Circum-anal tumours. Should the dog get a second anti-androgenic injection and be neutered? Many owners are against neutering deeming it to be a cruel act. Or in this case, the dog is deemed too old and a anaesthetic risk. So I do not pursue the matter further as the owner may think that I am soliciting business from her and from the owner's point of view - this is patently obvious. Update: 2004 tips for young and older dogs
Case 4. Torticollis (head tilt) in a rabbit.
CNY 1st day. Rabbit, female, 2 years, 1.7kg
Feb 14, 2010 (Chinese New Year).
Left head tilt. Sudden onset at 1 am (loud noises heard). Left eyelid wide open. Nystagmus. Right eyelid injured as rabbit lies on right face. Keeps rolling to try to get up.
Ear canal - blood in cotton bud seen from deep inside the ear canal. Irrigate ears.
Prednisolone, Meloxicalm oral, Biolapis, Fiberplex. SC dextrose saline and baytril. Sent home the 2nd day as she could stand but with head tilted. Less Nystagmus. The lady owner to nurse and hand feed. No blood test or X-rays for the time being as this would increase vet costs.
CNY 2nd day.
Case 5. Suspected high fever in a hamster.
White dwarf hamster, Male, 14 m,
Eyelids closed. Not eating 2 days. Sleepy for 2 days
Young teenaged boy was upset that his pet became sick when he was in China for 9 days.
SC dextrose and Baytril and eye drops.
Day 2 - conjunctivitis and tearing esp. right eye (photography) and dehydration - will need electrolytes. Eating. Stools passed but only a few pieces. Not a good prognosis.
Owner to disinfect hamster cage, feed bowl and water bottle.
CNY 3rd day. Still a public holiday.
Case 6. Deep ulcerative keratitis in a Chihuahua.
Chihuahua, 2.6 kg, 38.8. adopted for 2 months. Abandoned. Eye cataracts. Possibly >8 years old. Male. 2.65 kg.
Right corneal eye ulcer very deep. Blood spots. Past 2 weeks. Why the delay? The owner thought it was a small matter.
Anaesthesia is high risk as dog has heart disease. Bad teeth. Eats only wet food. Big right flank abscess > 4cm x1 cm
Really eating? Owner asked to bring food to Surgery for me to check. 3rd eyelid flap on day 2.
Case 7. Poodle, Male, 2 years. Dental scaling. I was surprised that the lady owner made an appointment for dental scaling for a young dog. Rarely do Singapore owners bother at this age. Grooming 3-monthly and regularly yes. The external beauty is a priority.
But teeth check up once a year? No. This young dog eats home-cooked food and no dry food. So plaque and tartar form in the back teeth. Daily brushing will resolve all problems. Some dogs don't like teeth cleaning. This lady may be one of those more sophisticated ones who know the importance of dental health to enable her dog to live longer.
Case 8. A tele-conversation with a pet owner. One owner complained that his dog had been losing weight since being warded. His vet prescribed many types and sizes of capsules containing nutrients and vitamins for his old dog to "prolong his life". Yet the dog lost weight while he was warded. He said he was not given progress reports. The dog would not eat when brought home as he was force-fed. I don't make comments in this case as I only get one side of the story. Just provide a listening ear as I am sure that there will be owners with grievances against me as a vet.
Case 9. A tele-conversation with a new vet undergraduate. Young people prefer texting. I prefer phoning to thank Daphne for her help in producing 2 educational videos for vet students recently. Creating educational videos to bring veterinary surgery alive. She had been an intern at Toa Payoh Vets. I gave her my very best wishes for her new adventure as a veterinary undergraduate in Australia. She saw 5 beautiful Miniature Schnauzer puppies at a practice and was saying how cute they were. New-born puppies always tug's a lady's heart strings. I told her I did not perform the Caesarean section but was taking pictures. Oxytocin injection and wait or an elective Caesarean section?
This 2010 CNY was not a quiet day unlike 2009 CNY. My main lesson is from the feedback in Case 8. It is important that the vet does daily rounds of in-patients and check records of weight loss and appetite as a routine no matter how busy they are. Phone the owner to update and to phone the owner to visit the pet if the pet is dying. Before the pet dies so that the owner can pay the last visit. I wonder whether this is taught at veterinary schools for the 5th year students.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
26. A pet shop operator's capsule
"My children are grown up and so I don't have any responsibilities now. I have a capsule," the pet shop operator said when I asked him how he would cope if he were to suffer another stroke. He was paralysed some 4 years ago and now he is normal. He could talk to me like any normal person and so he has recovered fully. His various tablets enabled him to live a normal life but his weight has not decreased.
We had known each other for over 30 years. His son had grown up to take over his thriving business. His wife is an excellent dog groomer.
I visited his pet shop this sunny weekday evening as he had invited me a few times when he brought puppies for me to vaccinate. He had shifted to another location as the old one was put up for en bloc sale. I was impressed with his big pet shop with a large inventory of various brands of dog food. I can judge how successful a pet shop business is by the inventory of dog food. Nowadays, dog food sales are not on credit terms as many pet shops close every year. So his large inventory means he must have a big clientele of dog owners in this relatively affluent area of Singapore.
I could see a Caucasian woman in her late 30s taking back a well-grown red miniature poodle from the shop and admiring it outside where her silver sports Mercedes was parked. Besides other clients, a woman in her 30s came in to buy her big bag of dog food and recognised me first.
"My Husky does not bite his tail anymore," she said. "However the patch over the tail gland is hairless," she promised to e-mail to me a picture. What a coincidence as I had not been to this pet shop for at least 2 years as it was quite far from Toa Payoh.
I seldom visit pet shops nowadays as I have so many things I want to do. "How much it costs to feed your Husky?" I ask this young lady with 2 Huskies and a small car. I always wonder how she could pack in 2 Huskies in such a small car to the dog park.
The pet shop operator has her loyalty as he gives loyalty cards which entitle buyers to discounts and some privileges. As for me, I wonder if the loyalty card system to retain clients applies to the vets. In theory it should. In reply to my query on feeding costs, the lady said, "Excluding canned food which I feed in the evening and two meals of dry food (Pinnacle brand) a day, it will be S$36.00 a month. So, it is S$1.20 a day.
Returning to my mission to get the pet shop operator to change his lifestyle, I said to him, "I read a book written by a doctor specialising in heart attack cases. It mentioned that heart attack patients would revert back to the old life-styles after a while," I sipped the Chinese tea he poured into a small tea cup for me.
"Yes, I was very afraid of death for the first few months after my stroke," the operator told me. "Now, my doctor said that I have so many tablets to take. I ought to be OK eating all my favourite seafood, pork-belly meat and laksa (fat-filled noodles with prawns). After all, my children are grown up and I have no more responsibility." His wife could take care of herself.
His wife and son had voiced their worries about his life-style to me when they brought the puppies for vaccination and I enquired about the head of the household.
I said I would talk to him sometime. Many months had passed. Here I was now visiting his pet shop. He had become an invincible man as he did not reduce his weight, did not exercise much nor become a vegetarian. After all, his doctor had prescribed him all the medication to prevent another stroke. If all fails, he certainly had a plan - a capsule to end his life if he were to suffer another stroke.
"If you have stroke, you will be paralysed. How will you be capable of taking this capsule? In any case, the ones who suffers most will be your wife and son, rather than you if you die. They have to take care of you 24 hours a day while you remain paralysed. Have you thought of this?"
He did not reply. I did not probe further what type of capsule he had but I am sure he had some medical knowledge to do what he wanted if he suffered another stroke.
"A friend recommends me to take the tablets from India to slim down," he told me. "My friend says it works for him."
I was surprised that he did not learn from a well known medical case where an actress who took slimming tablets made in China had to accept a liver transplant from her boyfriend. Another woman taking the same pills had actually died. I reminded him of the case. "It is best to stop taking such pills, cut down drastically on your fatty food. Do more walking. Weigh yourself daily. I can say you avoid the weighing machine so as not to know you have put on weight, am I right?"
"No, I don't weigh myself any day," the operator laughed. "It is hard to stop eating all the fatty food. After all, my doctor tells me he has prescribed medication to lower the high blood pressure and the cholesterol level in the blood. So I should have no problems."
Just take the medication and all strokes will be prevented. It is not so simple as that. One's liver will be tolerant to the medication and that means the medication dosage needs to be increased or the type changed.
Some people just need to eat at different hawker stalls and restaurants, sampling different types of cooking. What is living if one does not live to eat? Eat to live, more vegetables and fish and monitoring the weight weekly is far from the mind of most recovered heart attack or stroke person. What can be done to help loved ones to change their lifestyle?
Sometimes, changing one's unhealthy lifestyle or becoming vegetarian will do and the medication may be dispensed with in some cases, with the doctor's regular check up. It is hard to be alive and eat the bland vegetable, fish diet and fruits most of the time for many years. I believe that such a regime works. So far, I am nearing 60 years of age and have not needed any medication for diabetes, heart attacks or strokes. So far, so good. As for the operator, I hope he stops taking the slimming pill made in India if he does not know what it contains. Otherwise, he may suffer liver failure rather than a stroke! I will follow up on him.
We had known each other for over 30 years. His son had grown up to take over his thriving business. His wife is an excellent dog groomer.
I visited his pet shop this sunny weekday evening as he had invited me a few times when he brought puppies for me to vaccinate. He had shifted to another location as the old one was put up for en bloc sale. I was impressed with his big pet shop with a large inventory of various brands of dog food. I can judge how successful a pet shop business is by the inventory of dog food. Nowadays, dog food sales are not on credit terms as many pet shops close every year. So his large inventory means he must have a big clientele of dog owners in this relatively affluent area of Singapore.
I could see a Caucasian woman in her late 30s taking back a well-grown red miniature poodle from the shop and admiring it outside where her silver sports Mercedes was parked. Besides other clients, a woman in her 30s came in to buy her big bag of dog food and recognised me first.
"My Husky does not bite his tail anymore," she said. "However the patch over the tail gland is hairless," she promised to e-mail to me a picture. What a coincidence as I had not been to this pet shop for at least 2 years as it was quite far from Toa Payoh.
I seldom visit pet shops nowadays as I have so many things I want to do. "How much it costs to feed your Husky?" I ask this young lady with 2 Huskies and a small car. I always wonder how she could pack in 2 Huskies in such a small car to the dog park.
The pet shop operator has her loyalty as he gives loyalty cards which entitle buyers to discounts and some privileges. As for me, I wonder if the loyalty card system to retain clients applies to the vets. In theory it should. In reply to my query on feeding costs, the lady said, "Excluding canned food which I feed in the evening and two meals of dry food (Pinnacle brand) a day, it will be S$36.00 a month. So, it is S$1.20 a day.
Returning to my mission to get the pet shop operator to change his lifestyle, I said to him, "I read a book written by a doctor specialising in heart attack cases. It mentioned that heart attack patients would revert back to the old life-styles after a while," I sipped the Chinese tea he poured into a small tea cup for me.
"Yes, I was very afraid of death for the first few months after my stroke," the operator told me. "Now, my doctor said that I have so many tablets to take. I ought to be OK eating all my favourite seafood, pork-belly meat and laksa (fat-filled noodles with prawns). After all, my children are grown up and I have no more responsibility." His wife could take care of herself.
His wife and son had voiced their worries about his life-style to me when they brought the puppies for vaccination and I enquired about the head of the household.
I said I would talk to him sometime. Many months had passed. Here I was now visiting his pet shop. He had become an invincible man as he did not reduce his weight, did not exercise much nor become a vegetarian. After all, his doctor had prescribed him all the medication to prevent another stroke. If all fails, he certainly had a plan - a capsule to end his life if he were to suffer another stroke.
"If you have stroke, you will be paralysed. How will you be capable of taking this capsule? In any case, the ones who suffers most will be your wife and son, rather than you if you die. They have to take care of you 24 hours a day while you remain paralysed. Have you thought of this?"
He did not reply. I did not probe further what type of capsule he had but I am sure he had some medical knowledge to do what he wanted if he suffered another stroke.
"A friend recommends me to take the tablets from India to slim down," he told me. "My friend says it works for him."
I was surprised that he did not learn from a well known medical case where an actress who took slimming tablets made in China had to accept a liver transplant from her boyfriend. Another woman taking the same pills had actually died. I reminded him of the case. "It is best to stop taking such pills, cut down drastically on your fatty food. Do more walking. Weigh yourself daily. I can say you avoid the weighing machine so as not to know you have put on weight, am I right?"
"No, I don't weigh myself any day," the operator laughed. "It is hard to stop eating all the fatty food. After all, my doctor tells me he has prescribed medication to lower the high blood pressure and the cholesterol level in the blood. So I should have no problems."
Just take the medication and all strokes will be prevented. It is not so simple as that. One's liver will be tolerant to the medication and that means the medication dosage needs to be increased or the type changed.
Some people just need to eat at different hawker stalls and restaurants, sampling different types of cooking. What is living if one does not live to eat? Eat to live, more vegetables and fish and monitoring the weight weekly is far from the mind of most recovered heart attack or stroke person. What can be done to help loved ones to change their lifestyle?
Sometimes, changing one's unhealthy lifestyle or becoming vegetarian will do and the medication may be dispensed with in some cases, with the doctor's regular check up. It is hard to be alive and eat the bland vegetable, fish diet and fruits most of the time for many years. I believe that such a regime works. So far, I am nearing 60 years of age and have not needed any medication for diabetes, heart attacks or strokes. So far, so good. As for the operator, I hope he stops taking the slimming pill made in India if he does not know what it contains. Otherwise, he may suffer liver failure rather than a stroke! I will follow up on him.
Friday, January 29, 2010
25. Maroon bluish tongue
The colour of the tongue tells a lot about the prognosis. In this case, I showed the owner that the dog's tongue was abnormally maroon and bluish. "In my experience, dogs with this colour of tongue and a dry tongue is going to die soon. Your dog also has heart disease."
"I require a blood test in this case as this was the second time the dog had poisoning signs and his kidney and liver may be damaged." The owner gave her consent.
Shih Tzu, F, 2 years.
Presenting Sign: Salivation. Non-stop vulva licking for 2 days upset the owner. The pest control people fumigated the apartment the previous day for a second time.
Tentative Diagnosis:
Insecticide poisoning. Unknown insecticide used by the pest control people.
History
4.8 kg 39.3 deg C. Jan 19, 2010
Pest control came yesterday. Salivation. Vet 1.
IV treatment, atropine recovered next day.
4.2 kg 39.8 deg C. Jan 27, 2010.
Pest control came yesterday.
Dog started salivation. Non-stop watery and profuse. Vulval itchiness seen as continuous licking. "She passed black stools," the owner said. "The dog had bleeding in the stomach from insecticide poisoning," I replied.
The tongue colour - maroon red and bluish and dry. A sign of poor health. Is she going to die soon?
Blood test results:
Liver SGPT/ALT above normal
Kidney Urea above normal.
Creatinine below normal.
Haematology:
Haemoglobin above normal. Red cell count normal but total White Cell Count was above normal. PCV above normal. MCV above normal. MCHC below normal.
Insecticide unknown. IV treatment, atropine and Lasix IV. But no vomiting or coughing. Recovered and went home after 2 days. Tongue became normal pink after 2 days of treatment. The dog went home.
However, if my assistant tried to open the mouth to for me to take photograph, it turns bluish. The dog does not show signs of heart disease presently.
The apartment floor should have been thoroughly cleaned as I presumed that the pest control man must have fogged the whole place it to death.
The dog had stepped on the chemicals and her private parts had been burned chemically, hence the non-stop vulval licking on presentation. She was doing it all the time on the consultation table.
The pest control people had fumigated the apartment twice at 7-day intervals. They must have exploded a big bomb of chemicals into the apartment and blanketed the whole place with insecticide poison. The dog was contaminated when he walked he floors and licked away the strong smelly poison as best as she could. Her mouth started drooling. She got intoxicated and infected by bacteria as her total white cell counts were raised. Fortunately, she survived the two poisoinings.
Blood tests cost money and increase veterinary fees. If the dog dies, a blood test will answer some questions regarding the possible causes of death. This result gives some owners and the family members some answers and a closure. Otherwise there might be some doubts regarding the veterinary treatment and competence.
Update and pictures are at: www.toapayohvets.com
"I require a blood test in this case as this was the second time the dog had poisoning signs and his kidney and liver may be damaged." The owner gave her consent.
Shih Tzu, F, 2 years.
Presenting Sign: Salivation. Non-stop vulva licking for 2 days upset the owner. The pest control people fumigated the apartment the previous day for a second time.
Tentative Diagnosis:
Insecticide poisoning. Unknown insecticide used by the pest control people.
History
4.8 kg 39.3 deg C. Jan 19, 2010
Pest control came yesterday. Salivation. Vet 1.
IV treatment, atropine recovered next day.
4.2 kg 39.8 deg C. Jan 27, 2010.
Pest control came yesterday.
Dog started salivation. Non-stop watery and profuse. Vulval itchiness seen as continuous licking. "She passed black stools," the owner said. "The dog had bleeding in the stomach from insecticide poisoning," I replied.
The tongue colour - maroon red and bluish and dry. A sign of poor health. Is she going to die soon?
Blood test results:
Liver SGPT/ALT above normal
Kidney Urea above normal.
Creatinine below normal.
Haematology:
Haemoglobin above normal. Red cell count normal but total White Cell Count was above normal. PCV above normal. MCV above normal. MCHC below normal.
Insecticide unknown. IV treatment, atropine and Lasix IV. But no vomiting or coughing. Recovered and went home after 2 days. Tongue became normal pink after 2 days of treatment. The dog went home.
However, if my assistant tried to open the mouth to for me to take photograph, it turns bluish. The dog does not show signs of heart disease presently.
The apartment floor should have been thoroughly cleaned as I presumed that the pest control man must have fogged the whole place it to death.
The dog had stepped on the chemicals and her private parts had been burned chemically, hence the non-stop vulval licking on presentation. She was doing it all the time on the consultation table.
The pest control people had fumigated the apartment twice at 7-day intervals. They must have exploded a big bomb of chemicals into the apartment and blanketed the whole place with insecticide poison. The dog was contaminated when he walked he floors and licked away the strong smelly poison as best as she could. Her mouth started drooling. She got intoxicated and infected by bacteria as her total white cell counts were raised. Fortunately, she survived the two poisoinings.
Blood tests cost money and increase veterinary fees. If the dog dies, a blood test will answer some questions regarding the possible causes of death. This result gives some owners and the family members some answers and a closure. Otherwise there might be some doubts regarding the veterinary treatment and competence.
Update and pictures are at: www.toapayohvets.com
Thursday, January 28, 2010
24. Subluxation hip Golden Retriever puppy 4.5 months
Case 1:
Danish lady in her 30s with mum.
Purchased from the same pet shop.
Golden Retriever 3 months.
Consultation: Came for 3rd vaccination. Puppy purchased 1 month ago.
Housing: A house with a small garden
Feeding: 2 times per day as advised by the seller. Wolfs down food fast.
This case was a lot of fun for the mum. Every time Alice, a 4th year vet student put the puppy onto the electronic weighing scale, he dashed off the scales elsewhere. Alice had to catch him again. She placed him on the scale. Before she could read the weight, the puppy sprinted off making the mum laugh. Alice and I looked serious as such incidents happen with other puppies too.
Toilet Training: Newspapers 100% covering playpen. Then reduce the covered area as advised by the pet shop puppy seller.
"What happened during the first 7 days?" I asked. "Did he poo and pee onto the newspapers?"
"The puppy was confused and did it everywhere inside the playpen. After 5 days, the puppy now eliminates onto newspapers in a separate half of the playpen.
"How did you train him to do it?" I asked.
"Lots of praises. Praise him and give treats when he eliminates on the newspapers." Successful paper-training due to hard work and training.
Question 1: When can the puppy go out to the grass to eliminate? The owner did not want the puppy to do it in the small garden.
The seller had advised going out till after the 3rd vaccination to prevent parvoviral infections.
The puppy can go out to places where there are no dogs or puppies e.g. pet shops, dog runs, boarding houses 2 weeks after the 2nd vaccination. However, 2 weeks after the 3rd vaccination, the puppy can mix with other dogs as he has full protection against the lethal parvoviral and distemper viruses.
"Put the newspapers with urine smell onto the grass outside, so that the puppy will commence eliminating outdoors," I advise. "It is a good idea," the owner said.
Question 2: When does my puppy get his heartworm vaccination and does he need one?
It is best to protect him against heartworms which is present in Singapore. Vaccinate at 5 months of age. She will make an appointment.
Clinical Findings:
Ears full of wax but no ear scratching surprisingly. I advised the puppy to go back to the pet shop seller to get ears cleaned. I advised deworming for intestinal worms once a week for the next 4 weeks.
Conclusion:
This puppy will have plenty of love and great fun exercising outdoors since he lives in a house and can get out without the problem of having to bring him to the lift and go downstairs. There is a small garden but he will not be permitted to go there and destroy the plants. But he can go outdoors easily compared to Case 2.
Case 2:
Australian gentleman in his 30s
Purchased from the same pet shop over 2 months ago. Paper trained on a pee pan. Now apparently lame. Owner was worried about hip dysplasia.
Golden Retriever 4.5 months. All 3 vaccinations done.
Feeding 3x/day. Poops 3-4 times per day.
Purchased puppy 2.5 months ago.
Consultation: Dog has "hip dysplasia"
Housing: Condo with smooth marble and wooden floors.
Playpen: Sleeps at night with bed.
Toilet area: Pee pan + newspapers in the balcony. Feed and water bowl in the balcony.
HISTORY: Last 2-3 weeks, in the morning, the puppy had been walked for around 30 minutes. The puppy would stop walking after some distance. But he had to do it. In the evening, he would be exercised. Sometimes he would be at Sentosa to swim. Lately, he was lame in his hind legs. great difficulty standing up using the back legs in the morning. Has great difficulty moving down slope or moving down from the car seat. No problem getting up the car as he used his front legs.
"Could this be hip dysplasia?" the young man asked. "What should I do with this puppy?"
EXAMINATION:
1. Outside the surgery.
General visual examination of conformation and muscle of the back leg - cow hocks with right hind having toe out.
Gait - The owner walked the dog up and down concrete flooring on a loose leash - no obvious lameness on slow walk. Puppy was said to "hop" on 3 legs at a run.
2. Inside the surgery.
On the examination table, put the puppy sideways on his left and right side to manipulate the joints.
Abduct and adduct hips and all other joints of the hind limbs - no pain surprisingly.
Put puppy standing and extend 2 hind limbs - right hind limb is shorter than left hind.
Back muscles of right hind are smaller than left hind.
Spinal cord pressure - no pain in general. There seemed to be some mild pain at the lumbo-sacral spinal area. Could this be the cause of pain in the morning on waking up and being unable to get up normally as a young puppy should?
HYPOTHESIS FOR SPLAYED HIND LIMB AND SUBLUXATED HIP:
"Where does the puppy spend 90% of his day?" I asked.
"Inside the apartment," the man worked from home and therefore knew what he said.
"Does he walk on very smooth marble flooring when at home?" I asked although I know the answer since all modern condos are marble-floored and wooden-tiled with waxy wood.
"Yes. The wooden flooring upstairs are also very smooth, being waxed."
Based on my experiences with the professional dog breeders, I would say that this puppy had no chance to walk on firm surfaces as they are usually crated before sale.
Therefore, the Golden Retriever's hind legs become splayed slightly before sale. The splay was not very obvious as he did not walk like a cowboy if you don't observe closely.
He had also cow hocks which would account for his "hip dysplasia" style of walking with the hocks lower and right toe pointing outwards.
In addition, he was over-exercised in the morning going to the school with the children for the past 2-3 weeks. He had over 30 minutes of road walk. "He was keen to go out in the morning," the young man said. "But he would stop walking after some distance."
"He had pain in his hip area," I said. "So he stopped walking". "Sometimes, he hops," the man said. Sparing weight onto the hind limbs," I said.
"The puppy could climb up the car but would hesitate to climb down from the car later," the man gave me this good clue to pain in the hip area. Climbing up involved the front limbs. That was OK for the pup. Climbing down involved the back limbs and hip area. There was pain. Similarly to getting up in the morning using the hind limbs. There was some pain in the hip area. But none was elicited or shown when I palpated, extended and flexed the hips. Or the knees. So, it was very difficult to prove my hypothesis to the young man.
There was muscle atrophy in the right hip area would indicate some pain in the right hip area for some time. This was accepted by the young man.
I pressed the hip joint. Yet there was no pain response from the puppy. I extended both hips to compare the length of the hind limbs. The right hind was noticeably 3 cm shorter. But there was no pain.
The puppy now splayed his hind limbs out and flopped onto my examination table. He had enough of all these palpations. He was a very friendly puppy and had not bitten me once. As I pressed the spinal area from the neck to the tail, there was a very slight pain at the lumbo-sacral area. I don't think the young man saw the response as it was very slight.
This pain and the subluxation of the right hip joint could account for the difficulty in standing up on the hind limbs.
"Is there a cure for the hip dysplasia?" the man asked. "Must he be put to sleep later?"
"I don't think he has hip dysplasia now. He has subluxation of his right hip. He will recover if you let him rest for at least 4 weeks and confine him to a rough floor area for the next 3 months. No over-exercising. Let him walk and run within his limits rather than force him to do more road walk. No morning road walk.
For hip dysplasia, he needs to be over 6 months of age for X-rays to confirm. His history indicated over-exercise (probably running up and down the 2-level condo with the children) and just having too much of a good time. A very active life-style."
The puppy lies down with hind limbs splayed out unlike other puppies with limbs tucked under the abdomen. This was observed and pointed out by the owner as the puppy flopped onto my consultation table. "With a smooth flooring over the past months, the puppy's hind limbs stretched outwards and now he just splays his hind limbs outwards when he lies down. With a rough flooring, his hind paws may be able to get a grip to stand up."
The last paragraph supported my hypothesis that this puppy had a lifestyle that caused splaying of his hind limbs. As he grows older, the splaying is not obvious. However, his right back muscles were not well developed compared to his left. Both had poor development considering that the puppy "hops" when over-exercised.
DIAGNOSIS:
Right hip subluxation but not so serious to cause obvious lameness. This accounted for his occasional hopping when he runs.
ADVICES:
1. No over-exercising for the next 4 weeks and preferably 3 months. He should have no walking exercise or running up and down stairs for the next 7 days but confined to the balcony-part-living room area.
2. X-rays of the hip would be done at over 6 months to properly confirm hip dysplasia. Presently he is 4.5 months.
3. Chances of him recovering are good. 50:50 if he continues to walk on floors where his legs can get a grip. A garden would be best but this dog must live in the apartment for the next 5 months of lease. So, what to do?
4. "Install anti-slip mats onto the flooring. Confine him to a room with baby gate or use the kitchen and utility area for him when he is at home," I said. This was not practical advice as there was no room and the kitchen was small for such a big breed.
"The balcony?" I asked. "Will it be too hot when the sun is out?" The man said, "Yes."
"Where does he sleep nowadays?" I asked.
"A big playpen near the balcony." the man replied. I asked him to draw the floor plan. He would fence up part of the living area next to the balcony and connect this area to the balcony. His plan was good as the puppy would be confined to and have over 15 sq metres of anti-slip space to walk when staying at home.
CONCLUSION:
The gentleman propose converting the corner of the living room near to the balcony into a fenced up area with anti-slip mats. So, the puppy can walk to the pee pan and newspapers in the balcony for his toilet and back to the living room to see the family. No more free roaming on slippery smooth floors and he should recover fully. I prescribed non-steroidal Rimadryl tablets for 7 days.
I am quite confident that this puppy will be fully recovered as he was sent to the vet early. He has an enlightened and educated owner who has not delayed seeking veterinary advice unlike many Singapore puppy owners who don't bother after the three vaccinations and seek advices from the groomer.
A house will be best for this puppy but a condo has so many facilities for the expatriate family with young children. In any case, by the time the lease ends, this puppy should be normal as the owner knows what to do and his wife has the architectural knowledge to execute this floor plan for the puppy. If the expatriate had waited for some time, this puppy would have dislocated his right hip and it will be very difficult to recover. This is a case where clinical signs were presented at home. At the vet, the puppy behaved quite normally. There are many such cases and the owner's history and observations count a lot more than clinical findings. Some puppies or dogs just behave normally at the vet as they have a high tolerance to pain. Showing pain is not good for survival in the wild and this may explain why the puppy shows no pain readily. He may not have very serious pain and so suppress it in front of the vet who is a stranger to him. Is this another hypothesis? As for hip dysplasia, we would have to wait and see.
Danish lady in her 30s with mum.
Purchased from the same pet shop.
Golden Retriever 3 months.
Consultation: Came for 3rd vaccination. Puppy purchased 1 month ago.
Housing: A house with a small garden
Feeding: 2 times per day as advised by the seller. Wolfs down food fast.
This case was a lot of fun for the mum. Every time Alice, a 4th year vet student put the puppy onto the electronic weighing scale, he dashed off the scales elsewhere. Alice had to catch him again. She placed him on the scale. Before she could read the weight, the puppy sprinted off making the mum laugh. Alice and I looked serious as such incidents happen with other puppies too.
Toilet Training: Newspapers 100% covering playpen. Then reduce the covered area as advised by the pet shop puppy seller.
"What happened during the first 7 days?" I asked. "Did he poo and pee onto the newspapers?"
"The puppy was confused and did it everywhere inside the playpen. After 5 days, the puppy now eliminates onto newspapers in a separate half of the playpen.
"How did you train him to do it?" I asked.
"Lots of praises. Praise him and give treats when he eliminates on the newspapers." Successful paper-training due to hard work and training.
Question 1: When can the puppy go out to the grass to eliminate? The owner did not want the puppy to do it in the small garden.
The seller had advised going out till after the 3rd vaccination to prevent parvoviral infections.
The puppy can go out to places where there are no dogs or puppies e.g. pet shops, dog runs, boarding houses 2 weeks after the 2nd vaccination. However, 2 weeks after the 3rd vaccination, the puppy can mix with other dogs as he has full protection against the lethal parvoviral and distemper viruses.
"Put the newspapers with urine smell onto the grass outside, so that the puppy will commence eliminating outdoors," I advise. "It is a good idea," the owner said.
Question 2: When does my puppy get his heartworm vaccination and does he need one?
It is best to protect him against heartworms which is present in Singapore. Vaccinate at 5 months of age. She will make an appointment.
Clinical Findings:
Ears full of wax but no ear scratching surprisingly. I advised the puppy to go back to the pet shop seller to get ears cleaned. I advised deworming for intestinal worms once a week for the next 4 weeks.
Conclusion:
This puppy will have plenty of love and great fun exercising outdoors since he lives in a house and can get out without the problem of having to bring him to the lift and go downstairs. There is a small garden but he will not be permitted to go there and destroy the plants. But he can go outdoors easily compared to Case 2.
Case 2:
Australian gentleman in his 30s
Purchased from the same pet shop over 2 months ago. Paper trained on a pee pan. Now apparently lame. Owner was worried about hip dysplasia.
Golden Retriever 4.5 months. All 3 vaccinations done.
Feeding 3x/day. Poops 3-4 times per day.
Purchased puppy 2.5 months ago.
Consultation: Dog has "hip dysplasia"
Housing: Condo with smooth marble and wooden floors.
Playpen: Sleeps at night with bed.
Toilet area: Pee pan + newspapers in the balcony. Feed and water bowl in the balcony.
HISTORY: Last 2-3 weeks, in the morning, the puppy had been walked for around 30 minutes. The puppy would stop walking after some distance. But he had to do it. In the evening, he would be exercised. Sometimes he would be at Sentosa to swim. Lately, he was lame in his hind legs. great difficulty standing up using the back legs in the morning. Has great difficulty moving down slope or moving down from the car seat. No problem getting up the car as he used his front legs.
"Could this be hip dysplasia?" the young man asked. "What should I do with this puppy?"
EXAMINATION:
1. Outside the surgery.
General visual examination of conformation and muscle of the back leg - cow hocks with right hind having toe out.
Gait - The owner walked the dog up and down concrete flooring on a loose leash - no obvious lameness on slow walk. Puppy was said to "hop" on 3 legs at a run.
2. Inside the surgery.
On the examination table, put the puppy sideways on his left and right side to manipulate the joints.
Abduct and adduct hips and all other joints of the hind limbs - no pain surprisingly.
Put puppy standing and extend 2 hind limbs - right hind limb is shorter than left hind.
Back muscles of right hind are smaller than left hind.
Spinal cord pressure - no pain in general. There seemed to be some mild pain at the lumbo-sacral spinal area. Could this be the cause of pain in the morning on waking up and being unable to get up normally as a young puppy should?
HYPOTHESIS FOR SPLAYED HIND LIMB AND SUBLUXATED HIP:
"Where does the puppy spend 90% of his day?" I asked.
"Inside the apartment," the man worked from home and therefore knew what he said.
"Does he walk on very smooth marble flooring when at home?" I asked although I know the answer since all modern condos are marble-floored and wooden-tiled with waxy wood.
"Yes. The wooden flooring upstairs are also very smooth, being waxed."
Based on my experiences with the professional dog breeders, I would say that this puppy had no chance to walk on firm surfaces as they are usually crated before sale.
Therefore, the Golden Retriever's hind legs become splayed slightly before sale. The splay was not very obvious as he did not walk like a cowboy if you don't observe closely.
He had also cow hocks which would account for his "hip dysplasia" style of walking with the hocks lower and right toe pointing outwards.
In addition, he was over-exercised in the morning going to the school with the children for the past 2-3 weeks. He had over 30 minutes of road walk. "He was keen to go out in the morning," the young man said. "But he would stop walking after some distance."
"He had pain in his hip area," I said. "So he stopped walking". "Sometimes, he hops," the man said. Sparing weight onto the hind limbs," I said.
"The puppy could climb up the car but would hesitate to climb down from the car later," the man gave me this good clue to pain in the hip area. Climbing up involved the front limbs. That was OK for the pup. Climbing down involved the back limbs and hip area. There was pain. Similarly to getting up in the morning using the hind limbs. There was some pain in the hip area. But none was elicited or shown when I palpated, extended and flexed the hips. Or the knees. So, it was very difficult to prove my hypothesis to the young man.
There was muscle atrophy in the right hip area would indicate some pain in the right hip area for some time. This was accepted by the young man.
I pressed the hip joint. Yet there was no pain response from the puppy. I extended both hips to compare the length of the hind limbs. The right hind was noticeably 3 cm shorter. But there was no pain.
The puppy now splayed his hind limbs out and flopped onto my examination table. He had enough of all these palpations. He was a very friendly puppy and had not bitten me once. As I pressed the spinal area from the neck to the tail, there was a very slight pain at the lumbo-sacral area. I don't think the young man saw the response as it was very slight.
This pain and the subluxation of the right hip joint could account for the difficulty in standing up on the hind limbs.
"Is there a cure for the hip dysplasia?" the man asked. "Must he be put to sleep later?"
"I don't think he has hip dysplasia now. He has subluxation of his right hip. He will recover if you let him rest for at least 4 weeks and confine him to a rough floor area for the next 3 months. No over-exercising. Let him walk and run within his limits rather than force him to do more road walk. No morning road walk.
For hip dysplasia, he needs to be over 6 months of age for X-rays to confirm. His history indicated over-exercise (probably running up and down the 2-level condo with the children) and just having too much of a good time. A very active life-style."
The puppy lies down with hind limbs splayed out unlike other puppies with limbs tucked under the abdomen. This was observed and pointed out by the owner as the puppy flopped onto my consultation table. "With a smooth flooring over the past months, the puppy's hind limbs stretched outwards and now he just splays his hind limbs outwards when he lies down. With a rough flooring, his hind paws may be able to get a grip to stand up."
The last paragraph supported my hypothesis that this puppy had a lifestyle that caused splaying of his hind limbs. As he grows older, the splaying is not obvious. However, his right back muscles were not well developed compared to his left. Both had poor development considering that the puppy "hops" when over-exercised.
DIAGNOSIS:
Right hip subluxation but not so serious to cause obvious lameness. This accounted for his occasional hopping when he runs.
ADVICES:
1. No over-exercising for the next 4 weeks and preferably 3 months. He should have no walking exercise or running up and down stairs for the next 7 days but confined to the balcony-part-living room area.
2. X-rays of the hip would be done at over 6 months to properly confirm hip dysplasia. Presently he is 4.5 months.
3. Chances of him recovering are good. 50:50 if he continues to walk on floors where his legs can get a grip. A garden would be best but this dog must live in the apartment for the next 5 months of lease. So, what to do?
4. "Install anti-slip mats onto the flooring. Confine him to a room with baby gate or use the kitchen and utility area for him when he is at home," I said. This was not practical advice as there was no room and the kitchen was small for such a big breed.
"The balcony?" I asked. "Will it be too hot when the sun is out?" The man said, "Yes."
"Where does he sleep nowadays?" I asked.
"A big playpen near the balcony." the man replied. I asked him to draw the floor plan. He would fence up part of the living area next to the balcony and connect this area to the balcony. His plan was good as the puppy would be confined to and have over 15 sq metres of anti-slip space to walk when staying at home.
CONCLUSION:
The gentleman propose converting the corner of the living room near to the balcony into a fenced up area with anti-slip mats. So, the puppy can walk to the pee pan and newspapers in the balcony for his toilet and back to the living room to see the family. No more free roaming on slippery smooth floors and he should recover fully. I prescribed non-steroidal Rimadryl tablets for 7 days.
I am quite confident that this puppy will be fully recovered as he was sent to the vet early. He has an enlightened and educated owner who has not delayed seeking veterinary advice unlike many Singapore puppy owners who don't bother after the three vaccinations and seek advices from the groomer.
A house will be best for this puppy but a condo has so many facilities for the expatriate family with young children. In any case, by the time the lease ends, this puppy should be normal as the owner knows what to do and his wife has the architectural knowledge to execute this floor plan for the puppy. If the expatriate had waited for some time, this puppy would have dislocated his right hip and it will be very difficult to recover. This is a case where clinical signs were presented at home. At the vet, the puppy behaved quite normally. There are many such cases and the owner's history and observations count a lot more than clinical findings. Some puppies or dogs just behave normally at the vet as they have a high tolerance to pain. Showing pain is not good for survival in the wild and this may explain why the puppy shows no pain readily. He may not have very serious pain and so suppress it in front of the vet who is a stranger to him. Is this another hypothesis? As for hip dysplasia, we would have to wait and see.
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