TOA
PAYOH VETS
Chinese New Year 2nd day
Bright sunshine day. All neighbours closed
I came to check on my cat patient - a stray cat with badly wounded left fore paw and swollen right paw and do some stock checking and administration.
INTERESTING
CASES
1. Shih Tzu, Female, 11 years. Fever. EMACIATED.
Sticky salivation as gums were ulcerated as if he had
licked some poison some 4 days ago.
"Whole apartment smelly," the father said. The son of
24 years was very concerned. "Yellow liquid in his
mouth. What is it?" he asked me. "Could be gastric
juice vomited. Did he lick any liquid like paint or
tick insecticide?"
"There was anti-mosquito fogging 5 days ago," the son
said.
"Yes, it is possible the dog tried to lick off the
smell. A blood test is recommended. But you have to
decide."
"We are poor. Don't want the blood test," the father
said. The son later told me that a vet had forced his
father to take various tests leading to a hefty vet
bill. So, the father is angry at all vets. However,
his vet is off today. Treatment. IV drip, antibiotics
and anti-fever. Dental work advised.
 UPDATE:
Feb 19, 2012. The owner did not return for
review. |
2. Jack Russell, Male, 11 years. High fever. Massive swelling below R eye for past 5 days. The elder brother said: "The swelling comes and goes, but today, it expands. Can't open eye. What is it?"
 |
 |
 |
  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
No dental work
for past 11 years. Malar abscess? "Any bee stings?" I
asked. "Centipede sting possible as there are lots of
centipedes in the house." A son and mum phoned at 5pm.
"Not much changes," I said. Swelling has defined to a
ping-pong sized lump after IV drip and medication.
Will need sedation tomorrow to see inside the mouth as
the dog prohibited opening of his mouth. Could be an
abscess not related to malar abscess or a haematoma.
Vet medicine is full of surprises.
|
UPDATE:
Feb 19, 2012. The owner did not return for
review of the right cheek wound. I presume it
had closed by granulation as it would be too big
to stitch up. I suspect this case is due to a
flesh-eating bacterial infection as it is not
typical of a malar abscess. |
3. Persian cat of a son who is studying overseas. F,
13 years, not spayed. EMACIATED. Drooling. Mum
went on holiday past 2 weeks and now the cat had
problems not eating. salivation. Two large cystic
swelling below and beside the tongue. Wandered
outdoors as mum was not around. Could it be ingestion
of poison? IV and medication.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
UPDATE:
Feb 19, 2012. To my surprise, the mother
reported that the Persian cat was back to
normal, eating and putting on weight. Her son,
studying in Australia was happy as this was his
cat. LPGS (lymphocytic plasmacytic gingivitis
stomatitis) is diagnosed by biopsy of the
ulcerated oral tissues, but this would cost the
owner more money. Therefore, I did not practise defensive medicine as I did not insist on getting this test done as the signs and symptoms were quite clear. The causes of LPGS are varied as there is no one cause known. It included stress, viral and bacterial infections (FIV, feline leukemia, feline calcivirus, Bartonella henselae bacteria, genetic predisposition, sensitivity of gums to bacterial plaque by provoking the aggressive inflammatory response sending large amounts of lymphocytes and plasma cells (two types of white blood cells) into the gums and oral tissues). |
4. Guinea Pig. 1 year +. Not eating. EMACIATED.
Drooling. Had incisors clipped 2 weeks ago by Vet 1
who did not examine further. Still not eating well.
"Examine the molars," I showed the young lady the
inward pointing sharp points of the lower molars.
Anaesthetic isoflurane gas using mask. Clipped teeth.
Advised hard pellets. "Separate from the other GP who
ate faster," I advised. "He might be bullied." The
girl said: "The other GP will scream if separated." I
said: "Get a grated barrier to separate them. This GP
eats by herself and recover. We assume there is no
bullying as we don't see it."
UPDATE:
Feb 19, 2012. The guinea pig started eating
but died "suddenly" around 3 weeks after my
treatment. The owner requested an autopsy. The
stomach was full. The lungs were infected and
the chest had a lot of blood tinged fluid,
causing great difficulty in breathing and death.
 Guinea pig not eating for weeks
|
5. Dwarf
Hamster, F, 1 year+, 59g. "He had gone (to heaven),"
the lady in her late 20s said to me. "I let her swim
(in the basin) longer while I took care of the other 3
hamsters. When I saw her, she was gone. Drowned. Flat
out. No movement. I did heart massage a long time. She
finally recovered. But she has this sound (like teeth
chattering) from her chest. She ate a bit. "How many
stool pellets she passed?" I asked. "Only 1 or 2.
Normally many as she is a fat hamster and eats a lot."
I put my stethoscope to check the hamster's lungs.
Yes, the heart sounds were there but there was these
extra loud "crackling sound". Much louder than the
heart sounds. Coming from the lungs. The hamster was
shaking and breathing faster than normal.
"Have you treated hamsters before?" the lady asked me
when I told her that I needed to give the hamster an
injection of painkiller, lung fluid-draining
medication and antibiotic. If the hamster dies, it
will be due to her progression of illness and not due
to the injection." She was doubtful about injections.
"Well, I never had a case of a hamster that had
drowned and had been returned to living," I said.
"Singaporeans don't bathe hamsters or I have not got
such a similar case. I have done hamster injections
for anaesthesia and for itchiness."
"I suppose I have no choice," she gave permission to
inject her hamster. My assistant Min held the thick
cloth over the first half of the body. I injected the
back area under the skin of 0.01 ml. Upon removal of
the cloth, the hamster was motionless. The lady was
very upset, stroking the hamster's chest and calling
her name. I asked her to go outside the cold aircon
consult room and into the evening sunlight outdoors.
She stroked her hamster. There was a flicker of
movement and the hamster's eye moved. She was happy.
Booked a cab and thanked me.
|
UPDATE:
Feb 19, 2012. The owner did not return for
review. |
In conclusion, on this Chinese New Year 2nd day, January 24, 2012, I had a representative sample of pets common in Singapore - dogs, cats, guinea pigs and hamsters. No rabbits.
