Skin diseases are most common
in practice. There are many causes and one of them is a lack of
grooming as Singapore pet owners are harassed by the fast-paced
city life.
In this 7-year-old male Miniature Schnauzer, his whole body,
limbs and backside are itchy. The Schnauzer had a good coat
until recently. He had not been to the groomer for some time.
"My wife used to take care of him," the man in his late 40s told
me that the dog had a good coat previously. The wife was no
longer around and the dog developed generalised itchiness
in the body, limbs, backside and ears. Hair loss over parts of
the backside and legs.
A urinary tract infection was evident from the presence of blood
and bacteria. The X-ray did not show any radio-dense stones.
"There could be prostatitis," Dr Daniel discussed the case with
me and had spoken to the owner about neutering. "Spermatozoa
+++" was present in the urine analysis. This lab finding does
occur and my hypothesis is that the male dog displayed
hypersexuality. Neutering would certainly resolve his behavioral
problem.
I noted that the prepuce was inflamed. It was possible that this
male dog had relieved his pain from an inflamed or enlarged
prostate. For some male dogs, neutering would prevent much
prostate problems of inflammation and infection at the older
age.
The dog has an excellent appetite as you can see lots of the dry
dog food in the stomach and intestines.