I palpated
the tense
and
painless
hard
painless
swelling
of around
1 cm x 1
cm x 0.5
cm behind
the right
eye and
below the
red stripe
of the
red-eared
slider,
also known
as a
terrapin.
I had
diagnosed
"ear
abscess"
as I
brought
the
gentleman
into the
consultation
room at 7
pm on
August 13
and
announced
this
diagnosis
to the vet
on duty.
I told
this vet
that the
owner
wanted to
know the
fees
involved
in the
treatment.
The vet
quoted him
at $200
for
anaesthesia,
surgery
and
post-op
care and
the man
went out
to make a
phone call
to his
son. After
all, a new
terrapin
costs only
$1.50 or
less at
the pet
shop! The
vet
suddenly
said to
me: "You
do it."
The
Australian
vet school
probably
does not
lecture on
terrapins
and
hamsters
and so the
Australian-trained
vet may
not be
familiar
with the
conditions.
I am a
UK-trained
vets and I
was not
lectured
on this
species at
Glasgow
University
in the
1970s.
The vet
on duty
had never
seen such
a case in
the past
12 months
of
practice
or in his
undergraduate
studies in
Australia.
I had not
seen such
a case
during my
over 3
decades of
practice
too. Maybe
that was
why he
said that
I should
do it.
Maybe he
probably
thought
terrapins
have no
ears since
you don't
see any
ear lobes!
So, how
could I
diagnose
'ear
abscess'
so
confidently?
Do you
think
terrapins
have
ears? If
they don't
have ears
like dogs,
cats and
hamsters,
how can
the vet
diagnose
"ear
abscess"
so
arrogantly.
Actually,
I had seen
such cases
in the
internet.
See:
http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/Terrapene_Ear_Infection.htm
"Well,
they may
have ear
slits,"
the mother
of the vet
said to me
when I met
her and
her other
son
later.
Definitely,
it is very
hard to
imagine
ears in
terrapins
when they
are not
obvious.
"So,
did he
operate?"
the vet's
brother
wanted to
know
impatiently.
"He was
present in
the
operating
room ready
to
operate.
We
anaesthesized
the
terrapin
using
isoflurane
gas. Then
something
happened...."
"Did he
do the
surgery?"
the
brother
asked me
again.
"Well,
he was
about to.
But he was
saved by a
client who
came in to
get his
dog
checked
and
vaccinated
for export
to
Thailand."
I
lanced 5
mm into
the
abscess of
the
anaesthesized
terrapin
with a
scalpel.
Serous
fluid
leaked
out. Then
thick
yellow
pus. Then
blood. I
expressed
as much of
the pus as
possible.
I syringed
water into
the wound.
The
swelling
disappeared
and as I
videoed
the
result.
The
terrapin
opened his
mouth to
bite.
 |
 |
|
Ear abscess |
Pus drained |
12
hours
after
surgical
drainage,
the
terrapin
was OK but
the
swelling
was
present
but at 50%
of the
size.
There
would be
inflammation
of the
surrounding
cheek
muscles.
I asked
the owner
to take
the
terrapin
home and
give
medication.
The
terrapin
was not
eating at
the
Surgery as
he used to
eat with
four
others.
So, he
would be
better off
at home.
P.S
Ear
abscesses
must be
operated,
otherwise
the pus
would go
to the
brain and
it would
be too
late. In
Singapore,
this is
the first
time I
encounter
the ear
abscess in
a terrapin
as
terrapin
owners
seldom
consult
the vets
for
treatments.
There were
4 other
terrapins
in this
home but
they were
OK. The
feed was
commercial
pellets
and
apparently
this
affected
terrapin
had an
excellent
appetite.
The
other vet
commented
to me that
the
terrapin
would hold
his breath
and
therefore
would take
a much
longer
time to
anaesthetize.
However
there is
no need to
fully
knock the
terrapin
out.
Around 1
minute of
5%
isoflurane
+ O2 will
do. I
wanted to
use a gas
mask but
in the
end, the
container
in which
the
terrapin
was placed
was used.
A video
would be
produced
for vet
students
and pet
owners
later.
|
TOA
PAYOH VETS
