A young beagle puppy
became lethargic. What's wrong?
I put her on the consultation table and put my left hand
to palpate the abdomen. pain. She yelped when I palpated
the anterior abdomen in front of the two women, one of
whom was the owner. "Your puppy had stomach ache," I
said. "You can see the and hear her discomfort crying. I
advise an X-ray as puppies do swallow pebbles and other
foreign bodies when they go outdoors."
This was a case I collaborated with Dr Vanessa on the
management of the case. Sometimes I do intervene as part
of quality control and mentorship of my associate vets.
Dr Vanessa later spoke to me as she wanted an
ultra-sound.
"I don't think ultrasound will be good in this case," I
said.
She had shown me an ultrasound of a pyometra case. The
ultrasound scan showed an increase in thickness of the
endometrium. So it was pyometra and the surgery proved
it.
"Speak to Vet 1," I said. "He has experience in
ultrasound and X-ray." As vets have their own
preferences and judgment, it would be a matter of
decision and so I did not object when Dr Vanessa to
favour ultra-sound. There are more than one way to
handle a case of anterior acute abdomen. I decided to
phone Vet 1. However, it was difficult to contact Vet 1
as he was busy in his practice. I left a message with
Vet 1's staff to call me back.
Vet 1 phoned me when the Beagle arrived at his Surgery.
I asked him whether ultrasound would be useful or an
X-ray in the Beagle suspected of having foreign bodies
(bones, stones and others) in his stomach.
"If you are looking for foreign bodies in the stomach,
an X-ray is better," he advised me. "Why scan for the
other organs like kidneys and liver when you suspect
foreign bodies in the stomach?"
"Go ahead with the X-ray, 2 views," I thanked him. I
told Dr Vanessa the switch to X-rays while she was
consulting.
No two vets will
have the same method of using ancillary aids to
diagnosis, but it is best to consult another vet who has
more experience in practice and in doing ultrasound and
X-rays on certain conditions, as in this case.
To excel in veterinary science, a small animal vet in
private practice needs to open his or her mouth to seek
advices as veterinary medicine is extremely diverse as
vets are anesthetists surgeons and general practitioners
unlike human medicine where there is specialisation.
Usually they are given as this case illustrates.
Experience comes with time and cases handled.
One needs to be humble to ask for veterinary advices
from others. There is no way a vet can know everything
as interpretation and when to use veterinary radiology
and ultrasound is again another big specialised field
that will take years to master.
TOA
PAYOH VETS
