kongsing

40. Loss

2010-01-05T06:13:00.001+08:00

"You wrote a composition on 'Loss' in your English Language preliminary examination?" I asked Nurse Ann's son who would be taking his "O" level examinations in six weeks. If he could get less than 20 points in his subjects during this preliminary examinations, he would qualify to study in the junior colleges. The less points, the better his chances were of going to the top junior colleges. If not, he would have to sit out three months waiting for the results of the "O" levels and the four points he had for extra curricular activities to give him an edge by reducing the 20 points by 4 would be of no advantage to him.

"This is a very tricky topic as it is too generalised and you can't score high marks unless you have read widely and are able to link topics on loss," I said. I knew he did not bother to read the Straits Times Newspaper to be more aware of current affairs and be knowledgeable or visit the National Library even once a week, as he had better things to do, like computer gaming and watching television or going out with friends. All these activities cut off the time for research and self study. So, it was a foregone conclusion that he would not have a powerful command of the English Language.

"It was the only topic of the four I could write about. I wrote more than 600 words. It was an exposition essay requiring 350 - 600 words. The other topics were public ban of smoking, advices I had received, how to fit in a group and sights and sounds of a school event.

"What did you write?"

"I wrote about relationships," the boy pointed to the examination paper where he had scribbled the outline of his essay. The outline was less than 20 words.

Three examples on loss of friendship and love were scribbled. This was insufficient content in an essay. I felt an instant sadness as I knew that this boy could excel in his studies but he did not know how.

His mum believed in not hovering around him like a hawk, ensuring that he studied the hours and go for tuition, unlike other Singaporean mothers. It was too late now. His academic foundation was wobbly judging from numerous red marks in his examinations in the past four years of secondary school. Somehow, below par performances in examinations did not bother this boy as he believed he would do well at the "O" level examinations and qualify for studies a junior college. It was youthful optimism untainted by the too many failures and disappointments of adulthood.

"How many marks did you get out of 40 maximum?" I asked this strappy sixteen-year-old boy whose face had been burnt chocolate brown by the four years of National Cadet Corps marching under the hot tropical sun. He was one head taller than Nurse Ann and looked more like his mother.

"I had 23 marks," the boy whispered as he knew I had always expected him to perform well academically since he was in primary school.

"That would be 58% and would be not good enough to help you qualify for the top ten junior colleges," I said. English Language was a core qualifying subject and every mark counted in this preliminary examination. Students who had excellent results from 5 subjects including English Language would get enrolled into the junior colleges earlier by three months while the others would have to wait and if they are disqualify, there was the polytechnics or institutes of education.

"It is difficult to write a high quality essay on 'Loss' unless you read widely," I said. "Many junior college students would not be able to score well in this topic too, unless they had read widely and are able to elaborate more on 'Loss' generally and link them politically, socially and economically. Many of such topics require that you give a variety of illustrations rather than just personal loss of friendships."
Why did the teacher give a question on "Loss"? Could it be related to some significant events recently?

Events such as the September 11 2001 loss of lives, properties and share values. This would be world affairs. The corporate corruption of Enron causing loss of confidence in shareholders who now don't buy much shares leading to loss of capital for companies would be economics. So would the US$30 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to help the Brazilian economy from a country going bankrupt, leading to loss of jobs.

In Singapore, the loss of a life to liver failure of a Singaporean woman who took Slim 10 dieting pills would had social consequences. Pet loss of newly purchased puppies due to viral diseases are very traumatic to the new owner who loses money as well as suffer grief.

Most Secondary Four boys will be caught at a loss of words when given essay questions to write as they don't read widely and hence cannot link events to "Loss".

They don't like to read the essays in the newspapers and hence do not have a powerful vocabulary to tackle essay questions well. They love tabloids, Archie comics, television and computer gaming. The majority of teenagers do not go to the Library.

The school teachers in Singapore are kept busy with high numbers of pupils taught per student and had to teach more than one subject and do administrative and extra curricular activities. Some of them get hoarse voices and had to go for voice training after five years of teaching.

It would be an unusual teacher who had the high energy to teach the boys from bottom classes good English as such boys are really not interested in studies. Nurse Ann's son was in the bottom class because he had chosen a biology subject which was only taught in this class. Nurse Ann did not comment much. She was a believer in positive reinforcements. No discouraging remarks. No brutal frankness as this will de-motivate the boy.

The telephone's ringing interrupted my thoughts on "Loss". Mr Tan, an industrialist, said, "Do you remember me? I have to export my dog to Myanmar as I can't keep him in Singapore. Can you issue a veterinary health certificate?"
I could not remember Mr Tan. There are many Singaporeans with the surname of Tan. "Well," Mr Tan said, "Do you remember the dog whose two balls popped out of his scrotal bag, after a vehicle accident and you castrated him?"

I could remember this uncommon case. It was at least two years ago. A skinny cross-bred was all I could recall.

"Please bring your dog to the surgery for the health examination," I said.

Mr Tan wanted a certificate without the need of an examination because the dog would attack people. It was a strong dog and was hard to control in the car. "It will save you time and I will still pay your professional fees," he said. "You had seen the dog before."

Certifying an animal for health without inspection is a loss of professional integrity for a veterinarian. There would be such requests for many veterinarians.

"I need a dog licence but it is difficult to apply for one," Mr Tan continued. He was fluent in the Cantonese dialect but he was knowledgeable about the rules and regulations. His dog was over 40 cm at the shoulder height and over 10 kg in weight and would not be permitted to be kept in his (Housing & Development Board) HDB apartment. The HDB industrial park operator also prohibited the keeping of dogs by tenants. Therefore, he was in a fix even though he wanted to export this fearless dog.

This dog was intelligent. He would be the sentry to watch out for the dog catchers while the others would nap under the container. Once he saw the blue cranky Land rover moving in, he would warn his mates and they would disappear. For the past three years, he had evaded capture. I was glad that he would be exported as capture of a stray dog meant death for him.

I told Mr Tan that I would apply the dog licence for him as it could be done electronically. The cost of a new licence for a male dog was $20.50. He gave me fifty dollars. It seemed like easy money. Just click on the mouse and email the form. The licence would be posted to Mr Tan.

It was not simple to apply electronically. There was a need to download the Acrobat software so as to read the form electronically.

Then, the form had to be downloaded and printed out. If I wanted to pay electronically, I had to get the form approved by the licensing authority first. Then I had to download a software called e-wallet and register myself. This was to avoid fraud. To pay, I must buy a cash card reader machine which could read my cash card. That would set me back by one hundred dollars if such cash card reader machine is still available for sale.

How about payment by credit card as in amazon.com when you buy a book? It was not possible to pay by credit card directly.

The whole application journey was unbelievably tortuous. In the end, it was easier to ask Nurse Ann to take a taxi to get the licence directly.

I had to make a house-call without charging Mr Tan, to make sure that there was a real dog before getting the licence. This whole process was a money-losing proposition.

At the industrial park factory, the dog, kept in Mr Tan's office, leapt straight onto me, ready to attack. Mr Tan had forewarned me and I was ready.

The dog was in excellent health and had no problems with his operation. I asked Mr Tan to lift up his tail so that I could check that he was castrated. I could remember the unique accident case but not the identity of this dominant dog.

I did not ask Mr Tan, but I guess he would be fined $500 if he was found with an unlicensed dog and in any case, the industrial park operator would penalise him for breach of tenancy agreement and evict him.

Mr Tan loses a good dog but I am glad that this sentry will have a safer life in a nice house in Myanmar without having to be on guard for his life as the dog catchers intensify their rounds each time a Singaporean complains about stray dogs.

Fortunately shot guns are now no longer used in Singapore after a man sleeping amongst stray dogs was shot and died. Singapore loses top talents to other countries as the world globalisation provides more opportunities for emigration. Losing a top dog owing to bureaucratic obstacles and penalties would be of concern only to the industrialist who loved dogs.

P.S.
A brief history of dog shooting in Singapore
Humane treatment of stray dogs and dog shooting in Singapore

41. Animal welfare work - challenges & case study of SMU Animal Day 2008

2008-03-09T08:02:00.003+08:00

Sunday, March 9, 2008

This article is written for the benefit of animal welfare volunteers raising funds for the animals, using the SMU Animal Day 2008 as a real life case study.

On Saturday March 8, 2008, I visited the Singapore Management University (SMU) Animal Day 2008. I had news of this event from an electronic NANAS newsletter.

As I have had spent more than 2 hours just editing 5 pictures for this article and have to go to my surgery to work, here are my observations:

1. HOW TO GET A LARGE CROWD?. Saturday afternoon. It is a challenge to get a big audience. 100 goodie bags and prizes would be given but there seemed to be not sufficient audience.

1.1. Get the various sponsors and associates to inform their network. I got info from NANAS electronic newsletters by e-mail. Be pro-active in finding out whether they are doing it.

1.2 100 goodie bags. Attractive. The problem here is the lack of audience. Those children and mothers you see in the picture came over from the National Museum.

1.3 Advertise event in the National Museum, National Library, POSB and community centres where the likely audience is found. A small notice in the Straits Times "Events Today" was placed.

1.4 Excite or interest the newspapers journalists to do a write up. I don't know whether this was done. The theme must be attractive to the jaded journalist.

1.5 50 posters were printed and put around the campus? Some flyers were distributed. None were available.

1.6 Sponsors get disheartened if there is no crowd.

2. THEME. Somehow I feel that the theme is not connecting to Animal Day. This event seems to be more a dog adoption and not buy from the pet shops concept. The poster slogan is great. Poster is attractive. The T-shirts of the energetic organising committee tell it.

3. TIME-TABLE OF EVENTS. Why should a person attend this event? There is no agenda or information about the talks or seminars advertised on site for the audience. No information is given in the poster. Flyers are no more. Actually, there is the agility and obedience dog show by the Singapore Kennel Club.

4. CREATE MARKET AWARENESS OF YOUR OBJECTIVES. Beautiful layout of the front of the T-shirt is important. But in this competitive world for funds, it is important for the animal welfare organisation to understand that a buyer of its T-shirt is a walking advertiser for its objectives.

Though graphics experts advise NO slogan in the front (to attract a person to read the back of the T-shirt for the message), I am of the opinion that the front is prime advertising space. Time-pressed Singaporeans and people may just read the front and if you listen to the experts, you just fail to get the "marketing awareness creation" to anybody.

Remember: The graphics experts look for awards and beauty. A slogan of the animal welfare organisation on the front of the T-shirt reinforces its objectives to new audience and maybe attracts new volunteers. Fund raising is extremely competitive and donor fatigue is common. So, get the slogan out in the front of the T-shirt!

Overall, I enjoyed the SMU PAW event and met great animal lovers including the energetic organising committee members.

40. Valentine flowers for a mother?

2008-02-19T06:02:00.004+08:00

"How romantic this uncle and aunty must be!" the 4 couples and the waitresses in the Crystal Jade Restaurant at Toa Payoh would be thinking.

The 5th couple to join their table of ten was a couple in their fifties while the other 4 couples at the big dining table were younger.

Tables for two on Valentine's Day were full but the restaurant could give immediate seats to couples who did not mind sharing a table of ten (5 couples). So, the fifth couple was Judith and her husband in his mid fifties. Judith was carrying a bouquet of roses --- an uncommon sight in this restaurant.

The waitress smiled and kindly shifted an 11th chair for her to place the boutique of roses. The other 4 couples looked but did not say anything. They were in their thirties and had also not minded sharing a table of ten to have dinner on Valentine's Day in this full-house restaurant. None of them carried any roses into the dining room. In Singapore, seldom do older couples from an earlier generation waste money paying more for roses on Valentine's Day.

Yet here was an older woman carrying a bouquet of roses in a star-shaped wrapping to dazzle everyone and make all fall in love with love again and forget about very expensive roses.

The older woman with the roses did not appear, what I would say, "over the moon" carrying the bouquet of roses.

Why?

The roses were for another lady. Her son sent the roses to his first love at the first love's office but the young lady was in another location. So he phoned his mum to help him bring the roses to meet him. Mum arranged to meet him at this restaurant, carrying the roses and bedazzling all at the restaurant!

The boy had taken special leave from his national service to celebrate Valentine's Day. He got his flowers and would meet his date.

Mum is still a boy's best friend, especially on Valentine's Day. The boy had asked whether he should buy her flowers on Valentine's Day? She said, "Don't waste money. Roses are so expensive on Valentine's Day."

49. Creating High-Impact Nonprofits - 12 Cases

2007-10-29T17:00:00.000+08:00

Standford Social Invovation Review Vol 5 No. 4

Secrets of Success ie in how high-impact nonprofits mobilize every sector of society - govt, business, non-profits and the public - to be a force for good.

6 practices to achieve extraordinary impact:
1. SERVE AND ADVOCATE
2. MAKE MARKETS WORK
3. INSPIRE EVANGELISTS
4. NUTURE NONPROFIT NETWORKS
5. MASTER THE ART OF ADAPTATION
6. SHARE LEADERSHIP

1. Service delivery alone cannot achieve large-scale social change. Good at both service and advocacy. Advocacy at the national level - replicate its model, gain credibility and acquire funding for expanasion.

e.g. Self-Help, Durham, N.C. Home loans to poor, minority single mothers. Predatory lenders. Self-Help organised a statewide coalition in N. Carolina to pass the first anti-predatory lending law in the USA. Then in 22 other states.

Some start with service, some with advocacy but they recognise early that both reinforce each other.

2. Tapping into the power of self-interest and laws of economics more effective than pure altruism.

e.g. Environmental Defense worked with McDonald's packaging to be more environmentally sound. Change business behaviour on a large scale.

Self-Help use mainstream financial players like Wachovia and Fannie Mae to reach underserved markets.

America's Second Harvest, City Year and Habitat for Humanity - large corporate partnerships to obtain funding, media relations, marketing support and in-kind donations.

Share Our Strength runs a nonprofit consulting business called Community Wealth Ventures whose revenue --- social mission to fund their programs.

3. Value volunteers, donors and advisers for their time, money and guidance and also evangelism. Create emotional experiences to connect supporters to the group's mission and core values.

Habitat for Humanity - churches, grassroots -- building homes for the poor. Mobilise super evangelist like JImmy Carter -- propel from a grassroots nonprofit to a global force for change.

4. Collaborative, collective action for large-scale social change.
Self interest to share wealth, expertise, talent and power with other nonprofits to help them succeed at fundraising. Influence legislation or conduct grassroots advocacy campaigns with worrying about getting credit.

The Heritage Foundation - local, state and national levels. > 2,000 member organisations for the Heritage's Resource Bank. As a critical connector to build a larger conservative movement over last 2 decades.

YouthBuild USA, Second harvest, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Exploartorium.

5. Combine creativity with disciplined system for evaluating, executing and adapting ideas over time.

e.g. Share Our Strength. - - raise money for hunger relief. Rather than direct mail campaign, launch the Taste of the Nation series - 70 cities -- professional chefs donate their time and talent to local tasting event.

"Taste of the Game" using celebrity athletes was a flop.
Develops business plans and research more before diving into new programs.
4 critical steps in the cycle of adaptation
- listen to feedback from external environments and seek opportuniites for improvement or change.
- Innovate and experiement, developing new ideas or improving upon older programs.
- Evaluate and learn what works with the innovation, sharing info and best practices across their networks.
- Modify plans and programs - ongoing learning. Never-ending cycle.

6. SHARE LEADERSHIP. Empower others to lead. Buld strong 2nd in command, enduring executive teams with long tenure, develop large and powerful boards (20->40 members share power with the executives).

e.g The National Council of La Raza - collective leadership. Hispanic leaders.

Big mistake -- focus too much on process rather than on impact.

Police yourself to become a vet

2007-02-08T05:57:00.000+08:00

February 8, 2007, 5.58 am.

At 6.30 am, I need to send this boy to the airport. A window of opportunity to become a veterinarian is open but will he squander on long hours of addictive online gaming and partying in a land far away from parental supervision?

"What grades do you need to get into veterinary medicine at Murdoch University?" I asked the recruitment agent yesterday?

"Three Grade As at "A level or CMS points (for those studying in Australia) of above 90%"

The Chihuahua trembled violently suddenly

2007-02-01T07:14:00.000+08:00

February 1, 2007 7.30 a.m

"He was shivering violently this afternoon," the girlfriend said as her Chihuahua sniffed the marble flooring of the living room at 1.10 a.m February 1, 2007. The dog wagged his tail and looked at his owner. I was now fully awake now expecting some dire emergency. Fortunately, this male dog did not urine mark my living area.

"Many dogs do behave normally when they see the vet," I said. "What was his temperature at the emergency vet?"

"He was given some tablets," the girlfriend did not know what the medication 'Cimetidine' was for.

I put the dog on the dining table. The sudden development of violent shivering could be due to pain rather than fever. The temperature reading shot from 38.6 deg C to 40.9 deg C.

"Was the dog eating?" I asked the girlfriend as I palpated the dog's abdomen and found nothing abnormal or painful.

"Yes." So, it was likely that the sudden burst to above normal temperature was a freak result.

I used another thermometer to take the rectal temperature again. I asked the young man who wanted to study medicine to take the rectal temperature. He fumbled as he looked for the very small anal opening covered by the long coat of the Chihuahua.

Hm... That did not make a good impression on a customer (his girlfriend in this case).
The temperature was normal, at 38.6 deg C.

"What is the normal temperature of the dog?" Daniel asked. I was surprised he asked. But young man had better distractions than knowing such mundane things. But he was going to be a vet and maybe, he should know. To impress his girl friend, maybe.

"What is Cimetidine?" Daniel asked. I think he ought to read up.

I put 2 fingers and poked the dog from below the neck to the tail, inch by inch while the girlfriend held his head. The dog was unhappy. His eye-whites warned me to get off. He turned his head as I poked an area of his spine, midway up and behind his rib cage.

"Was he staggering like a drunk, as if he was lame?" I asked the girl friend. She did not know but the emergency vet had diagnosed some loose knee caps. Yes, his right patellar bone was partially luxuated and slipped up and down creaking like a loose stone when I flexed the right hind knee. The girlfriend was aware of that. When I put the dog down after flexing, he was not lame or painful.

I put the dog onto the living area. He sniffed and walked near to the sofa. Maybe he was going to urine mark.

"Call the dog to climb the 2 steps of the stairs separating the living from the dining area," I asked the girl friend.

The dog climbed easily. Then he wanted to climb the staircase to upstairs.

"Put the dog on the dining table again," I asked the girl friend.

She held the dog's head while I review the pain on the spinal area up and behind the rib cage. This time, the Chihuahua wanted to bite me as he lowered his body in great pain. I had poked at the painful part, the thoraco-lumbar spinal area --- behind his rib cage.

"Why did you use 2 fingers to do that?" the young man asked.

"Just to check for spinal disc protrusion," I said. "The dog had a spinal disc pain but it is not serious now. That would account for the violent shivering at 4 p.m., 9 hours ago.

"He is normal now but don't allow him to climb up and down stairs anymore."

"There are no steps inside the HDB apartment," the girl friend said.

"I mean, the flight of steps going up and down the apartment." I said.

As for the boyfriend, he is at the cross roads now. Like the traffic policeman in the picture, he has to decide whether he wants to go the straight path of researching and learning lots about veterinary medicine or turn right to the path of distractions of long hours of online gaming and partying with army friends and mates.

He can't have both because time is needed to hone his skills at veterinary medicine and he has only a finite time in this stage of his life.

36. The Shih Tzu likes to grip women's legs

2007-01-25T06:57:00.000+08:00

"Come in," I asked the 2 classmates of the dog owner to be present for the dog's annual vaccination. My consultation room of 80 sq ft would be crowded with 4 people but it would be good to make the veterinary visit interesting for the friends as well.

3 teenaged girls of around 18 years of age, wearing dull brown uniforms. Matching the colour as the brown of the Shih Tzu and contrasted with their sun tanned faces.

"Have you paper-trained the Shih Tzu?" I asked the lady owner.

"I was not able to catch him peeing," the girl said. "I shouted "Kenny, Naughty boy!. But he run away quickly!

"It is best not to shout when the puppy is starting to eliminate," I said. "He gets startled and stops peeing." Many owners do shout, but it may not work.

"I put newspaper over the urine spot," the girl said. "White vinegar:water does not seem to be effective in neutralising the urine smell. He pees onto the wall often. On the same spots."

"As this dog is a male and grown up, he is not having toilet training problems. He is urine marking to mark his territorial limits," I said. "He probably grips people's legs as well."

"Yes," the owner said. "He clings onto my legs and even when I walk away, he just get dragged. He goes for women's legs only."

"What happens? Do the women scream?"

"He also jumps and grips my leg," one friend laughed.

"My sister and I will pull him away but his grip is strong."

"Why don't you neuter him as this anti-social behaviour can be solved if he is neutered early."

"But he will be gay," the girl said. The new generation is much against neutering. So strict obedience training of male dogs must be done early. However, there will be female or other family members not able to control the male dog's dominating and sexual behaviour.

A risky canine surgery

2007-01-24T06:00:00.000+08:00

Seldom will you find a dog "crying" under deep general anesthesia. This Golden Retriever Cross just could not stop whinining continuously on the operating table. "Her...her...her..." non-stop. Was he having a nightmare or in great pain? Would
his heart stop beating when he stopped whining? Should I have waited for 10 days before operating?

He was not an ideal candidate for surgery as he had steroids which reduced his immune system for over 4 weeks. Now he had fever as well. The hard as 3 tennis balls' lump under his skin. The steroids and antibiotics for over a month from a veterinarian had not reduced the size of the subcutaneous lump. Red blood was drawn out from the lump. So, was it a haematoma or a form of fat cell tumour? How did it arise? Nobody knew. What to do with it now? The dog had antibiotics for so many weeks but now had a fever. Was it an infectious fever or the toxins of the lump causing fever?

I suspected it was toxins. So, it would be better to operate and remove the lump. Waiting for another ten days would not be good for this dog. But he was not the ideal candidate for surgery as he had fever.

A very hard decision. If the dog survived, everybody would be happy. The risks were higher than usual.

Back to this whining on the operating table. It was very rare for any deeply anaesthesized dog to make any noise. I cut a big 15-cm curved incision above his right shoulder. As short as possible. The dog did not feel the pain.

Yet he was whining away. More like crying for help. Lots of white hard lumps of cells and blood clotted tissues were taken out with my hands. Lots of bleeding. I estimated at least 1 litre of blood lost. But there was no turning back. I rather not do this type of surgery as the outcome is unpredictable.

The subcutaneous fat under the skin was 3 cm normal white oily cells. The connective tissues below were all red and black, hard clumps here and there. I felt with my fingers the left shoulder area to remove all. I did not want to make a bigger cut.

I removed most of the abnormal tissues. I could feel the spine of the right scapula (shoulder blade). Blood seeped out continuously. A large mass of blood vessels seemed to be stuck to the tissues was removed. More bleeding. Slow bleeding.

Would this dog die from haemorrhage?

An intravenous drip was given. The dog could not stand up for 24 hours after surgery unlike other dogs. On the 3rd day he went home. He slept a lot. On the 5th day after surgery, he could eat.

Wound maintenance at home was important. He had a good owner who had medical training --- in human teeth. He was very well cared for. So far on this day 5, he was starting to eat and scratching his wound. So far, so good.

Such challenging surgeries in dogs with a long period of steroids and fever are best not done as outcome is very unpredictable. Steroids lowered his immune system considerably. Antibiotics over a long period of time might or might not have been effective. The owner had stopped the medication. So, was this dog having a bacterial infection or toxaemia?

The vet has to make an instant judgment in the interest of the dog. Could the dog get worse if the surgery was delayed further? The owner had to be informed of the risk and understand. In this case, an antibiotic injection was given 12 hours before the surgery. It was unlikely that this dog could wait another 7 - 10 days for surgery as he was not eating much and had vomited earlier.

Normally, I don't perform such surgeries till the dog's conditions are stable and ideal. There are always exceptions to the norm.

34. Record Your "Seeing practice"

2007-01-18T06:03:00.000+08:00

Seeing Practice

This article is written for a young man who wished to be a vet.

I may be mistaken, but this slim beginning Year 4 veterinary undergraduate from Murdoch University typifies the "obsessive to-be-thin to be attractive culture" of young adult girls. The thin no-fat body is reinforced by in the various slimming advertisements of Singapore's newspapers almost every day.

Kitty needed to "see practice" for 2 weeks before starting Year 4 at Murdoch University. 4th year will be the most demanding stressful year. Real clinical and surgical work. Crash course compared to the honeymoon years of Year 1 and 2. It is a pity that the University could not spread out the clinical years of common surgeries to Year 2 and 3 so that the lectures become "alive" before the student goes to Year 4. I may stand corrected as I am out of touch with the undergraduate teaching.

"Castration, now called neutering of the male dog is a common surgery," I said. "Do you know the closed and open techniques?"

It was not a fair question as she had not started Year 4.

"I will demonstrate gas mask anaesthesia, but the vet must be extra vigilant. Endotracheal intubation to deliver anaesthestic gas is the preferred method for brachycephalic breed because oxygen can be given directly to the lungs via the endotracheal tube in an anaesthetic emergency.

"I will show you the 2 methods of neutering - the closed and open techniques," I said.

I might as well speak Greek to her.

Kitty put the face mask onto the tranquilised Shih Tzu. After a brief struggle at 8% gas anesthesia, he was anaesthesized. The gas was kept at 2%.

"When the anaesthesia is stable, you can hear the dog snoring loudly," I said. "The brachycepahlic (short nosed) breed has a regular snoring sound. This means that the anaesthesia is not too deep or too light."

The Shih Tzu was breathing as Kitty could see the rebreathing bag moving. But there was no sound. She put her head onto the chest of the dog. The only sound was the whirl of the air conditioner.

Was the anaesthesia too deep?

"Touch the eyelids with your fingers," I said. Kitty put one finger onto the eyelids.

"The eyes did not blink," Kitty said.

"See the eyeball's sclera (eye white). Is it rolled downwards so that you see more of the sclera?"

"Yes," Kitty said.

"Reduce the anaesthesia to 1%," I advised. Still no snoring. The dog was all right as his tongue colour was reddish, as seen through the transparent cover of the gas mask.

I started surgery. The open technique involved opening the sheath and separating the cremaster muscle from the spermatic cord. "One disadvantage is the slight bleeding from the cutting of the cremaster muscle," I showed her the clot."

Then I used the closed technique which involved tying up the whole sheath.

For brachycephalic breeds, monitoring the dog during the period immediately after surgery and ending of anaesthesia is important. Many have difficulty in breathing. Sure enough, this Shih Tzu's tongue turned purplish blue.

What to do?

"Pull the dog up by the hind legs with your hand. Pull out the tongue and massage the chest to stimulate the heart beating with the dog upside down," I advised.

I demonstrated. Kitty might need some weight training. The dog appeared too heavy.

What to do?

"Squat down. Put the dog onto your lap, with the head downwards and tongue pulled out and massage the chest."

This must be her first time. She squeezed the chest with the palm of her hand, but there was no breathing sound from the dog. It was important that the student gets hands-on experience when seeing practice. That was why she had to do things to gain the necessary experience.

The dog was not in danger at any time.

"Ok, stand up," I put Kitty out of her misery. "Put the dog on the operating table."

I showed her how to give cardiac massage. The dog gave a loud rasping breathing sound every 3 time I massaged the chest. The tongue took some time to change to a pinker colour. Kitty waited till the dog stood up before putting him into the cage.

"Don't you record your seeing practice experiences?" I asked Kitty. "When I saw practice in Scotland 30 years ago, I scribbled on small notebooks. In the end I had so many books!

"Now, the internet generation has the blog. It is so much easier to read the journal in a blog than for me to go through the hundreds of small books to refer to the cases."

Veterinary students in Murdoch University see practice with practising veterinarians from the beginning of the 4th year. But you should "see practice" as early as the first year so that the lectures comes "alive." However, you must record your experiences in a journal, so that you can refresh your memory and understand in depth when you go into the 4th and final years. Otherwise, when you see practice as an observer, you do not retain much information and skills. Nobody will tell you to record your "seeing practice" experiences.

32. An allergic reaction after Christmas

2007-01-03T06:58:00.000+08:00

Jan 2 2006 is still a public holiday in Singapore.
Common cases would be diarrhoea and vomiting, due to the excess of the holiday season. This case of possible allergy could also be due to the feeding or use of some thing related to the festive season. Only the dog knows.

This dog had a very bad ear infection 12 months ago. He recovered. Put on home-cooked food. Well cared for by the maid. The owner (a keen golfer and karoke singer)entrusted her with the dog care. She did use ear drops but not thoroughly. Anal glands were impacted with copious yellow fluid.

But this dog is very itchy. Circular wound on right elbow and on the inside of the tail end. This could be due to the intense body itch. Scratches his ear when taken out to take a photo.

What is the problem? An allergy. As he was on home-cooked food for the past 12 months without problems, it is unlikely to be a commercial food allergy. The owner denied that he got any Christmas food treats.

The ears were clean, with just some brown wax and hairs. So, what causes this allergy? If only the dog can talk.

31. Buying back the sold kitten

2006-12-19T07:25:00.000+08:00

THE BUSINESS OF PET SHOPS

Monday Dec 18, 2006

"Remember me?" the Englishman phoned, reminding me of our meeting 8 days ago at my Surgery talking about the state of advertising agencies in Singapore. I remember him as my practice seldom have foreign clientele. We had a good conversation about advertising and his surname sounded like one of the Israeli's prime minister's.

"You advised that I could ask the Kitten Seller to keep the kitten for a week or two to treat its cat flu?"

"Yes," I said. "What's happened?" During the veterinary inspection after sales, the kitten had runny nose. It could be the tail end of the flu infection or the beginning. The Englishman could treat at home or return to the Seller. This Seller might take care of it for a week and once it is cured, he would take the kitten back.

The Seller accepted the kitten. But now the Englishman said he would not get the kitten back. The Seller said he had posted him the cheque to refund him the money. But he did not receive and did not want the cheque. He wanted the kitten. The Seller would not budge.
So he phoned me.

"The Seller had bad experiences with certain cultures threatening to sue him when sold an 'unhealthy' pet---now he just wanted to pay you back the money. There would be such customers, including the locals..." I wanted to let him sort out with the Seller. But he was a very nice Englishman. He and his wife had visited the kitten yesterday and probably several days. The Seller assessed he might be litigious?

What to do with this situation such that it turns out win-win for all parties? A cheque had been posted to him. The Seller wanted nothing to do with him. The Seller lost the credit card charges as the cheque was payment in full, unlike some Sellers.

I telephoned the Seller. He was adamant. Two cultures provided the worst of complainants and one representative was the Englishman.

"I am sure Singaporeans do cause such distress to you too as I have had such potentially litigious clients in my veterinary practice," I said. "Not only foreign cultures..."

Mr Formicelli would not budge even though I vouched for the Englishman's gentle character and the fact that he had promised me that he would not sue for loss should the kitten die the next week. "Live animals are not guaranteed to live as some may die some days after purchase," I had told him. "I can help you on one condition---you assure me that you would not make claims or sue should the kitten fall sick the next few days."

The Englishman hesitated, "Please make a house call to the pet shop and check for me. I will pay for your trouble."

But the Seller was decisive even when I told him of this conditional return of the kitten. He had too much bad experiences. There would always be abusive and loud customers when pets get sick. But my feeling was that this Englishman would not be one of them.

What should I do? Is there a solution to this problem? A win-win solution?

"Let me buy the cat and then sell it to the Englishman," I said to Mr Formicelli. "If there are problems, the Englishman would have to see me since I am the Seller. You create ill will if you persist and it would not be good for your business

"The Englishman would speak ill of your company to his expatriate community. It is a closed community..." I tried to tell him that his company's good reputation and branding would be tarnished by his decision.

Mr Formicelli stood his ground. "You want to spend time dealing with trouble?" Mr Formicelli asked me. "I have signed the cheque and return him in full but I lost money as I did not debit the credit card charges when paying him back in full. Why look for trouble when you have none?"

If only the Englishman's wife would take another kitten. If the Englishman had not sent the kitten to me for a post-sale veterinary inspection. I would have peace of mind. Christmas is 7 days away. The Nativitiy Story movie reminded me to generate good will among men. But it was not meant to be. I had a problem to solve.

"If I may advise," I tried to reason with Mr Formicelli. "Next time, you just pay the Englishman or others in cash on the spot and sign a letter of no claims after full refund of payment. That is what I do in such situations. Not to wait for a week and tell him that the kitten is no longer his. That would have got rid of the angry feelings towards you and your company.

I did not want to antagonise Mr Formicelli. In the law of contract, the sale was legally binding. There was an offer and an acceptance. The consideration of money was paid and accepted. So, the kitten that is NOT for sale had been sold to the Englishman.

Kitten with runny nose after purchase

So the kitten was legally the Englishman's.

The Englishman had not received nor would he accept the refund and the kitten belonged to him. Mr Formicelli's staff had taken over to care for the kitten and had not told him that he would never get back his kitten. He had spent time visiting it. Now it had recovered and he wanted it back.

It would be real messy if this case goes to court. I am sure the tabloids would have a field day. Pet stories are so fascinating to pet lovers. It would be infamy for Mr Formicelli and maybe for me too. Legal costs would be ridiculously higher than the purchase price of at least 10 kittens to be sold.

Mr Formicelli is a reasonable man. He agreed to sell the kitten to me. It was lunch time. I wanted to go to the Bishan Community Library to read.

But why take a chance in waiting?

What if somebody buys it or Mr Formicelli changes his mind? It is like real estate business. When the Seller is hot, do not wait one second. Close the deal

The lunch-time thunderstorm rain battered my car as I got out to take the kitten back. I examined it at the pet shop. The pet shop girl was very busy cleaning up the cat cages but took time to put the kitten on the counter,"Just a little flu. Not even any cough since the day it arrived. The pet shop vet said it had a little flu. It ate well and was active. I gave it medication..."

I kept silent as I need to rush out. My car was parked illegally in front of a bus stop area. I did not want the bus to smash into it. Just in case. There was no point arguing about the comments of the pet shop girl.

It was like saying a woman was "just a little bit pregnant", I thought. Either the kitten had flu or it did not have. Either the woman was pregnant or not.

I was glad that the Englishman would still give his wife the kitten as a Christmas present. He had avoided the storm of uncertainty that is life. The fire of litigation, expenses and ill will that would ensue if I could not solve his problem. He collected the kitten in the evening from the Surgery.

And I hope all live happily ever after.

29. The boy of few words may lose his new puppy if mum carries the threat

2005-12-12T03:29:00.000+08:00

"I have given puppies away before," the sun-tanned mother of 2 boys threatened the 12-year-old boy who was not paying attention to my advices on how to take care of his white Miniature Schnauzer. His 10-year-old brother had distracted him with some game card.

There was a lot of nursing required. The puppy was purchased from a pet shop yesterday and it had a "hacking cough" as well as pus in his nostrils. A present for the 12-year-old who had done well in his primary six school leaving examination. I was happy to see a good student. He might not qualify for the top school, having a grade of 255 and last year, the qualifying grade was above 260.

Still he had done well and now he had a present he wanted. A very quiet boy. A boy of few words.

"Quiet boys read a lot," I told the mum. She nodded.

"They are introverts," I said. "They converse with the authors instead of with real people.' Mum nodded.

"How do you get him to be more sociable?" she asked.

"I don't know," I replied. "I was like him. Maybe he had not much interaction with people and would be more sociable when he goes to the university." Mum did not agree that her son had no meeting with outside people. This was a closely knit family and they always had dinner together she said.

She wanted the boy to be responsible for the puppy. The boy had told her, "Mum, it is cruel to confine the puppy in a small area."

So, the puppy was in his bedroom at night. Coughing and disturbing the younger brother's sleep.

"The puppy had kennel cough," I said. "A viral and bacterial infection. There is no drug for viral infection. The puppy needed to be confined to enforce rest. If the puppy plays and not rest, the coughing will get worse."

Mum wanted the boy to be responsible, "It seems I will be the only one looking after this puppy."

I was happy for the boy with few words as now she did not say about giving away the puppy. It takes training and time to get this boy to care for his puppy. If he knew how. But he must listen and he was not paying attention to my veterinary advices.

So, would he do it? I doubt it. But I may be wrong. After all, he is a boy of few words.

"You have better nurse this puppy making sure he drinks and gets hand-fed the one handful of dry puppy food a meal twice a day as instructed by the Seller," I said to the working mum.

"Otherwise, you will have a dead pup in your hands in 7 days' time." She was a working mother who really had not much time to herself. The younger one was in the gifted education program after a common test. He was on the fast track to the top school and I was impressed. The gifted education program promotes elitism but a country needs such people too. Would this playful second brother be kicked out of this program if he does not pay attention to his studies? This was his mum's main concern.

I remember this case very well because I have two sons. They are no more pre-teens. Taller than me. Teenaged giants.

Bbut these two boys sure bring back memories of so much responsibilities to make sure they go to tuition, get good grades and not let their teachers call their mum to meet about their lacklustre academic performance.

They did not make it to the gifted education program or the top school. They are 17 and 19 years old, but they sure love their mums and go with her on holidays.

28. "The government wants all dogs neutered"

2005-12-11T02:15:00.000+08:00

"Now the Government wants all dogs neutered or dog owners will get fined," Mrs Lim commented when she brought her Shetland Cross for the 6th booster vaccination. She had received a vaccination reminder card. This Shetland Cross had a luxurious coat, tricolour with black dominating. He looked very handsome and so much like a "miniature" Shetland rarely found in Singapore.

"No," I interpeted the December 2005 regulations to her. "The AVA (Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority) has introduced a new regulation. It has increased the dog licensing fees for intact male dogs to around $70 per year, on par with the female dogs. Previously, the fees were around $20.00 for male dogs, neutered or not."

Many owners are reluctant to neuter dogs nowadays. The AVA had its 2nd yearly education and exhibition at Ngee Ann City in downtown Orchard Road to promote neutering as a means to reduce the stray dog and cat population. Concomitant with this exhibition was the announcement of the new regulation.

So, would she neuter her male dog to save $50 per year in licensing fees?
Was her dog licensed? A penalty of $500 fine would be imposed if an owner is caught with an unlicensed dog. I did not ask her.

Mrs Lim said, "Please check the big lump on the groin, near the right thigh." It was a swelling of around 2 cm x 2 cm. I pressed the hard lump. The dog whined and turned to bite me.

"Do not worry," Mrs Lim said. "My dog does not bite."

What could this lump be? A tumour or an infection?

"Did your dog jump onto people's legs or mount objects like cushions?" I asked.

"Sometimes. He likes to jump down from the sofa set."

I told Mr Lim to let me know if the lump becomes smaller in size after a course of antibiotics 2 weeks later. It was hard to know whether it was a tumour or an infected blood clot. There were no signs of lameness or pain according to Mrs Lim.

27. The crocodiled-skinned Maltese muzzle and paws

2005-11-20T07:57:00.001+08:00

"Did you use iodine on his backside?" I asked the young couple. The Maltese back end was stained yellow whre the hairs had been snipped off. Matted hairs. Crocodile skin wrinkled the muzzle and the four paws of this young dog.

"No," the owner said. "I used Chinese lotion."

He had completed medication. Put on an Elizabeth collar on the neck to prevent the dog from scratching. Not effective. In fact, the dog rubbed his muzzle onto some plastic area and now had a rough wrinkled old-dog muzzle. Possibly allergy to dog food. He had switched to home-cooked food recently. Yet the dog itches. So, he sought a second opinion.

I had to advise him about following up. "The problem is that you do not go for regular reviews 2-3 weeks after the treatment. So, after the medication was stopped, the same problem of itchiness came back. You wait till the dog cannot stand the itchiness anymore."

Surprisingly, he nodded his head.

For such cases, I asked him to get his groomer to shave the dog bald so that we knew which areas were infected. It was a busy Saturday for his groomer. So, I recommended him one who could do the job.

After shaving, I was surpised to see multiple red dots on the body. All over.

What could these red spots be? Very itchy circling ones, some 1 mm in diameter and others bigger than 3 cm. Could they be ringworm?

I took out the ultraviolet light to scan the back area. Switched off the consultation room lights. Incredible. All red spots showed fluorescent hairs. Some dog ringworm species do shine under the ultraviolet light. I just did not expect all the red spots to shine.

So, was this primarily a ringworm infestation of the skin or was ringworm just one result of the skin problem? I told him that it needed at least 1 month to know the answer as time is needed for drugs to work.

I hope he will follow up. Otherwise a 3rd opinion would be needed or the dog would become a real crocodile-skinned Maltese.

26. The malodorous cat and the man with the beard and ear rings.

2005-07-13T03:46:00.000+08:00

THE MALODOROUS CAT

A painful large swelling on the backside to the right of the tail and anus. Size of swelling around 4 cm in diameter. The cat flattened its ears and hissed when I touched the area.

The International Olympic Committee was in Singapore to prepare to vote for the city to host the 2012 Olympic Games. Paris was the favourite and London was second. The man with the beard was involved in organisation of the meeting. He barely had time for the cat who now suffered a sore backside. But he needed to do something. He clicked on the internet, put in some key words and picked up a veterinary surgery.

That was how I met him. I put the cat on the examination table.

"An abscess, probably due to a cat bite or scratch," I said. "I will tranquiliser it and drain the abscess."

"There was this neighbourhood tom cat who came up to my 2nd floor apartment," the young man with a beard and left ear rings said. "He must have attacked my cat who was just outside the apartment waiting for my mother to return from work."

The 5-year-old spayed cat was tranquilised. When I tried to give it the anaesthetic gas through a face mask, she showed her claws. Tranquilisers don't knock out a cat. Just sedate it. The next day, the cat was brought in. A blackish discharge came out from the swelling. The cat bite had caused inflammation, abscess formation and blood starvation in the area of the bite. The skin around the wound was whitish and soft, breaking down into pieces. The skin had become gangrenous as the blood supply was cut off.

This time, I gave the cat a general anaesthetic injection into its back muscle. I seldom used this method as an injection is irreversible if the cat had reactions. The cat may die unlike gas anaesthetic which can be given in small amounts first.

The owner with the beard was interested. He went into the surgery room. As I cleaned the abscess, he stepped closer to the door. The smell of the decay of organic matter concentrated inside the room and the extractor fan sucked it out. Nurse Ann and I were used to this smell had reached his nose. It was malodorous. I did not know whether he would faint and asked him to leave the room.

What sort of bacteria was so virulent as to cause tissue decay? The cat has an elastic skin and a bite from the tom cat had injected bacteria into the skin below. Being elastic, the wound closed. The bacteria multiplied. The cat's defence white blood cells could not cope with the invasion. Cells die and a putrid odour wafted in the surgery room.

The wound was flushed and cleaned. It needed antibiotics and then another surgery to close the hole. The owner did not want the cat back yet. His mother missed the cat but would not be able to clean the wound or give antibiotics. Nurse Ann gave antibiotics by mixing with the cat food.

Over the next 6 days, the wound was licked clean by the cat. All dead edges of skin were licked away all the dead skin creating a hole is as big as a table-tennis ball diameter.

It is a challenge to close up a big skin hole. Not as simple as you would think. It took more than one hour. Now, the mother wanted the cat home.

"Come and see the cat," I phoned the man with the beard. At home, the cat would be walking and jumping but the stitc "If the stitches break down, the hole would be 5 times bigger in area and there would be no second chance at stitching. You have been informed of the risk."

Veterinary costs are most important for the owner. I understand what the mother is thinking. She is from the baby-boomer generation where thrift is important.

It is not easy to earn money. She worked hard to earn a living. And here, just a bite wound from a tom cat. The man with a beard said, "I wish to know how to get rid of this tom cat."
"Well, you can contact the government's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority," I said without volunteering him the phone number.

"Another tom cat will take over the territory." He nodded his head. I was wondering why he let the cat out of the house in the first place but kept my mouth shut tightly.

The veterinary expenses add up as the cat needed various tranquilisation, anaesthesia and now a surgery to stitch up a big hole. I must consider the financial aspect of all owners.

The man with the beard was fortunately well educated. I would consider him a man of the world if there was such a character. He was a music lover and a writer.

He came in the evening to see the cat. He saw the stitches, the long incisions of skin I had to pinch to seal just a 20-cm hole. I had to get skin from every where just to close the gap. The right side of the anus had only 0.5 cm of skin left and I needed to make sure that the anal area be stitched up. I remembered this surgery. A dark green blob of anal oil oozed out when I undermined the anal area to get the skin loosened to stitch to the other skin flap. Damn it. I cleaned up the oil. I should have squeezed out the anal gland oil before surgery.

The man with the beard saw the cat. He comprehended that the cat must be confined at the veterinary surgery to let the stitches heal. His mother was displeased but seemed to understand that she would never be able to care for the cat at home.

"3 or 4 days later," he said. "I will bring the cat home."

"No," I said. "The skin wounds take at least 10 days to heal. 14 days preferred."

"Let me pay the outstanding fees now," he said. "Otherwise the total amount payable on discharge will give me a heart attack."

The mother gave Nurse Ann the Nets Card to debit the fees. The surgery and anaesthesia was $250, as affordable as it could be, considering that it took over 45 minutes just to stitch up a hole in the backside.

He took out his card to pay for his mother as he came back from the animal holding area where his cat was warded. I consider him a young man although he must be around forty years old. He is young compared to me. But the internet generation will consider him an old man. The man with the beard and left ear rings loves his mother without a doubt.

From this experience, all cats should be kept at home for their own safety. It is still a cat-bite-cat jungle in Singapore although most stray cats have had been napped and taken away. Stray cats are becoming as rare as stray dogs in modern Singapore.

Pictures of the cat's progress will be posted at www.toapayohvets.com later.

25. The home-breeder vaccinates once and sells his Golden Retrievers

2005-06-29T06:52:00.000+08:00

One vaccination and sell. Good luck to the pet shop operator

"The pet shop operator takes the risk," the home breeder said. His 4 big-sized Golden Retrievers came for the first vaccination and then they would be sold to the pet shop. A tall man who is in the pet whole sale business, he had operated a pet shop before.

"You get your money," I said. "The pet shop operator gets ruined if the puppies die. There seems to be an outbreak of parvovirus recently. The pet shop operators blame the breeders and vice versa."

The puppies at the first vaccination will be active, eating well and normal. Otherwise they will not be vaccinated.

"These Golden Retrievers are like your children," I appealed to his paternal instincts. "You don't want your children to die from parvoviral infection at the pet shop or after being purchased. Sell 1-2 weeks after the second vaccination if you can't wait longer."

The second vaccination is 4 weeks from the first although 2 weeks will be the earliest date. The home breeder looked at his puppies. He appeared to be receptive. I shall follow up. Education of the breeders and pet shop operators is through deaths of puppies and subsequent economic losses. This is sad but may be a common situation all over the world.

24. The parvovirus is a lethal puppy killer

2005-06-27T03:50:00.000+08:00

TIPS FOR SINGAPORE DOG BREEDERS - Parvovirus kills puppies. Many breeders sell their puppies the next day after the first vaccination at 6 weeks of age. However, the puppies are not fully protected till 2 weeks after the 2nd vaccination. Within 10 days at the pet shop, the puppies vomit and pass watery stools, sometimes very smelly. Or they show such symptoms at the owner's residence. A lot of unhappiness. Many of parvoviral gastroenteritis puppies die within a few days. If you sell 2 weeks after the second vaccination, such deaths are unlikely.

Therefore, it is your decision to balance getting a premium price for your puppies or deaths. Build up your reputation by selling puppies that do not cause health complaints or die, rather than making good money.
http://www.toapayohvets.com

23. The veterinary assistant wrote:" Negative for parvovirus".

2005-06-24T07:13:00.000+08:00

SHE WROTE 'FAECAL PARVOVIRUS NEGATIVE' ON THE TEST KIT

"No parvovirus," the veterinary technician declared. The adult dog had shot out lots of watery diarrhoa splattering the surface of the examination table. Yellowish, with lots of tissues. As if the intestines were rotting.

The dog belonged to a breeder. Strong built and excellent body condition. Suddenly it had diarrhoea. No vomiting. Looked normal.

I asked her to do a test for parvovirus by swabbing the anus for stools and using the faecal parvoviral test kit.

She was new in her job and had done a few tests before. If there were 2 lines seen on the test slide, it meant parvovirus. But 1 line meant negative.

As simple as that. Well, I asked to see the slide.

"There is a faint line," I said to the soft-spoken lady. "We need to take a repeat test later."

Probably she could not understand me. She wrote "negative" on the test slide. Without my knowledge.

The dog vomited a lot. It died overnight. A purplish tongue indicated a heart and respiratory failure.

"Check for parvovirus again," I instructed. There were 2 bold purplish lines on the test kit this time. Faecal parvovirus positive. I asked to see the first slide.

I saw some words blacked out by the black marker pen ink.

It was "negative" now blacked over. We all learn from experience from real life cases. Some cases need to be re-tested.

22. The coincidental spay

2005-06-22T03:04:00.000+08:00

SPAY THE DOG WHILE THE DAUGHTER IS AWAY?

"You should get the terrier spayed," I said. "The false pregnancy will recur again, sometimes as often as 4 times a year. The anti-false pregnancy hormone does have side effects like infection of the womb, if given over the life of your dog."

The father with broad shoulders and broad chest, aged around fifty years old had come for another prescription of drugs to stop the behaviour of the terrier cross suffering from false pregnancy. He wrinkled his forehead and lamented, "My daughter is against spaying because she feels that the female dog will not be active and dynamic after the surgery."

He must have been a body builder before or a national competitive swimmer. I did not ask him as he seemed to be in a hurry and there were other patients waiting on this Monday afternoon. But definitely he was a good father taking time off to get some medication on behalf of his busy teenaged daughter.

"You can get the dog spayed when your daughter goes overseas on a holiday," I suggested. "When will she be on holiday?"

"In July," the father said.

"For how long?" I asked.

"3 days."

"That is too short a period of time. The dog needs around 14 days for the skin wound to heal."

This is 2005 in a modern Singapore. Fathers do not have the dictatorial head-of-the- household powers anymore. Most fathers are no longer authoritative parents.

"I just had 2 cases of teenaged girls saving the older dogs from euthanasia, over-riding adult wishes," I said. "In the first case, the uncle wanted to put the Shetland down because it had maggots in its backside. In the other case, the parents wanted to euthanase a 15-year-old Miniature Schnauzer with bad breadth and bleeding mouth that had grown up with the daughter."

"It is not so easy to be a father without powers of decision nowadays." I commiserated. "The grown up children's feelings must be taken into account. They seem to have their own powerful minds. You don't want your daughter to hate you to your old age."

I was wondering why he need drugs to combat false pregnancy. "Most dog owners just leave the dog alone."

The father said, "The dog is very aggressive during false pregnancy."

"Is it protecting a toy or an object?" I asked. "Just remove it from her."

"It is not so easy," the father replied. "She will just find another object to protect." Dams with puppies have a strong protective instinct and can bite strangers coming near their puppies. Usually, they don't bite family members. But this dog had no real puppies to protect. However, she behaves as if she has, due to the influence of pregnancy hormones.

It seems there is no solution to his problem. At least he has an excellent relationship with his daughter and that is good.

21. The 15-year-old Miniature Schnauzer had 40% of survival

2005-06-19T07:10:00.000+08:00

40% of dying under general anaesthesia is too high a risk, the young lady accountant wavered. She would prefer that her dog not take this option. But he was in great pain and the parents wanted to relieve his suffering.
http://www.toapayohvets.com

Story continued in another article.

20. The puppy would die, the pet shop operator said.

2005-06-12T07:47:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET OWNERS. The Maltese coughs like an old man.

"The puppy would die, the pet shop operator told me," Ms Lee's eye suddenly reddened and many tear drops cascaded down her porcelain clear face.

She had visited the naughty Maltese on this Sunday morning with her tall and muscular boy friend. The newly Maltese puppy was warded for observation for a persistent cough overnight. She said that my medicine was not working to stop the cough when she consulted me two days ago.

Kennel cough. Barks a lot aggravating sore throat. Coughs a lot.
http://www.toapayohvets.com

I did not prescribe anti-cough medicine as a complete cage rest, multi-vitamins and antibiotics would have cured this puppy. The key to the management of kennel cough was a "complete cage rest" rather than doping the puppy with anti-cough medicine. It would take time for the puppy to recover. Definitely not within two days. This was the usual advice to all puppy owners with coughing puppies.

However, Ms Lee was worried. The puppy just would not stop coughing all night. As if it had something stuck in the throat. Gagging to cough out. But nothing. It was distressful to the owner.

"Was the puppy confined to the cage the whole day and night?" I asked Ms Lee.

"No," she said. "It kept barking to get out. Once it is out, it stopped barking and followed me around."

"It is hard for the puppy to recover fast if it was active," I said. "Barking would also irritate the throat, the vocal cords and aggravate the coughing."

The puppy made sounds "cough, cough, cough." As if it had a very sore throat and just could not get rid of the water inside the throat. The heart and lung sounds were normal. No pneumonia. No fever. It was still eating.

Obviously, it was not practical to confine the puppy in the home as barking loudly disturbed the neighbours of the condo. In addition, Ms Lee just would not want the puppy to be barking a lot. So, reluctantly, she let it be kept in the Surgery.

The next day, she visited the puppy and told me that the pet shop operator had forecast that coughing puppies would die. Just the thought of the forecast caused her tears to flow another time.

"You saw your Maltese and it is still barking loudly,"I did not know what to say to Ms Lee who was now at the waiting. It has recovered a lot as yesterday, it could not even bark when you left her here. I gave it a 50:50 chance of survival as I don't know whether it would progress to pneumonia and pneumonia is bad for 2-month-old puppies. They may not survive if their cough continued without treatment. That is probably what the pet shop operator had shared with you her experiences."

Just 12 hours of complete cage rest. The Maltese had so much vigour and such a loud bark for the owner.

"It would take around 7-14 days for it to recover," I replied to Ms Lee's query on how long the puppy should be warded. "It could not recover in your condo as it just would not waste time recuperating and its immune system had no chance to repair the kennel cough damage caused by bacteria and virus. Could you take back your 7 days' leave and continue flying?"

It was not possible. "Just enjoy your weekend," I advised. "Your puppy would not die from kennel cough." Well, the probablility of it survival was now over 99%. And just because it was forced to rest in a crate. The recovery was short of a miracle. Without anti-coughing medicine. Without having her to seek a second or third opinion.

19. Money back if your puppy coughs was unacceptable

2005-06-11T05:43:00.000+08:00

THE MONEY BACK GUARANTEE WAS NOT ACCEPTABLE

"Why did you tell the lady buyer that she did not need to get her Chihuahua checked by the vet even though it was coughing?" I phoned the amiable pet shop operator who prided himself to be a very professional marketer. "She was not pleased with your advice. The coughing could worsen and the puppy could develop pneumonia and die later.Yet, you insisted on her returning the puppy and giving back her the money. She said to me that she had just asked you for advice about her puppy's coughing. You kept saying you would return her the money. She had no desire to get her money back.

The pet shop operator was surprised that the buyer had contacted me. He thought he had neatly resolved any complaint from the buyer by offering money back if the satisfaction was not there. Money back. No questions asked. That's the best sales tactic in the world as it demonstrates that you sells only top quality goods.

The buyer phoned me because the puppy had my vaccination card.

"I did not tell her not to see the vet," the pet shop operator said. "I said that if I were the owner, coughing is a minor thing and I would not consult the vet."

I had no comment. I did not want to be pedantic. The buyer was worried. She lived with the puppy. Probably this Chihuahua slept in her bedroom. Maybe on the same bed. The coughing would have kept her awake. That would be worrisome as the puppy could get sicker and die of pneumonia.

"In addition," the pet shop operator elaborated, "The buyer was complaining about having to pay veterinary fees for the coughing puppy."

Many buyers don't mind paying for the puppy but balk at paying veterinary fees if the new puppy was unwell.

This was understandable. But should the pet shop operator insist on money back all the time when he perceives the buyer as fastidious? Taking too much of his time and too much trouble. Not willing to spend more money when the pet is sick?

But she did not want her money back. So, what was the solution now? He said he would phone her and I hope he could find a satisfactory solution for her.

18. The breeder says: "No hope for the Jack Russell puppies."

2005-06-11T05:15:00.000+08:00

"No hope," the breeder's face was solemn. "The Jack Russell must have birth difficulties overnight. She has a dark green vaginal discharge. Puppies will be dead"

This was a professional breeder. Experienced in dog breeding for a few years. So, he knew what he said. Usually a dirty green discharge meant the puppies were dead as the placenta supplying them nutrients had separated.

His bronze-tinted hair was flying all over his head, as if he had just got out of bed at 10 a.m, put on his white T-shirt and grey shorts to rush to the veterinary surgery. His eyes were wide but they were bleary. As if he never had sufficient sleep.

"You live your life as a person who burns a candle at both ends," I said to the thirty-year-old man. "You need an assistant to help you." He did have one assistant but the last employee was cross-breeding his dogs. It was not easy to find committed Singaporeans interested in breeding work. The hours are long and the smells are not exactly perfume.

The Jack Russell's tummy was like a balloon about to burst. Maximum size. Her skin was taut. One small cut and the abdomen would burst out. I put her under general anaesthesia.

Surprisingly, 8 Jack Russell puppies were delivered live and vigorous by this just-in-time Caesarean section. Green vaginal discharge in a mother usually portends the death of puppies as the life-supporting placenta had separated or melted away. In this case, the breeder was in the nick of time and it was a great joy to see 8 puppies full of live and vigour.

8 vigorous pups. If the breeder had waited another hour, many pups would be dead.
http://www.toapayohvets.com

But the poor dam. How was she going to cope? Fortunately, this was a professional dog breeder and there should be other dams sharing the burden of providing milk to the young ones.

17. The Golden Retriever sees the vet for the 3rd time

2005-06-11T04:58:00.000+08:00

The Golden Retriever passes blood for the 3rd time.

"This time, the blood in the stools is black," the young lady said. "My Golden Retriever had not been out in the garden. He was all right for 2 days and now, the stools are soft and there is blood.

"Blacker stools just mean that the bleeding is higher up in the intestines or stomach," I said.

This was the 3rd time the dog had been brought in within the last 4 weeks. I had shown the owner the normal brown firm stools 4 days ago when I asked them to take back the Golden Retriever. I advised feeding a particular brand of premium dog food which I had given to the 6-month-old. But now, the same problem surfaced. Why was the problem recurring?

It seemed to be something at home. Since the dog was now confined to a place, was it the drinking water? Water was from the tap. In Singapore, tap water is drinking water for people. But was the water in this house contaminated?

"So, what exactly is the name of the dog feed?"

"The pet shop just gave me the plastic bag with no name," the owner said. "The puppy had been eating this food from a young age."

"How do you know that it is the same brand?" I asked. "The puppy could have been given a different formula or he could have become sensitive to the same formula."

There was something wrong. The puppy was warded again. He was full of life, barking for attention. However, the bloody diarrhoea for this puppy must be resolved. Otherwise, he would die later.

It was a case of food allergy as changing to a different formula resolved the problem.

16. Can an outside vet perform Caesarean on this Bulldog?

2005-06-10T05:55:00.000+08:00

The Bulldog could not wait another day

Just 24 hours to freedom. She had to give birth. One stilborn delivered at 9 a.m.
She had more than 1 puppy judging from her swollen belly. I recommended Caesarean section as bulldogs seldom give birth naturally. But she was in quarantine. Would I be able to perform Caesarean section in the quarantine, Mr Formicelli asked?

I cancelled my afternoon appointments. Cut short my lunch date at Allson Hotel's Chinese Restaurant as I had to rush back to the Surgery. I had persuaded Mr Goh, a man who loved anaesthetic machines more than sales. After much persuasion, Mr Goh was able to assemble a mobile gas anaesthetic machine. But he needed to use my Surgery's anaethetic vaporiser and so I had to ask my lunch date to forgive me.

Now, there are rules and regulations to be complied with. The Bulldog had another 12-20 hours of quarantine left. Would there be regulatory challenges to perform Caesarean section in the quarantine or in my Surgery?

"Don't get into the taxi," I stopped Mr Goh from going to my Surgery to get the vital vaporiser. "I need clearance from the Official to perform Caesarean section in the quarantine and to find out if there are facilities to do surgery." There was no table and the consultation room was locked. What to do next?

The Official was contacted at 12.58 p.m in his office. He understood the predicament of the Bulldog. He said he would revert back to me soon. No news. His mobile was switched off. It was 2.15 p.m. now. "Did my boss contact you? I will talk to him." the Official said.

"Your Surgery is not the approved veterinary surgery for quarantined dogs. Mr Formicelli can either wait or go to the approved surgery for the Caesarean."

"You should go to the approved surgery," I phoned Mr Formicelli. "The pups are most probably dead by now. Save the mother. Don't delay. Save the mother as dead pups would decompose. They bloat and bacteria inside them form toxins. Toxins spread to the dam and may kill her or weakened her if you wait till the next day."

He was hesistant. "If not, give antibiotics to the dam," I advised.

"How about an oxytocin injection to help the mother to contract her womb to give birth?" Mr Formicelli requested.

"No use," I replied. "Bulldog pups have large heads and if the mother could not give birth after the oxytocin injection, the contractions would jam the pups further and caused her more pain. Give her some food and honey to drink."

Mr Formicelli booked a Caesarean at 9 a.m the next day. He helped the Bulldog to deliver a stillborn at 3 p.m. He stayed till 8 p.m. There were no further pups. Overnight, a stillborn was born. 3 dead. The other pups would not be alive now. Why would Mr Formicelli not want an immediate Caesarean delivery to save the dam?

At 9 a.m, the Bulldog was operated. 3 beautiful pups on the left horn of the womb. A greyish green thin bag on the right side. That was the large swollen bladder full of obstructed urine.

3 stillborn puppies in one side of the womb.

The dam had a normal temperature of 38.8 deg C and was well. She was eating the next day, Mr Formicelli's assistant reported. So everything was all right.

"6 precious Bulldog pups lost. Around $12,000 lost, just in a twinkling of an eye. If only the Bulldog had waited just 24 hours to give birth," I said to the assistant as I vaccinated the puppies in the afternoon at the kennels.

"The pups were beautiful,"Mr Formicelli explained to me later. "Such things can't be helped. If they were born alive, they and their dam would need to be quarantined for 30 days. I would have to pay a large sum of money."

I must say that his judgment and handling of the case was excellent because his bulldog was alive and well. It was better late than never as he promptly went to the quarantine to bring the dog for the Caesarean and had booked the appointment yesterday.

15. "The Labrador Retriever is not deaf," the Seller said.

2005-06-10T03:54:00.000+08:00

THE BOY WHO LOVED THE HEARING-IMPAIRED LABRADOR RETRIEVER

"A lot of bull!" the pet shop manager said. "I have never heard of such nonsense in my whole life." She was a wiry sun-tanned and lean sixty-five-year old woman and had sold several thousands of puppies over the years.

"So what did you do?" I asked the buyer who reported the above encounter when she returned a 5-month-old Labrador Retriever puppy within the 24 hours after purchase after I certified that the Labrador Retriever was partially deaf.

"I felt so bad for causing her so much trouble," the genteel Mrs Tan said as her 15-year-old son put the replacement Labrador Retriever on the examination table. "I see her daily. I am her neighbour. But she persisted in giving back my money"

I was surprised as the pet shop manager was a very shrewd businesswoman. Puppy selling complaints are part and parcel of this pet shop operation and usually she would have an amicable solution. In this situation, the buyer did not even ask for money back.

"My husband and I just want a replacement puppy, not money back." Mrs Tan continued as my veterinary nurse took the rectal temperature of a Labrador Retriever. "The manager said that the replacement puppy would cost more. When I had no objection, she said that it would several weeks to find me a replacement, but this was all right with us."

I could not believe what I heard. A puppy buyer who was so accommodating and a seller who just wanted to get rid of her. Success has its rewards, I must say. If you are successful in your profession, you can pick and choose who you sell your puppies to.
And the pet shop manager was the top dog in this business.

But this rejection of a customer seemed emotional. Did Mrs Tan antagonised her with the rejection, accusing her of selling below standard puppy? I think not but I would not know as I would not be able to know the other side of the story.

Now, Mrs Tan had a replacement sibling for examination. This puppy came from another branch and was with her for 2 days. Would this puppy pass the veterinary examination?

Mrs Tan's mobile phone rang. Her elder 17-year-old son who was now not present had asked whether the puppy had passed the examination. Her younger son said it had passed because the puppy could hear very well.

"Not yet," I said as I shone the light of the opthalmoscope onto the retina of the puppy. "The eye examination is not completed." The puppy passed all the tests as a pet. Mrs Tan was told that the slightly overshot jaw and the half-black nose were not health problems as she did not intend to breed.

As for the half-black nose, the younger son who was close to her mother and even accompanied her shopping said, "We could use a can of black paint spray to blacken the whole nose."

"It is best not to jest in such a way," I advised the young man. "If the smaller boys hear this, they may do just what you say and spray the puppy's nose. The spray would splatter onto the puppy's eyes and blind him."

"Why is the elder boy not present?" I asked Mrs Tan.

"He does not want to experience the same sadness," Mrs Tan said. "He cried the whole night when the puppy was returned. And we had it for only a day."

I said, "The elder son would make an excellent veterinarian." It was a happy ending. As to how Mrs Tan got the replacement puppy, it was the boss of the pet chain who promptly sent one to her.

So, a business was sewed up. Goodwill with a neighbour was enhanced. And a boy who loved the hearing-impaired puppy got a second choice.

He would have got the first choice if the boss had not told me over the phone that he preferred to return the money rather than let the family keep the first puppy for 5 days as proposed by me after the examination. I was hoping he would be flexible but he must have had bad experiences and complaints with fastidious puppy buyers. And why should he put up with a lot of bull when he did not need to do so?

I am sure that the elder son preferred his first choice after his mum described about his heartfelt loss. His heart was with the hearing-impaired puppy but his parents did not want future health problems.

I am sure that his first puppy was not a puppy love. If only the boss had been flexible with 5 days. But he told me later that he had not known that the buyer was his neighbour.

In any case, the reason he was so successful could be that he turned a bad situation right and the story had a happy ending for the buyer. This teenager who would not reject a partially deaf puppy just because it was not able to hear well with the right ear would be an excellent veterinarian. I wondered if he had top exmaination grades in school as it is extremely difficult to get into a veterinary school overseas if you don't have the top grades.

PUPPY LOVE - A transitory affection felt by a boy or girl for one of the opposite sex.

14. Crotch Rot in an Internet Chihuahua

2005-06-07T04:45:00.000+08:00

SKIN PROBLEMS IN AN INTERNET CHIHUAHUA - Crotch Rot.

"What is crotch rot?" a Singaporean phoned me on behalf of his Japanese friend who had consulted me to do a veterinary check up on a new $1,000 Chihuahua his wife bought from the internet. This 4-month-old Chihuahua was a tea-cup sized, slightly bigger than the palm of his hand.

"Crotch Rot?" I said. "Never heard of this medical condition. I did not mention this word." There is a veterinary medical condition called foot rot in the sheep. But the crotch? Well, I know what the crotch is but I doubt many readers do.

The chihuahua had all hairs lost around the anal area and near the crotch (an angle formed by the parting of two legs) and in his right hand near the elbow. The bacterial infection in puppies could be itchy and this Chihuahua must have licked the affected areas till the hairs were depeleted.

Not a fatal condition but I had not stressed to the Japanese owner that the puppy was not suffering from a deadly disease. He was using his hand-held English-Japanese dictionary to translate during the consultation and had not asked whether the skin condition was fatal to the Chihuahua.

Later in the night, the Japanese phoned me as he was worried that he might have paid a lot of money for a sickly dog. I told him that the Chihuahua should be cured in 3 weeks after giving medication and wash.

This case showed that it is important to tell the buyer whether the skin condition is curable or not. His translation software must have given him the diagnosis of "crotch rot" and lots of worries for his wife.

13. The Golden Retriever puppy had locked jaws

2005-06-05T08:18:00.000+08:00

The Golden Retriever with locked jaws

"How to prevent hip dysplasia?" the owner phoned me one afternoon. It was surprising as his Golden Retriever puppy was just 3 months old and he was concerned. Next morning, a SMS saying the puppy was sick. Could not move. Lethargy.

Saw him at 9.45 a.m. Slight fever of 39.3 deg C. The strange thing was that it was impossible to open the mouth of the puppy. No puppy ever resisted me. So, was this a case of locked jaws? The puppy had free access to garden and soil bacteria might contain locked jaw bacteria. Something like tetanus.

Very rare and unusual. Warded the puppy for observation and given injections. In the afternoon, the jaws were opened with some difficulty. Not eating at all. Sent home for observation and confinement. Puppy recovered in the next 2 days.

Any owner with similar problems, e-mail to judy@toapayohvets.com

12. Eye problems cannot wait 8 days.

2005-05-22T06:44:00.000+08:00

Don't wait 8 days to consult your vet as eye problems in puppies can be emergencies. Waiting may result in blindness. The puppy could have rubbed itself blind by puncturing its eye ball. Why should the pet shop operator pay the vet's bill when the owner took 8 days after purchase to complain?
http://www.toapayohvets.com

11. The hamster's navel needs cleaning. Consult your vet.

2005-05-20T06:47:00.000+08:00

Consult your vet early before the navel sore becomes larger and bacteria invades the rest of the body.
http://www.toapayohvets.com

10. The hamster with an itchy navel

2005-05-20T06:43:00.000+08:00

Navel is itchy but the hamster can't tell the owner. So, it licks off the dirt from the navel. Still can't get rid of the dirt. Keeps licking. Soon, it licks other parts of the body as the bacteria spreads. Best to consult your vet if you can't help the poor hamster. Otherwise, the hamster gets stressed and badly infected.
http://www.toapayohvets.com

9. Milk coming out from the puppy's nose

2005-05-19T04:18:00.000+08:00

Milk whitened the lips as it oozed out from the nostrils in both puppies during suckling. I recalled vividly the "Drink Milk Campaign" using celebrities in the U.S.A where milk consumption over the years had declined. Beautiful pictures of celebrites with milk circling their lips. The two puppies were having such white lips as they suckle the dam and would be natural for such a campaign.

"The 2 puppies are having flu," the young lady owner put them on the examination table when the puppies were 13 days old. Milk still comes out from their nostrils. One is forever suckling, not knowing when to stop."

This was the second time she came for consultation. 3 Shih Tzu puppies had been delivered by Caesarean. On day 6, she had consulted me as the dam was not eating. She had complained of milk leaking out from the nostrils of 2 puppies. I examined for a crack in the midline of the roof of the mouth (hard palate) but there was none. Normally, puppies die if they have cleft in the hard palate as milk would have been breathed into the lungs resulting in bacterial infections.

Yet, the puppies were thriving. One was growing very fast as it refused to stop suckling. The other was growing well too. The 3rd puppy had died while the owner stomach-tubed it to supplement the milk as advised by the lst veterinarian who performed the Caesarean. In that consultation, the dam was diagnosed as having the beginning of milk fever, a condition where her blood calcium levels have had dropped below normal. She was asked to improve the feeding and to give the calcium tablets prescribed by the first veterinarian and had no further complaints.

Now, it is day 13. The puppies had not opened their eyes. Big pups. Growing well. "Please check whether the puppies have flu," the owner said during this second visit.

A strange case. There must be a cleft in the roof of the mouth. The puppies were vigorous and objected strongly to having their mouth pried open with a pair of artery forceps. I spot-lighted the bright surgical lights onto the roof of the mouth to show to the lady owner the anatomy of the palates. The roof consists of the hard palate (a ridge rough surface) and a soft palate (soft tissue) behind the hard palate.

What's the purpose of the soft palate? Well, it closes the opening of the airways when the puppy swallows milk or food. People do have hard and soft palates as well on the roof of their mouths.

In this case, the spotlights shone on a depression of 2 mm in the midline of the soft palate in both puppies.

The depression is the hole in which the milk flowed through and get sneezed out of the nostrils or "leaked" out. No wonder the puppies had white muzzles of milk.

The puppies survived because the soft palate had closed the airways preventing the milk from flowing into the lungs. This is very interesting to the veterinarian but is of no comfort to the anxious lady owner.

"Will the puppies die?" she asked me. "Unlikely," I said as I can't guarantee that the cleft in the soft palate will not increase in length as the puppies grow.

Let the puppies suckle with the head upwards, rather than sideways or upside down," I advised.

"No milk oozes out of the nostrils when the puppies suckle in that position," the young lady rubbed her eyes as if trying to keep awake. She had to care for the puppies overnight as she did not want them to die. She had one out of three died earlier.

At least there was a diagnosis. But was there a cure? "No," I said. "It is not possible to stitch up the hole in the soft palate at this stage." Surgery would not be possible as the soft palate was position deep inside a small mouth.

Readers: If you click to view a bigger picture,you will see that the 6-day-old puppy nearer to you had a white upper lip. Now, that is the snow-white milk dripped down from the nostrils
http://www.toapayohvets.com

8. Who is the real owner of this Maltese?

2005-05-12T05:32:00.000+08:00

DRAFT COPY. FOLLOW UP NEEDED.

"The policeman took away my Maltese," Ms Cook wiped the tears off her eyes as she sat down and put her elbows on the consultation table. "The humane shelter was handed the Maltese and I am forbidden to see him. The person who reported that I stole her Maltese will be meeting the humane shelter people today at 3 p.m"

Ms Cook was given the Maltese by her boy friend around 6 weeks ago. Her neigbhour accused her of stealing the Maltese 2 weeks ago. So, she had consulted 2 vets, including myself, wanting to know how old the Maltese was. The first vet had certified that he was 3 years old. I examined it and estimated he was 2 to 3 years old, male with undescended testicles and had a microchip number.

Ms Cook told me that the complainant had said her Maltese was "one year old, male".
"Was it neutered?" I asked Ms Cook during the first consultation. She was not sure. Well, this Maltese did not have scrotum (the bag holding the testicles). That was why I described him as having "undescended testicles". So, he was not an intact male. Neither was he neutered.

Now, Ms Cook came to ask how she could prove that the Maltese did not belong to her neighbour. She had consulted her lawyer who said that the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) would be able to identify the owner of the Maltese since he was micro-chipped.

"Not in this case," I said. "Unless the Maltese had been given a dog's licence." Since both parties had not applied for a dog licence, the AVA would be unaware of his existence.

I continued, "In fact, the AVA officer would fine the owner $500 for not getting the dog licensed after it is 3 months old."

Ms Cook said, "The Maltese was found in Pasir Panjang (West of Singapore), far away from Ang Mo Kio (Central Singapore) where it was lost. My friend is willing to testify to that."

"The dog could have been found by somebody and then abandoned or lost at Pasir Panjang." I replied. "In any case, your friend could not be considered a reliable witness since he would have sided with you."

So, what should she do now? Would her Maltese get infected with diseases since he was impounded in the humane shelter where there are many dogs, healthy and sick? What should she do to get her dog out?

"Your Maltese would be released in the next 2 days," I predicted. "The humane shelter veterinarian would age the Maltese. The important issue is whether he is 1 year old or 3 years old. There is a lot of difference and the decision should be quite clear."

Would the humane shelter officer be as wise as King Solomon? In a dispute as to who is the mother of a baby, King Solomon ordered that the baby be killed. The real mother did not want the baby killed, wanting to let the other party have the baby.

This Maltese definitely did not look like one year old. Yet, my heart goes to the owner of the lost Maltese.

"Did the Maltese run back to the complainant when called?" I asked Ms Cook.

"He runs to anybody," Ms Cook said. "He just want to be friends with everybody."

That path could not be taken. The humane shelter officer would have to decide based on the age given by 3 veterinary surgeons. If the humane shelter veterinarian who is a neutral party said that the Maltese was 3 years old, Ms Cook would have her dog back and an angry neighbour.

My heart still goes to the complainant although I had not been contacted by her. I had never met her or maybe I had vaccinated her Maltese. I checked the Internet for "Singapore Maltese." Surprisingly, there was reported a lost Maltese in Ang Mo Kio in April 2005 in a website which provides free postings for lost dogs globally.

FOR READERS who are not familiar with Malteses, below is a picture of how a Maltese looks like at 3 months old.

Many Maltese look alive. How to prove to the policeman that the lost Maltese is yours? The policeman can't do it. He asks the humane shelter to handle the case.
http://www.toapayohvets.com

IS THE MICROCHIP A RED HERRING

Further to my posting on:
Thursday, May 12, 2005

"The policeman took away my Maltese," Ms Cook wiped the tears off her eyes as she sat down and put her elbows on the consultation table. "The humane shelter was handed the Maltese and I am forbidden to see him. The person who reported that I stole her Maltese will be meeting the humane shelter people today at 3 p.m"

7 days have passed. The Maltese ownership was not resolved. Apparently, the humane shelter had 2 of its vets to ascertain that the Maltese was 3 years old. They were independent veterinarians. The first owner said her Maltese was 1.5 years old. I had said it was 2-3 years old on behalf of the second owner who had been given the Maltese. The second owner had another vet certified that it was 3 years old.

I guessed the case was handed back to the police as I received a phone call from the police station.

"Since the independent vets said the Maltese was 3 years old, there is a lot of difference between 3 years old and 1.5 years old," I said.

The policeman did not say anything but I read his thoughts, "I don't believe you."

"Do you have children?" I asked the policeman. "Can you tell the difference between a 1.5-year-old toddler and a 3-year-old child?"

"I do not have children," the policeman said.

"You are fortunate," I said. "It has become too expensive and stressful to bring up children in Singapore with so many needing expensive tuition."

The policeman repeated twice, "I am very unfortunate."

"Well," I did not know what to say. "Dogs mature much faster. One dog-year is equivalent to 7 human-years. Therefore a 3-year-old Maltese is grown up and definitely is so much different from a 1.5-year- old. A similar aged child is also easy to tell apart."

The policeman was cautious. "We have to be sure."

"This Maltese has a micro-chip identified by you," the policeman said. The micro-chip was only useful if the first owner had micro-chipped the Maltese but it was not done. It was presumed that the second owner had micro-chipped the Maltese and that it was done by me.

I said, "The other private vet whom the second owner consulted had also certified stated the same microchip number in his letter." The spotlight was on me as I had scanned the dog and stated its microchip number.

Apparently, the police did not have this information.

"In any case, the micro-chip is a red herring. It has NO useful data on who owns the dog since the registry has no information."

I did not say the "red herring" because the policeman would not understand and I doubt most Singaporeans are familiar with this idiom. In any case, Singaporeans are not familiar with the herring which is a valuable food fish for Europeans.

Every investigative body involved focused on the micro-chip number and who had micro-chipped the dog or had ownership records. Anybody can microchip a dog. There is no legal requirements that only authorised people can microchip a dog in Singapore in 2005.

The veterinary regulatory authority had no record of the ownership of this number. I don't have the record of this too when I was phoned. Neither the other veterinarian or the humane shelter veterinarians. So, was this Maltese fated to be detained indefinitely at the humane shelter?

The first owner had not micro-chipped the Maltese, otherwise, this case was an open and shut case of ownership dispute for the police who would not have to refer to the humane shelter.

The second owner was very stressed. She went to the humane shelter and kept following up the case almost daily. She asked me for advices but there was nothing I could help as the Maltese was detained too long in the humane shelter. She was willing to pay for another veterinarian to certify the age of the Maltese. She has a lawyer who does not know much about lost puppy litigation.

What can be done now? It was distressful for the first and second owner. I hope the matter can be resolved amicably. One party would have heart breaks. If only the first owner had micro-chipped the Maltese. The cost is $30.00 - $50.00 at the veterinary practices, but not many Singaporeans are interested.

DRAFT. FOLLOW UP. CASE STILL NOT CLOSED.

IS THE MICROCHIP A RED HERRING

Further to my posting on:
Thursday, May 12, 2005

"The policeman took away my Maltese," Ms Cook wiped the tears off her eyes as she sat down and put her elbows on the consultation table. "The humane shelter was handed the Maltese and I am forbidden to see him. The person who reported that I stole her Maltese will be meeting the humane shelter people today at 3 p.m"

7 days have passed. The Maltese ownership was not resolved. Apparently, the humane shelter had 2 of its vets to ascertain that the Maltese was 3 years old. They were independent veterinarians. The first owner said her Maltese was 1.5 years old. I had said it was 2-3 years old on behalf of the second owner who had been given the Maltese. The second owner had another vet certified that it was 3 years old.

I guessed the case was handed back to the police as I received a phone call from the police station.

"Since the independent vets said the Maltese was 3 years old, there is a lot of difference between 3 years old and 1.5 years old," I said.

The policeman did not say anything but I read his thoughts, "I don't believe you."

"Do you have children?" I asked the policeman. "Can you tell the difference between a 1.5-year-old toddler and a 3-year-old child?"

"I do not have children," the policeman said.

"You are fortunate," I said. "It has become too expensive and stressful to bring up children in Singapore with so many needing expensive tuition."

The policeman repeated twice, "I am very unfortunate."

"Well," I did not know what to say. "Dogs mature much faster. One dog-year is equivalent to 7 human-years. Therefore a 3-year-old Maltese is grown up and definitely is so much different from a 1.5-year- old. A similar aged child is also easy to tell apart."

The policeman was cautious. "We have to be sure."

"This Maltese has a micro-chip identified by you," the policeman said. The micro-chip was only useful if the first owner had micro-chipped the Maltese but it was not done. It was presumed that the second owner had micro-chipped the Maltese and that it was done by me.

I said, "The other private vet whom the second owner consulted had also certified stated the same microchip number in his letter." The spotlight was on me as I had scanned the dog and stated its microchip number.

Apparently, the police did not have this information.

"In any case, the micro-chip is a red herring. It has NO useful data on who owns the dog since the registry has no information."

I did not say the "red herring" because the policeman would not understand and I doubt most Singaporeans are familiar with this idiom. In any case, Singaporeans are not familiar with the herring which is a valuable food fish for Europeans.

Every investigative body involved focused on the micro-chip number and who had micro-chipped the dog or had ownership records. Anybody can microchip a dog. There is no legal requirements that only authorised people can microchip a dog in Singapore in 2005.

The veterinary regulatory authority had no record of the ownership of this number. I don't have the record of this too when I was phoned. Neither the other veterinarian or the humane shelter veterinarians. So, was this Maltese fated to be detained indefinitely at the humane shelter?

The first owner had not micro-chipped the Maltese, otherwise, this case was an open and shut case of ownership dispute for the police who would not have to refer to the humane shelter.

The second owner was very stressed. She went to the humane shelter and kept following up the case almost daily. She asked me for advices but there was nothing I could help as the Maltese was detained too long in the humane shelter. She was willing to pay for another veterinarian to certify the age of the Maltese. She has a lawyer who does not know much about lost puppy litigation.

What can be done now? It was distressful for the first and second owner. I hope the matter can be resolved amicably. One party would have heart breaks. If only the first owner had micro-chipped the Maltese. The cost is $30.00 - $50.00 at the veterinary practices, but not many Singaporeans are interested.

7. Golden Retrievers never needed Caesarean delivery?

2005-05-06T03:38:00.000+08:00

The breeder was not present when the Golden Retriever had difficulty giving birth. Golden Retrievers seldom have problems in giving birth and this case surprised the experienced breeder. Golden Retrievers need to be observed at all times too, just in case she has dystocia (difficulty in giving birth) and needs an emergency Caesarean delivery.

Ask any breeder. Do Golden Retrievers need Caesarean delivery? The breeder thinks you need to have your brain scanned for being a nut case. Golden Retrievers give birth to puppies naturally.

However, this case is an exception to the rule. In life, we must expect the unexpected.

6. The brand conscious American Shorthair would rather starve to death

2005-05-06T03:09:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR VETS - The American Shorthair cat would rather starve to death.

"Your female American Shorthair has not been eating for the past 5 days," I phoned the cat breeder the second time. "She has normal temperature. I had got the canned food from your company people at branch headquarters but she would not eat it." She had not been eating for around 10 days since the start of her illness.

"Please spay her as advised by the other vet," the breeder said. "The other vet had recommended spaying as she had a severe bacterial infection of the womb. Copious sticky yellow pus flowed from her vagina. Non-stop."

The diagnosis was open pyometra. The other vet treated the cat and asked the breeder to give her a vaginal douche to flush the pus and infectons from inside her vagina. The breeder had told me, "I bought the human version. It is of better quality for my cat."

"It may not be appropriate for the cat," I replied. "Human drugs may be too toxic for her. Like all cats, she will lick off all foreign chemicals and the higher dose in human drugs may kill her or make her sick."

Well, she had not been eating for the past 3 days before I saw her. A light brown iodine from the douche stained her back area Her vaginal discharge had lessened considerably in amount after the first vet had treated her. The colour changed to dark red. Within 2 days, there was no more discharge.

However, the cat just would not eat. Thin. She survived dehydration as I was given her fluid therapy.

On the 3rd day, she would rub her body against the cage bars as a normal cat would. I smeared her paws with butter and cat food. The next day, she would be clean. So she was healthy enough to keep herself clean. She would meow once a while. She became tired easily. She got stronger after the fluid injection.

What to do with her? She was like the teenager suffering from anorexic nervosa? Simply refused to eat so as to get a slim figure.

There was something missing in the management of this case. What was it?

It might be the wrong brand of canned food. This cat was brought up with a Japanese brand of canned food, I recalled after talking to the pet shop girl who reared her. The pet shop girl was working in another branch and was not the person giving me the canned food. She had told me about the brand much earlier and I had not checked what my veterinary assistant had been offering this cat.

"What brand did you feed?" I asked my veterinary assistant. "Whiskas," she said. This well known brand was not Japanese. So, the missing ingredient in the management of this case was the brand.

I phoned the pet shop girl to return the cat to her. She was not elated with the burden of having this heavy responsibility, "You are a veterinarian. You return a cat that is not eating. If she dies, I am accountable for her death."

In the pet shop industry, every death is a black mark on the performance of the pet shop girl. She would get scolding from her boss. I had not thought of her point of view as I thought that the cat would eat when she was back to familiar surroundings and food.

Maybe she would not get her performance or annual bonus. Every employee needs more income in a very expensive first world country. She was thinking that I was passing a terminally ill cat to her.

So, what should I do? I really did not know. Should I phoned the boss and persist?

Well, I had not thought of getting the Japanese brand of canned food from her but that would be the solution.

In any case, every additional day at the veterinary surgeon cost the breeder. So, it was not to his advantage. As for spaying the cat, it was not what he really wanted. Spaying means more income to the veterinary practice.

But that was any breeder wanted, I am sure. If I were a breeder, I don't want my American Shorthair who had produced two lovely kittens to be spayed just because she had a severe womb infection due to mating with a new cat. It was a curable disease.

I tested the breeder earlier when I phoned him, "Do you really want her spayed?"

"Doc, I have not recovered the cost of this imported cat," he explained. Now, the cat was back to normal. An affectionate meow occasionally. But she would die in the next few days if she did not eat.

And the solution was obvious. The Japanese brand "Elite" was the answer, I thought.

The pet shop girl phoned me and said she was instructed to take back the cat. I waited the whole day for the transport man to come. Nobody arrived.

By 4 p.m, I had to travel to a few places to vaccinate puppies and kittens. From Chua Chu Kang's Farm Mart, Jurong Point Shopping Mall, Upper Serangoon Road and to the East Point Shopping Mall. Transversing from West Singapore to East Singapore. A lot of travelling time.

Well, it was better to send back the cat myself. The cat went with me in a carrier cage. My assistant took her up to the pet shops I visited.

"Are you coming?" the pet shop girl phoned me at 7.15 p.m. "I will be closing shop soon." She worked long hours six days a week. Few Singaporeans would want to work that hard. She was good worker. A rare gem and I find it hard to believe she was a bartender previously pouring whisky and brandy to hardened men in the downtown financial district.

I was actually 2 minutes' drive away. It was dusk now. Amber street lights glowed in this quiet suburban middle-class residential enclave. At the pet shop, I asked for the Elite canned food.

"The cat is terribly thin," the pet shop girl frowned. "She needed her own brand of canned food. Your colleague gave me the wrong brand."

Her assistant opened the Elite can and poured the gelationous pinkish stuff into a stainless steelbowl while the pet shop girl was busy attending to customers. This branch had brisk business even at closing time on a Wednesday evening.

Would my theory be correct? The cat sniffed the Elite cat food. It looked like there were slices of onion and all good smells. She ate. More than she ever ate for the past 5 days at my surgery. Then she stopped. The assistant pushed her head towards the canned food. She ate and rested. She repeated this four times.

The American Shorthair would rather starve to death if she was not offered the Elite brand of canned food.

I felt so much happier. The pet shop girl had thought I was sending her a sick cat to die in her hands. I phoned the breeder. "The Whiskas was the incorrect brand. And so was Science Diet Cat food that your staff at a different branch gave to me for the cat earlier.

He said, "She must be hungry."

"It was the Elite brand," I responded. "She had hunger for the Elite brand. She would rather starve to death if she was not given Elite."

I continued, "The good news is that she was not spayed. It will take time for her to recover her health. Then she should be able to be a mother again."

This might be good news for the breeder as that was what he wanted. A sick cat recovered, recuperating at home intact. Not a healthy spayed female cat. I mean, a spayed cat is of no value to a breeder and would have less attention than an intact female. So, it was also in the interest of this young American Shorthair that she could regain her health. Her infection might be due to mating with a new cat.

The next few days, this American Shorthair was happily eating and putting on weight. She would rather starve to death than eat any other brand of cat food, dry or canned.

5. Digital delivery may not be what the breeder want

2005-05-01T04:07:00.000+08:00

Survival Secrets for Vets.

Know what the breeder wants. This breeder complained of a veterinarian who insisted on digital delivery in an earlier case. He lost a few pups and had never forgiven the veterinarian.

When the breeder comes to the veterinarian, he would have tried everything including digital delivery, if he is an experienced breeder.

A Caesarean delivery gives the pups the best chance to live.Don't delay by using digital delivery to save the breeder Caesarean delivery fees.

If pups are dead via digital delivery, you get the blame. The unhappy breeder loses a lot of money because of your decision.

4. Should the vet wait and lose a client to the competitor?

2005-04-28T04:34:00.000+08:00

WAIT AND LOSE A CUSTOMER TO THE COMPETITION?

To wait till 7 days or to treat and neuter the rabbit today? She had her first black-eyed rabbit treated for the same mite condition and was now bringing in a brown-nosed pure white rabbit to treat for its skin condition and to neuter it at the same time.

Yet, newly acquired rabbits should not undergo treatment or surgery unless necessary.

As it has just been acquired, it will be adjusting to the new home. Although it looks normal and stools are normal, it may be adjusting to new stress level not obvious to the owner. Immediate neutering and treatment save time. But it may kill the rabbit and that is why the owner should wait a few days. Preferably 7 - 14 days. But she had to travel. So, 3 days would be a minimum.

Some owners will not return if the vet advises waiting. Proper education of the owner is important. There is always a risk of losing customers to the competition if the time-harried owner is asked to wait. But it will be in the interest of the rabbit.

3. The breeder needs top quality buyers but where to find them?

2005-04-18T06:01:00.000+08:00

HIGH QUALITY PUPPIES BUT NOT HIGH QUALITY BUYERS
What should a top breeder do?

"I hear that you have increased your selling prices of puppies," I asked Mr Kurt Smith as I was vaccinating his puppies on a fine Sunday evening at his kennels. I was in a hurry as I had a dinner appointment with my son, a 19-year-old tall and lean National Service man who disliked his hair being cropped like a durian fruit. He had to return to the camp by 8 p.m today.

"Who told you?" Mr Smith wanted to know all the gossips in the dog industry. "I paid over $10,000 to buy the best quality males," he explained to me as if I was the complainant.

He picked up 1 six-week-old Chihuahua puppy with his righ hand and pointed to the apple-domed head structure, "Mr Armijo (a top pet shop operator) offered me $650 for this puppy." He shook his head, "The male Chihuahua stud cost me $15,000. I am selling this pup for $800."

I could not reveal my sources. My source was another pet shop operator as Mr Armijo does not discuss about his buying prices with me nor do I ask him whenever I vaccinate his puppies at his pet shop.
All pet shop operators want cheap and good puppies and they would always press down the prices if they were bigger operators. They have a "take it or leave it" attitude as they usually have various suppliers especially the home breeders.

Mr Smith starts work before the sun rises. One day, I paid a surprise visit and in the darkness of 5 a.m, he was already at his kennels. He works 7 days a week, 12 hours a day with no time for holidays. He makes sure his breeding stock is healthy, well cared for and free from contagious disease.

So, my sympathies are always with Mr Smith, the breeder with no downstream pet shop to sell his his puppies. He does not need to justify his price hikes with me. I was teasing him but he was indignant that pet shop operators always try to force down his prices.

"When there is a demand, you should increase your price. I remember the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) period last year and you had to reduce prices considerably as no pet shops wanted to buy puppies."

Mr Smith is from the baby-boomer generation. Hard work, thrift and honesty are the hallmarks common in this generation. They have commitment to their profession, not job hopping for a few dollars more or for greener pastures. He excels in dog breeding and nothing else.

"How about internet marketing of your puppies?" I advised Mr Smith. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. I might as well speak Greek to him. He was not a University graduate nor highly educated in the English language. That does not mean he should shut out the marketing powers of the internet.

In fact, if I were him, I would use the Internet to market the steady stream of puppies available. There are prospective buyers who want high quality puppies. No doubt, a lot of trouble entertaining such people but referrals from satsified private buyers will have saved him a lot of underpricing offers from the pet shop operators.

The internet marketing does not suit the small dog breeder as there is no steady source of puppies. It is very appropriate for Mr Smith.
"Well, the 3 Chihuahuas you delivered by Caesarean are already sold to the pet shop operators," Mr Smith informed me. "No point taking pictures to sell them on the internet."

Pet shop operators are not the high quality customers he should aim for. Now that he is top of his profession, he should go for the private individuals who don't haggle and hustle him. One way to brand himself and to reach a global audience is the internet. It is hard to change his mindset. It costs money to maintain a website and he is not keen on such new fanciful technologies. Expenses for the internet reduce profitability.

After all, he does have buyers for his puppies. But he could recoup his investment in expensive male stud dogs if he could sell to private individuals at a much higher price than to the pet shop operators.

How about his children? They are teenagers but none of the 3 children were business-minded or internet savvy. So, he retains the status quo and makes sure that he produces top quality puppies and pet shop operators will come to him.

High quality production of puppies ensure the survival of the dog breeding business. It is paramount to upgrade and produce high quality puppies. However, Mr Smith neeeds to attract the private buyers who pay top prices for his puppies, by-passing the pet shop operators who are agents and this is what he cannot do.

It is easier said than done as maintaining a website is like maintaining a love relationship or winning a scholarship. It is lots of hard work, more hard work building the content or mugging hard and very few people want to do it.

Because few people want to do it, those who devote the time and energy to doing it excel and become top in their profession or become scholars.
Even scholars have to market themselves when they go for scholarship interviews in Singapore as there are so many other competitors. The edge lies in knowing how to market your business or your self.

How to do it, that's the 64 million dollar question.

2. The Cavalier King Charles' backside exploded

2005-04-12T04:54:00.000+08:00

Don't judge a book (an anal gland) by its cover

A big dark red swelling below and to the right of the anus of this 14-month-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Bruised swelling. Like a ping-pong ball bulging out from under the skin. Around 20% of the table tennis ball could be seen. There was a small hole of 3 mm diameter from this swelling leaking a reddish black fluid. No smell.

The domestic worker complained that the dog had been rubbing its tail and biting its backside for several days. The lady owner had rushed off to pick up her daughter from Raffles Girls' School and left the dog with the maid. In Singapore, mums seldom car pool unlike some mums in suburbs in Australia. Car pooling and taking turns to pick up children will give them some free time but it is not part of the Singaporean culture.

This case was an instant diagnosis. The left anal gland was impacted and is now full of reddish brown and yellow pus. The solution was to cut and release the pus. The dog was put on the operating table 10 minutes after being given a pain killer and tranquiliser.

A simple procedure. Just incise the swelling and release the nasty contents. However, there was another anal gland, the right one. It might also be impacted with oil and not infected yet.

The anal glands in the dog produces oil every day and this oil is usually passed out when the dog passes stools. In this case, the oil was accumulating and could not be discharged. The gland ballooned on the left side with abundant oil infected by bacteria.

This was a severe case of anal sacculitis. A simple solution. Instead of cutting, I put a piece of tissue paper to cover the swelling. I encircled the lower half of the anal opening with my right hand's thumb and index finger and squeezed the gland.

A simple procedure. Should complete it in 1 minute. One squeeze would do.
Yes, one squeeze. Instant explosion. At least 20 sprays of reddish brown liquid squirted 45 degrees to the operating table, barely missing my face and splattered the wall of the operating room. Flying at 60 kmph or more. Instantaneous, as if one had stepped on a mine.

This was not the second time in many years I had this explosion. The first time involved a German Shepherd. Well, big dog, big anal glands, big explosion of extremely unforgiving rancid yellow oil. I became very careful with big breeds with anal sacculitis. I discarded the shirt as the pungent skunk-smelly oil would be too difficult to wash off.

I was not expecting this from a Spaniel I had seen since puppy hood in 2003. He was one of the two sleeping at the surgery during the first vaccination. Too tired. Like jet lag. Just had to sleep on reaching the surgery.

Now, I must be quick to remove the oil. I used a rag, wet it and started to wipe off the walls before the oval and circular anal oil stains mark the wall. The other spaniel had lots of thick yellow oil squeezed out. Like extremely thick strands of yellowish brown rubber bands oozing out from the left and right side of the anal opening at the 4 and 8 o'clock position.

Most owners think that they are stools but they are old anal gland oil dried up and stuck inside the anal gland.

I hope I will never judge a book (anal gland) by its cover again. This Spaniel had a swollen anal gland, ripe with at least 30 ml of infected oil with 90% of the contents hidden below the skin. So, a squeeze caused an explosion which would have hit my face if the weak point had faced me. Another shirt would have to be thrown away! I must be careful the next time.

1. The man wanted $1,000 compensation from the groomer.

2005-04-06T04:56:00.000+08:00

A "Be Kind To Pets" community education story for secondary school children, sponsored by www.asiahomes.com

"I want $1,000 or I will send the CD of clipper wounds around my baby's private parts to the New Nation tabloid and Straits Times Forum," the broad chested man with an ear ring in his left ear said. "My wife screamed and cried when she saw six wounds on our dog."

He patted his dog's head as I examined the almost identical 4.5 cm long brown clipper wounds on the male Jack Russell's genital and belly area. Mr Barrymore wrinkled his forehead, "This is the second time the pet shop had groomed my dog. It was groomed at another branch. However, I expected the same high standard of care from the company."

Clipper wounds are probably caused by an inexperienced groomer.

I let him rambled as I asked about his occupation to get to know more about his background. He was selling food at a food court in Chua Chu Kang Hawker Centre.

Mr Barrymore stared at me in the eyes like a lawyer who had won his court case, "I shall get the pet shop delicensed by the AVA (Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority). I will inform the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and to the pet internet forums to prevent other dogs from suffering the same fate!"

Why was I, a veterinarian at www.toapayohvets.com, involved in this case? The pet shop operator had requested me to go to the owner's house to examine the Jack Russell to confirm whether the wounds were clipper wounds or self-inflicted.

I tried to get out of this litigious situation. It would be time-consuming to do a house-call and it would be costly for Mr Formicelli.

I asked Mr Formicelli to settle directly but he asked me to examine the dog. He had pictures of the clipper wounds e-mailed to him and given to him in a compact disc.

"All right, I would examine the Jack Russell at my Surgery," since Mr Formicelli persisted. His driver drove the complainant and the dog to the Surgery without charge. I must say Mr Formicelli provided excellent post-sales service.

I put the Jack Russell on the stainless steel examination table.

"Yes," I examined the almost healed 4-day-old scars caused by heat of the clipper blade of a busy groomer who was most likely inexperienced or had too many cases to handle. "These are clipper wounds. However, $1,000 compensation is too much considering that the grooming fees plus transport were around $40.00."

"What's the company's compensation policy?" Mr Barrymore wavered. I looked at the pet shop manager who had accompanied the owner from his apartment. The manager made an "O" with his lips, "We return the grooming fees and pay for the veterinary treatment."

"Not much in view of the emotional suffering and distress caused to my wife when she saw these clipper wounds," Mr Formicelli replied. "She lost her mind. She was crying and hysterical when she turned the dog upside down and saw those wounds. She screamed so loudly that our neighbours rushed out of their apartments to see whether her life was in danger. They must have thought that I am a wife beater. Therefore, I want not a dollar less than $1,000."

I estimated that Mr Formicelli would probably pay Mr Barrymore the $300 veterinary fees paid to the most expensive veterinary surgeon in Singapore. Mr Barrymore's vet had given him a tube of cream and the clipper wounds were fading 4 days after grooming.

"You want $1,000? This is too much," I said stopping the pet shop manager from inflaming the owner. Mr Chan had politely explained that as a dog himself, he was was speaking from his personal experience, "The newly groomed dog could have laid on a dirty and wet floor and got itchy in its belly and genital area. Therefore it licked the areas to relieve itself of the intense itchiness."

He continued, "I am not implying that you had put the dog on contaminated floors..." I had to interrupt Mr Chan's speech making as his example was not helpful in negotiating a settlement.

The man with the ear ring rubbed his goatee and listened to him with arms folded. Before he could reply, I said, "Mr Chan, you are digressing...." Mr Chan had given illustrations that would not help his company to win the case.

"Even if the dog had licked itself, the skin wounds would not be sharp lines and almost identical in length and width." I stopped his elaboration. "These are more like cut wounds made when the hot clipper blade burned the skin."

I did not want the manager to say something which would cause the owner to ask for more compensation. I offered, "$150 would be a reasonable amount of compensation."

The man with the ear ring smoothed his moustache, "I want $1,000. I entrusted "All Pets Big and Small Professional Groomers" with the grooming of my Jack Russell grooming because it is well known nationally. It has many branches and should be more professional compared to those mom-and-pop operations."

The reputation of the national chain now loaded onto my shoulders. If Mr Barrymore walked out of my Surgery with an unsatisfactory resolution of his problem, I would get the blame. I know tabloids love such sensational news and I would be infamous by association.

Other dog owners outside my small consultation room of less than 10 sq metres were pacing like bored white Tigers at the zoo in an afternoon with nothing to do. Two owners had gone outside to relax their dogs as the consultation room was really small. I had already spent half an hour with Mr Barrymore and his face blushed redder every minute as he thought of his wife screaming loudly in distress.

The other pet owners dared not enter the Waiting Room but waited outside the Surgery, at the pavement and car park, leaving the gentle canine giant alone, as Mr Barrymore stuck to his demand for $1,000

Now, how do I resolve the problem for the pet shop operator? Should I pass the buck back to Mr Formicelli and appease my other clients who had prior appointments and were not too happy to wait.

Mr Barrymore finger his the ear ring, scratched his ear and stretched his broad chest. He held up his hands at right angles. He flexed in tattooed biceps bulging from his sleeve-less white singlet with "Be Kind To Pets" embroidered in the front and back. His left palm swept his bleached golden hair tinted with black in the centre, backwards from his forehead.

"I lived in Aspen Heights, Colorado, U.S of A.(United States of America) for the past years. I returned to Singapore recently to spend the last few years of my aged parents," he voluntered this information. As if he had read my thoughts querying why he would want to clip a short-coated dog's hair short. Not only once but twice.

This Jack Russell was a short-coated one. No Singaporean, as far as I know, would want to pay money to clip a short-coated dog. Singaporeans are pragmatic and price conscious in this era of price cutting and price wars started by the discounters like Wal Marts in U.S.A

But I could be mistaken as pets are family in a country that had gone from 3rd world to first in the new millenium.

"I had Milo clipped to keep him cool. Singapore is such a hot country and Milo pants when he goes out for walks at the Botanic Gardens with us."

It would be a very long consultation. Though I do not charge Mr Formicelli $500 an hour unlike the lawyers. I could have consulted four cases as one hour had slipped by.

I should have given my diagnosis and asked the man with the ear ring to go. I just needed to give Mr Formicelli my diagnosis of clipper burns. How he resolve the problem with Mr Barrymore was none of my business if I were to be mercenary. Time is money for service providers.

There was a problem. But could a veterinarian resolve this quantum of compensation problem? A lawyer might be the appropriate profession to counter this $1,000 claim.

The only thing is that the sensational tabloids would have a field day. The lucky reporter would have a type of story that readers all over the world love. A David against Goliath story. One man against a national chain of pet shops. Cruelty to animals stories always elicit the anger of women and maybe some men and increase tabloid circulation by some 30%.

The AVA would receive the written complaint and would have to send its officers to investigate and would dutifully give explanations to the owner and the newspapers. The police might be involved in criminal cruelty to animals if a police report was made. Mr Barrymore would ask CASE, a consumer protection agency to help get fair compensation.

My name and practice would be dragged into the mud of bad publicity in the tabloids and the internet forums as readers would associate me with "cruelty to dogs". The pet shop operator would not pay $1,000. This was not a simple case as Mr Barrymore was a man who knew his rights as a consumer. Rather, he knew about his animal's rights to not to suffer pain.

What should I do? Get rid of him as an unhappy or as a happy ex-client of Mr Formicelli?

"$150 would be a reasonable compensation," I said to Mr Barrymore. "It is nearly 4 times what Mr Formicelli received for grooming your dog."

Mr Barrymore slanted his eyebrows, tucked in his lips and shone his big eyes of disgust at me for repeating the same offer and not a dollar more.

Mr Barrymore was prepared to go all the way to the media with his lawyer, "My lawyer will subpoena you and the other veterinarian to give evidence as expert witness in the courts." Probably legal fees of above $10,000 would be spent by him and Mr Formicelli for a Jack Russell with clipper burns by the time the case went to the court.

Mr Barrymore's ear with the ear ring twitched a few times. His forehead vein throbbed and pulsated like a water sprinkler suddenly switched on and had lost control of its movement. I was surprised that human ears could twitch. Seeing is believing.

The only good thing was that Mr Barrymore did not lose his temper or raise his voice. He was as cool as a cucumber. My other clients were getting restless. I had to do something. But what could I do to get Mr Barrymore to go home?

"1,000 and not a dollar less," Mr Barrymore stood still at the other side of the consultation room. "Or I would go the Channel News Asia or Animal Planet to ask them to produce a video of cruelty to dogs by the top pet shop chain in Singapore."

Should I call his bluff? The television people would interview me. My professional reputation was on the line if I associate myself with such infamous situations. More importantly, I do not have time.

"$300," I said.

"$800," Mr Barrymore countered offer.

"$350. I would tell Mr Formicelli that I would not charge him my consultation fees for this case so that he would pay you $350." Sometimes I should lose to win back my precious time and reputation of not being associated with this unpleasant case of grooming went wrong when the tabloid and TV media reporters zoomed in. "Let me telephone Mr Formicelli to seek his agreement to pay $350."

I dialled my mobile. Mr Barrymore stood still. The clients outside were getting restless as one Alaskan Malamute was barked at by a Miniature Schnauzer puppy. Mr Barrymore's Jack Russell joined in the barking at the big dog.

The Alaskan Malamute ignored the little ones. The owner of the gentle giant dog came first and so he sat inside the Waiting Room which was only 9 sq metre in area. The other owners had to wait outside the Surgery, at the pavement and at the car park.

Nurse Ann gave me those looks that say that I was taking too much time in handling this case. The patients were agitated by the delays as it was hot outside and they had prior appointments. More than an hour had lapsed.

Mr Formicelli was not agreeable.

"$350 or Mr Barrymore would go to the regulatory authorities." I said to Mr Formicelli. "That would mean you had to give explanations in writing and suffer more inspections by the enforcers of animal welfare and health."

Mr Formicelli objected to the high offer.

"I will not charge you the consultation fees in this case," I said. "The tabloid reporters would have ruined your company's reputation of incompetent grooming. You only pay $350 and no veterinary bills from me."

My consultation room now felt crowded with Mr Barrymore, myself, Nurse Ann and Mr Chan inside. It was only 8 sq m or 80 sq feet in area. The consultation table of stainless steel and a hole at one end took quite a bit of space. The Jack Russell spread his legs and snoozed on the cool stainless steel top of the table. He was having none of this nonsense.

Mr Formicelli relented. It was the least expensive option. Least damaging to his company's name and brand built so hard over the past 30 years.

Now, I had to get Mr Barrymore to accept this offer. It was not $1,000 but that was the best he could get. He knew the cost of litigation. He would relish the stories of the media as his hawker stall would get free publicity.

For some reason I have never understood, he accepted the offer. I quickly wrote him a cheque of $350. I learnt this from my real estate agency operations. When the client is hot, close the deal quickly.

In real estate, a contract is valid only if there are at least 3 factors.
An offer. An acceptance. And a "consideration."

In this case, the $350 was the "consideration."

In addition, all these must be in writing. I gave Mr Barrymore a piece of paper to write and sign that he would accept the $350 compensation and would not pursue the matter anymore.

Mr Chan received Mr Barrymore's letter, opened his big eyes wide showing the eye whites and said, "Compensation is mis-spelled as 'compension'.

I wanted to say to Mr Chan, "Stop being pedantic," so as to stop him provoking Mr Barrymore. Fortunately, Mr Barrymore was not provoked to take back his letter. If he had done so, we would be back to square one. I was so near to closing the case for Mr Formicelli and Mr Chan was so near to breaking it with his English grammar corrections!

This was a win-win solution for the dog owner and the pet shop operator. I did not make money out of this case but sometimes you cannot win all the time. Sometimes you have to lose to win.

However, I shall never get myself involved in such cases anymore, I say to myself!