sinpets.com

47. Diabetes in the dog

2006-01-09T17:55:00.000+08:00

VETS

1. 1 in 400 dogs.
2. more in females, middle-aged and older dogs. Females affected 2x more than males.
3. Diabetes mellitus, 4-14 years old, peak 7-9 years old.
4. Nearly all dogs with diabetes require insulin for the remainder of their lives to control their diabetes.
5. Body stops producing insulin, a hormone that regulates sugar absorption. Getting sugar (glucose) into blood cells as energy source. The body uses stored fat, not using food efficiently, so, loses weight although excellent appetite.
6. Genetically redicsposed. Keeshonds, Cairn Terriers, Miniature Pinschers, Poodles, Dachshunds, MIniature Schnauzers and Beagle and larger dogs.

7. Other causes - infectious viral diseases, steroids, progestagens, obese, unspayed female dogs.

8. Not all signs. Excessive urination (body flushes out unused glucose), thirst, hunger, lethargic, lose weight.
Some ketoacidotic - too many ketones or waste products - breaking down fat at a higher rate. Vomit, diarrhoea. Breath smells like nailpolish remover. Need emergency treatment, including insulin and iv fluids, constant monitoring. Can recover but some sufer kidney, heart failure and death. Cataracts. Urinary tract infection and skin diseases - susceptible to infection.

9. Diagnosis & Treatment. High blood sugar in blood and/or urine.
Insulin shots in morning and night, before meals.
High-salt prescription food - drink and pass a lot of water to get rid of unused glucose. Or canned food with high fiber food. Frequent reassessment of the dog in early stage of diabetes erquired. Once a week. Every 3 months check urine for infection, check eyes.

Some dogs respond poorly to insulin. New FDA-approved insulin for animals. Some dogs also get hypothryoidsism, kidney failure, pancreatitits. More difficult to manage.

Expensive and time needed.

46. PET SHOP OPERATORS. Parvovirus kills puppies

2005-12-12T04:18:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET SHOP OPERATORS

There seems to be no way of eliminating the parvovirus. The more successful the pet shop operator is, the more puppies he or she stocks. The introduction of new puppies without quarantine (not a practical idea) leads to the accumulation of parvoviruses and kennel cough infections.

The impractical suggestion is to take in puppies which have at least 2 vaccinations and wait 2 weeks after the 2nd vaccination before taking them. By then, competitors would have had made the money as Singaporeans love young puppies. The younger the better.

The successful pet shop operator loses out to the competition and becomes unsuccessful! Home breeders and other breeders would not supply him the puppies as they have others who want them.

So, as a veterinarian, I do not offer such "silly" advices. It just does not work in the real world.

PET SHOP OPERATORS. The Yorkshire refuses dry food after gastroenteritis

2005-11-16T01:52:00.001+08:00

Within 1 week of purchase, some puppies vomit and pass watery stools.

This happens because the owner has not puppy-proofed the apartment. The puppy wanders all over the apartment and chews on objects like shoes, legs of chairs, carpets. Many times, it swallows pieces of rawhide bones and newspapers.

So, the stomach gets a lot of foreign bodies. The puppy started to vomit many times. It is best not to self treat although in mild cases of a vomiting or two, observation for the next 24 hours may be all right. Feed honey water and no dry feed for the time. In any case, the vomiting puppy should be rushed to the vet if the condition worsens.

For this Yorkshire terrier, the pet shop operator picked up the puppy and referred to me. The owner was advised not to give dry food for 24 hours. Electrolytes given were vomited out. Yet the puppy was active the next day. It just would not eat the dry dog food.

"Nobody gave him the home-cooked people food," the lady owner said. On further questioning there were treats given.

"So, the puppy might be waiting for people food," I said. "Yorkshire Terriers and Chihuahua seem to know that if they do not eat, the owner will offer them better quality more tasty food."

For the next 2 days, the Yorkshire Terrier refused to eat. He drank water and the electrolytes. Actively running about. The owner phoned me again.

"How to make him eat?"

"In this case, buy canned food, warm it and mix 10% of the dry food." I said. "Most puppies love canned food or minced meat. Slowly change to dry food later."

No more calls from the owner. The Yorkshire Terrier seems to dislike dry puppy food after suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea. I suspect there must be children who feed him people food.

"But the children are grown up," the lady owner said.

"How old is the youngest?" I asked.

"12 years old."

A 12-year-old child is not a grown up. That age is the best age to befriend this Yorkshire Terrier and share with him the joys and sorrows of growing up. Sharing of people food is one of the joys of owning the puppy too. So, this Yorkshire Terrier must be waiting or have been fed people food without the adult knowing. The child cannot tell the adult that the puppy was given people food without being scolded.

So, no adult knows. The Yorkshire was active but did not eat dry dog food. After all, there are more tasty things to eat.

The Beagle and the air conditioner filter

2005-08-16T12:36:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET SHOP OPERATORS - Air conditioner filter.

The Beagle was the ugliest, in my opinion, but the pet shop girl bought it. To me, Beagles look good if they have more patches of white colour. This one had 90% non-white colours. He had yellow diarrhoea and a few reddish spots of blood passed onto the pee tray. A change of diet and environment probably caused the diarrhoea.

Now, he was housed in the quarantine area, below the ceiling air conditioner. "Why don't you vacuum the filter?" I asked the pet shop girl. Lots of germs in this filter which was clogged with whitish stuff. The poor puppy was below. "The puppy could fall sick breathing in dust from the filter should the stuff fall off. The air conditioner had been switched off.

The pet shop girl was busy on her mobile phone. Long hours at the shop from 10 a.m to 9 p.m, 7 days a week. Pestered her. For the sake of the puppy. She took a hose and vacuumed zig zaged lines on the filter.

There was no ladder. But it was not sufficient. I offered to get her a ladder from her house. But the part-timer suggested borrowing from the neighbour. He had hair in a bun and I thought he was a girl. Waiting for national service. He took down the filter. Flushed it with water hose. Blackish water, the blackest soot you can see.

At least the filter was washed. I was glad that the puppy had a better environment and left after vaccinating 4 new puppies. Long hours can cause burn-out, ubt never ignore the hygiene of the pet shop. Puppies die easily and how can a pet shop be making money if the basic of hygiene is neglected? I don't know. In fact, there should be a check list to clean up. Part-timers must be given a schedule to do. This will make sure that the pet shop operations are kept to the highest standard of hypiene. Healthy puppies mean happy customers and hopefully, good business.

It is hard to convince the pet shop girl.

The dam had heart problems and the pup was lifeless

2005-08-12T06:53:00.000+08:00

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE

The long-coated chihuahua had heart problems. No other dams had breathed "har, har, har" throughout general anaesthesia. The endotracheal tube passed in the anaesthetic gas and she was not feeling any pain when I operated and took out her first pup. But she was having noisy sounds from her nose. Her lungs were not in top form. She could die anytime. The secret of success was to operate in less than 15 minutes, as short a time as possible. Long-coated Chihuahuas were extremely rare in Singapore and very valuable.

This was her first birth. She had not been able to put on weight till now, 2 years later and Mr Formicelli was worried that she might die on the operating table. He had called me personally to explain her medical background. "She has a heart problem diagnosed," he said. "Should I do the Caesarean or not? I doubt she can give birth naturally. She is panting and her rectal temperature is 37.8 deg C."

"Has she got milk?" I asked. He said yes. Well, this is a very risky elective Caesarean. If we don't operate, the pup might die and still we had to operate to save the mother from a decomposing pup. So, what was the choice?

I knew I would not be blamed if she died on the operating table. But words of death under the operating table spread fast amongst the breeding fraternity. No excuses. Death meant incompetence. Mr Formicelli nor his experienced assistant could come.

But his father, the pet shop girl and her husband were present. I put the dam under gas anaesthesia. The whites of her eyes reddened as if she had high blood pressure. I put the breathing tube into her lungs. First time lucky as I could not see her epiglottis. She was just not fully anaesthesized. But time was of the essence.

Under surgical anaesthesia, she still "har, har, har," Like a person snoring in the sleep. She had breathing difficulty too in addition to a heart murmur. Would her stressed heart now failed?

When I took out the sole pup, it was enclosed in a cloudy amniotic sac. Few clumps of white stuff, probably its stools (meconium) floated inside the water. The placenta was normal and in top condition. However, the pup was limp.

I wanted to finish the operation fast. Mr Formicelli was a top breeder and the seventy-five year old father had been active in the breeding operations. "You know what to do?" I asked as I handed him the most precious pup in the world. Maybe in Singapore for Mr Formicelli. A chocolate long-coated chihuahua. He nodded.

I could not hear any puppy cries for 2 minutes. I saw him rubbing gently its neck as the pup laid on the towel, outside the surgery room. "Swing it," I shouted. He still rubbed.

I had just inserted one stitch to close up the womb. There were 2 pups but one had broken down into a pulpy yellowish brown sticky mass from the right uterine horn. The normal pup was now life-less.

Should I continue stitching the mother? Time is of the essence for the puppy. 2 minutes had passed and I had been presumptuous. This pup needed more than rubbing its neck. Should I stop stitching? What if the mother died due to prolonging of the general anaesthesia. She was still breathing nosily and her maroon red tongue had dried up. Well, her tongue was not cyanotic and should I take the chance?

The mother is more important than the puppy to the breeder. Yet, this was a most beautiful chocolate chihuahua. A difficult to conceive. Much effort and time and expenses. All the hope. If Caesarean had taken place 6 hours earlier, it probably would be vigorous.

Now, there was a decision. To stop stitching and maybe the mother would just collapse of heart failure. To revive a puppy that might not live and sacrifice the mother? What was the best course of action. There was no time to think through. There was no plan B. It was now or never. Time was of the essence for the puppy.

I took the puppy outside the surgery. To the walk way. It was a fine August evening. I had more space there to swing it. I swung it in an arc. From the top of my head down to between my stretched out legs. 5 times I swung, 5 times yellowish white foam came out of its nostrils. The lungs must be water-logged.

I thought 5 times was sufficient. Still no life. Used the hair-dryer to warm it. Pinched its neck skin 3 times, tickled its hard palate and tongue with the tissue paper. Wiped its nose.

No life. No hope. It was past 5 minutes. I swung at least 3 times inside the consultation room. Instructed the pet shop girl what to do. She was a novice. The pups' tongue suddenly changed to a dark maroon red colour. Was this a sign of blood flowing through the body or my hard powerful swings? It was not crying. I saw the tongue moved a bit. A glimmer of life.

I just could not wait any longer. Any time, the mother might just die of heart failure. It must have been 5 minutes of attending to the pups but it seemed that time was at a standstill. Cry, puppy cry. No sounds.

There was one procedure I had to do. This was the last trick up my sleeve. It was the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Was it a bit too late now? Better late than never?

I extended my neck. Held the pup high above my head. Inserted its nose and mouth between my lips. Sucked hard to pull out the water from its lungs. No water was seen from its nostrils. I asked the pet shop girl to continue nursing. It was time for the mother.

I could see that the pet shop girl and the patriarch hard at work. Pinch its neck skin, I demonstrated with my fingers as I saw the pet shop girl not doing that, from the window pane separating the consultation from the surgery room. I had changed gloves and was stitching up the mother. She was normal but breathing harshly.

"Reduce to 1 percent gas (instead of the usual 2%) I told my assistant James. "You go and pinch the puppy's neck. You have strong fingers and had done successfully before." James went to help.

It seemed like an eternity. James' magic fingers worked. The pup gave one loud cry. I thought that was sufficient. It cried again and again. A voice of protest against being pinched? It was as if a dam of silence had burst. We knew it was great but we do not express our happiness like hugging each other or clapping.

The puppy was alive. The mother was well. I am sure Mr Formicelli was a satisfied customer.

Part 2. The cat with the malodorous backside wound

2005-07-14T06:56:00.000+08:00

Cat bite abscess - malodorous, gangrenous skin. Big hole. Stitched up.
http://www.toapayohvets.com

In Singapore, a tom cat attacking home cats going out is one of the commonest complaints.

Part 1. The cat with the malodorous backside wound

2005-07-06T07:11:00.000+08:00

"How do you know I am in the creative industry?" the broad shouldered muscular 40-year-old man put his 5-year-old cat on the operating table. The cat was tranquilised but it was not knocked out. It hissed as Nurse Ann tried to give her anaesthetic gas via a face mask.

"Creative people present trademarks," I said. "They keep beards." I did not say that many do have one ear ring on their left ear. I knew that this procedure would not be suitable for this tabby cat with light grey hairs. It was the safest method. The bearded man took the mask, cooed to the cat, "Let me try it."

The cat's eyes widened. It hissed again and put out its claws. The warning signs of danger.

"Best to postpone the operation till tomorrow when I will give an injectable anaesthetic which will not require me to use anaesthetic gas at all," I said.

"But I have no time tomorrow," the bearded man said. "I am busy at the IOC Meeting."
Singapore hosts the IOC (International Olympic Committee) Meeting and on Wednesday (2 days from now), the Committee will select Paris, London, New York, Madrid or Moscow for the venue of the 2012 Olympics Games. David Beckham and Mohammed Ali would be around pitching for London and New York respectively.

What could I say? The cat comes first or the IOC? His mum was worried.

"I could give another dose of the tranquiliser but the cat may die from fright or hear failure. So, I rather not advise it." In fact, I would not do it. "The cat's health comes first," I said. "I had given the cat a lower dose because it is older and had a severe infection."

The lump on the right side of the tail end was big and very painful, about 15 cm in size.

What should be done now?

The infected gangrenous tissues were cut off when the cat was under general anaesthesia. The hole was large. Other parts of the backside skin were snipped to join and close the big hole.

Cat bite abscess - malodorous, gangrenous skin. Big hole. Stitched up.
http://www.toapayohvets.com

In 21 days after surgery, the cat was back to normal and the mother was very happy. This was a busy son but he cared to seek treatment so that his mother's cat can live a normal life. Without treatment, the infectious bacteria would have spread to all over the body, killing this cat.

The cat had a new lease of life and hopefully, no more outside cats would attack her. If she was kept indoors all the time, she would be safe. But some cats just want to go out for a while. Danger lurks downstairs as there may be a big tom cat defending his territory.

The blond-haired puppy had bloody smelly stools.

2005-07-02T07:20:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET OWNERS - 2nd vaccination missed by two months.

"Can you remember me?" she asked. "Of course," I said. "I don't have many dog owners whose blond hair mirror the blond tuff on the head of the cocker spaniel puppy." In fact, I have maybe 5 Caucasian clients a year and so everyone is easy to remember.

"My puppy has blood in its stools after staying 5 days in the pet shop kennels," she said. "The operator volunteered to look after it. I gave them the medicine from you and they phoned me to take it back after 4 days. It came back with normal stools, but now passes a lot of blood."

Could it be stress? Could it be the deworming tablets her domestic worker gave daily for the past 2 days despite my advice that the tablets be given once in 1-2 weeks?

Will have to wait and see.

"It is silly to send the puppy back to the pet shop kennels," I admonished her although I should have better bedside manners. "You were supposed to monitor the puppy for parvoviral infection. The kennel has a lot of puppies coming from various sources. If this puppy did not suffer from parvoviral infection, it might have caught the infection now."

Passing blood and smelly stools are not a good sign. The puppy had only one vaccination and was overdue by 2 months.

Some pet shop operators do not realise that their reputation is as good as the care of the puppies. If they do not organise themselves well, they don't get referrals. Missing vaccination dates are not a small matter if the puppy die from parvoviral infections which seem to be quite common in the past 2 months in Singapore puppies.

Educating the puppy buyer in writing.

2005-06-29T06:04:00.000+08:00

TOILET TRAINING EXPERIENCES WANTED

TOILET TRAINING PUPPY Case 3. "Not a visitor for the whole day," the pet shop girl wiped her nose with the tissue paper said when I vaccinated 3 puppies at 5 p.m.
http://www.toapayohvets.com

It was Tuesday, June 28, 2005, the second day of the school term for students up to the junior college level. Had Singapore slided into recession? Yet the well-stocked estabished competitor down the road had prospective buyers when I was there a few minutes ago.

A part-timer, a muscular young man in an orange sleeveless T-shirt, studying Chemical Engineering was surfing wireless on his note book. "Did you tap on the cafe's broad band," I asked him as the pet shop's policy was no broadband to discourage malingering. Several young adults of around 20 years old are employed shop to clean the cages and they love to chat and post on message boards like www.friendstar.com.

The hours are long and the shop opens seven days a week. It is physically tiring. "Why don't you write a book on puppy toilet training just for your puppy buyers?" I asked the pet shop girl who was the proprietor of the shop. "Many of them have no clues as to what to do after buying the puppy from the pet shop. If you give or sell them a book on the Singaporean situation, they will remember you as no other pet shop bothers to do such a book."

She shook her head. The flu viruses drained her soul. "Have you got good antibiotics for me?" she asked. "Some good ones you use for your puppy's kennel cough. Or for cat flu." I asked her to seek proper human medical attention. She said, "My doctor's medicine are ineffective."

"You should be at home resting," I advised. "Antibiotics are ineffective against the flu viruses." Her obligations as a proprietor must be fulfilled as the shop must have two operators at any one time ideally.

She then explained to me how to toilet train the puppy. Good hands-on experience on what she would advise the buyer verbally. Don't ask her to write even if that would help her increase sales. There are better things to do in life when you are twenty-something. She is typical of the young adults.

If the puppy buyer can afford the $50.00, she would recommend the wire-less crate for small breeds like the Shih Tzu. This crate has a pee tray. The urine and stools drop onto the pee tray, keeping the puppy relatively clean. The newspapers on the pee tray cannot be shredded by the puppy. The tiled floor of the house or apartment will not be soiled as the pee-tray traps the puppy's output. In addition, the walls of the pee-tray will not collapse on an active puppy, unlike the 4 fences forming a play pen or puppy pen.

To toilet train the puppy, take it out to smell the newspaper. A house-breaking solution bought from the pet shop is sprayed on the newspaper and the puppy is supposed to go to toilet on the newspaper after following the instructions on the product.

That is the theory. How many puppy buyers remember the instructions. Who actually looks after the puppy at home? It may be the domestic worker or the mother who is not present when the puppy is purchased. So, the poor puppy does not get properly trained. Or worse, beaten up as it soils the whole house.

Readers who have practical experience with toilet training, please email to me. I am compiling a book for Singaporeans "Singaporeans: Toilet-training your first puppy." Email to drsing_98@yahoo.com. Your contributions will be gratefully acknowledged and paid for.

2005-06-28T07:03:00.000+08:00

Case 1. Barking but spiteful Miniature Schnauzer. Negative reinforcement (caning) plus positive reinforcement (verbal praises) used. lst 7 days, puppy soiled the apartment. Put its nose to smell and then onto newspapers placed on the kitchen and master bedroom floor. The owner put him on the newspaper which had been urine-sprayed. Caning on back. Successful in 21 days to paper train. Still goes to the tiled areas when the couple works. Why so spiteful? Barks but kept quiet for one hour when the male owner showed him the cane. But not with the female owner. Why? Singaporeans. Solutions in Toilet Training Your First Puppy. Dr Kong Sing's book.
http://www.toapayohvets.com

The Internet for information 2005 - for pet owners

2005-06-28T02:49:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET OWNERS - Use the Internet
Source: Sue Jeffries, Dog World magazine Feb 2005.

With internet, you can enter a dog show, compare dog foods, find a breeder, read the latest show results, make new friends, research dog breeds and more.

1. BREED INFORMATION. The national dog club is the best place to obtain accurate, honest information. The American Kennel Club (www.akc.org) or dog magazines like DogWorld.com has websites and/or emails for national parent clubs. The Singapore Kennel Club in Singapore.

2. SHOW INFORMATION. WEbsites may have lists of participants and results.

3. BREEDER WEBSITES. Good breeders may not have much pictures. Still need to contact breeder directly to check out.

4. INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS. Must be careful.

5. CLUB NEWSLETTERS. National clubs to small local breed clubs.

6. MAGAZINE ARTICLES. Non-subscribers may still find information on website of some dog magazines like www.dogworld.com. Source of valuable insight.

7. FOOD INFORMATION. Major dog-food manufacturers. Access food's nutritonal content to compare online without going to the shop to read labels. Food content information, the most prominent ingredients are listed at the top. If you don't know what ingredient is best for your dog, check with your dog breeder, a trusted mentor or your veterinarian.

8. EQUIPMENT. Online websites of dog product supplier or manufacturer.

9. E-GROUPS. Little control as anybody can start an e-group. Be aware of content accuracy, destructive gossip and defamation.

2005-06-27T04:32:00.000+08:00

Some breeders sell puppies after the first vaccination at 6 weeks old. They are healthy. But they are not fully protected against the deadly parvovirus. The demand is so great for such young puppies that buyers pay a premium price for them. However, the pet shop premises may harbour the deadly parvovirus. The puppies are not fully protected. Within 10 days of purchase, some of the puppies (with one vaccination) show vomiting and diarrhoea. Foul smelly diarrhoea, lots of vomiting. They tested positive for parvovirus. Their chances of survival are slim. There is so much trauma when young puppies die. TIPS FOR BREEDERS. Sell 7 days after the 2nd vaccination as a compromise. Not ideal situation but it will be good for the breeder's reputation and well being of the puppies. Don't be known in Singapore as the "breeder who sells puppies that die at the pet shop."
http://www.toapayohvets.com

Vaccinated twice but the puppy still got parvovirus

2005-06-27T04:06:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR IMPORTERS OF PUPPIES

"You must come and visit your puppy," I phoned the owner a few times. "It had tested positive for parvovirus." The time-pressed couple had left the puppy overnight when it vomited and had a bit of diarrhoea. They bought the puppy from a pet shop. It had two vaccinations in Australia and was imported within the last 10 days.

The puppy vomited fresh blood in large amounts the next day. It passed blood in the stools in large amounts. Other than that, it looked normal.

The owner contacted the pet shop operator who sold the puppy. He had researched the internet and said, "It cost a thousand dollars to treat parvoviral gastroenteritis in puppies."

"It is not the money that is the issue," I said although the cost of veterinary treatment and hospitalisation is always in the minds of many Singaporean owners. "It is the low success rate for your puppy."

"So much blood had been vomited out," I retrieved the newspaper disposed into a bin located far away from the Surgery. "Around 20 ml of blood from the stomach. The puppy would not live more than 3 days."

Doctors can be wrong. There are dogs living to a ripe old age even though the doctor gave it not long to live. However, I wanted the owner to know the seriousness of this case.

He phoned the puppy seller. "Send it to Dr .." the assistant referred him to another veterinarian. "He has better facilities." I don't object to any owner seeking better facilities. But the seller would not want to pay for the veterinary costs.

The owner took the puppy back to the Seller and demanded full compensation. The internet forum publicised the incident. No name of the seller was mentioned. The forum members wanted to know who the seller was. None had a clue or could talk about their experiences with parvovirus.

Such forums are becoming common. The buyer did not get full refund. Complaints were lodged with the regulatory authorities but the body of evidence was not available as the puppy had passed away, the forum writer reported. He got back 50% refund.

In any case, the pet shop had complied with the regulations. 2 vaccinations before the puppy could be sold.

How come the 2 vaccinations in Australia did not protect the imported puppy?
It was best not to speculate. There are more puppies from Australia with similar schedule and from the same Australian veterinary practice. The majority did not have much problems.

The pet shop operator had been advised to vaccinate twice for imported puppies. He did not think it was necessary. There was no legal requirements. Just import and sell.

Parvovirus from pet shops

2005-06-27T03:51:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR BREEDERS - Don't sell your puppies till after the 2nd and preferably the 3rd puppy vaccination.

Case 1. The puppy was bought from a pet shop around 7 days ago. It stopped eating. Vomited and passed loose stools. No profuse water diarrhoea. However, I tested it for parvovirus as there were three cases of puppies with parvovirus from this pet shop.

I inserted the cotton swab - part of the faecal parvoviral test kit into its rectum to get a stool sample. Not much stools. Light yellow, like normal faeces. I smelt it. It had that distinctive foul-smelling odour of parvoviral infection of the gut.

The test showed positive for parvovirus. What are the chances for survival? I was frank with the young lady. She was a nursing student and understood the implications. There are no anti-viral drugs for puppy parvovirus. Even if there were, the costs would be too high. Once vomiting started, the chances of survival of this puppy were very low.

Her eyes reddened. Tears cascaded. How long would the puppy live? Not more than 7 days unless it was able to overcome the viral attack. It had a first vaccination.

"Please seek a second opinion as some other owners do," I said. "Treatment with antibiotics and fluid therapy does not usually help as there is no anti-viral drugs." She left with the puppy.

A new Breeder's first experience with Parvovirus

2005-06-23T06:03:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR NEW BREEDERS

June 22, 2005.

"I am not like the others," the new breeder waylaid me as I was rushing to meet my date to go for the Englebert Humperdinck 2005 tour show at the Singapore Exposition. "I vaccinated the Maltese at a vet at 6 weeks old (June 2, 2005), waited 1 week before selling it to a pet shop."

The Maltese was returned to him around June 20. It was still alive but I did not see it as the kennels were closed by this time. The owner consulted me around June 17, as the puppy was not eating and had diarrhoea. No blood in the stools but a foul-smelling yellowish diarrhoea. The stools were tested positive for parvovirus.

Assuming the pet shop bought it on June 9, the puppy might or might not have been infected at the pet shop. The signs and symptoms of the disease appeared around June 17. Parvoviruses have a short incubation period.

The owner had a second opinion and did not want to return the puppy at first. She was worried that the breeder would not treat it. Yet she would not get compensation if she did not hand over the Maltese. Now, the breeder was treating it in an isolated area in his breeding kennels.

"No vomiting at all," the breeder said. "No diarrhoea." He was giving colostrum powder and other things. Hands were washed. In the first place, no parvoviral puppies should be brought back to the breeding kennels but my advice was not practical. In Singapore, it is very expensive to rent places for isolation of sick puppies.
"Parvovirus can be transmitted by shoes," I said to the breeder."Do you have separate shoes for the kennel workers and for going home? He did not have this procedure although he adopted this for himself. The worker is the weak link in parvoviral disease control.

"Is this the first parvoviral case you encounter?" I asked him. "Vomiting appears only in the late stage of the infection."

I hope the puppy will survive. It did have one vaccination by a vet and had been kept for 1 week. However, one vaccination was not sufficient.

It was impractical to advise him to retain the puppy for 2 weeks after the second vaccination. Older puppies don't fetch a premium price.
However, it would be for his own good financially, I advised. "No or maybe less complaints and return of puppies."

Breeders learn by experience. If they don't manage their business properly, they can suffer from low productivity and be out of business.

BREEDERS - FIP (dry form) in kittens

2005-06-21T07:43:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR CAT BREEDERS

Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP)

Hard to diagnose. Once diagnosed, there is no cure. Cats die.

Below is information from the FIP Symposium at the Western Veterinarian Conference in Las Vegas. The speakers were Dr. Melissa Kennedy, Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee, Dr. Susan Little, a feline specialist and lecturer, Dr. Danielle Gunn-Moore, Senior Lecturer in Feline Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, and Dr. Niels Pedersen, Director of the Center for Companion Animal Health at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Pedersen is one of the leading researchers in the field.

1. Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) comes in two forms: Wet (effusive) and dry (non-effusive). The experts all agree, and emphasized that there is no diagnostic test for FIP. There may be some abnormal lab values that make a veterinarian suspicious of FIP, but the diagnosis is rarely firm, especially with the dry form of FIP, until the cat or kitten dies. Often the cat or kitten presents to the veterinarian as "just not being right." The symptoms, particularly for the dry form can be very vague. There are some clinical signs, though, that should cause suspicion that a cat may have FIP. These include:

* fever that comes and goes and is not responsive to antibiotics
* loss of appetite
* weight loss
* low energy
* neurological signs such as seizures or difficulty with balance
* urinary incontinence, which is rare in cats
* a very large abdomen filled with fluid (in the wet form only)

2. Symptoms may occur suddenly or may happen so gradually that by the time they are noticeable, they are very severe. Cats with FIP often have had a recent stressor such as illness, surgery, moving to a new place, or a recent addition to the family such as a baby or a new cat or dog.

So how do cats get FIP? Recent advances tell us that there's a genetic component as well as an environmental one. FIP is a mutation of a virus called Feline Enteric Corona Virus (FECV) that is shed by some cats in their feces. It can also be shed through saliva, though this is rare. FECV and FIP are not communicable to humans. Many cats have FECV but never show signs of illness. If a cat's immune system and genetics are such that they can be exposed to FECV without converting it to FIP, they don't ever get the disease. It's important to note that once a kitten has FIP it doesn't have to be isolated as it is no longer contagious in this form. In fact, the experts believe that it may be more stressful to the kitten to isolate it. Older cats who get FIP are cats who have been carrying the FECV virus all along, but whose immune systems are now no longer able to handle it. Many of the experts believe that kittens should be kept away from adult cats so that they have no chance of being exposed too FECV while their immune systems are still developing.

It used to be that most cases of FIP were the wet form and in this form, kittens usually only live a few days to a few weeks. Now, however, veterinarians are seeing more of the dry form, which, according to Dr. Pedersen, means that cats are developing more immunity. In the dry form, some cats survive several weeks to over a year. Although there is no cure for FIP, the diagnosis itself is not a reason to euthanize a cat or kitten. If euthanasia is necessary, it is because the cat no longer has a good quality of life.

To try to prevent FIP, it is important to keep the environment very clean. Litter should be scooped twice daily and then thrown out after a week. The box and litter scooper should be cleaned with a disinfectant before new litter is put in. Food and water should be changed daily and the bowls should also be disinfected weekly. For rescue groups with kennel facilities, the same bowls should be kept with the same group of cats or kittens. New cats or kittens should be isolated for a minimum of 21 days. Kittens should then be kept separate from adult cats (as mentioned earlier)

One of the many tragedies of FIP is that often the people affected are those who've lost a beloved older cat and then adopt a kitten. After the adoption, the kitten becomes sick and FIP may be suspected. This is frustrating to both rescuers and adopters as the rescuers see the kitten as healthy and ready for adoption. This is because rehoming can be a great stress for some cats and kittens. When the kitten dies, the adopter who so recently dealt with the death of a beloved pet must now deal with death again. When the panel was asked about this, they said that potential adopters might want to adopt a cat 1-2 years of age so as to try to avoid this. Cats of any age bond equally well with new families.

PURE BREED KITTENS - 3 CASES OF DRY FORM OF FIP?

In 2005, in Singapore, 3 kittens over 8 weeks old within a period of 1 month in the same cattery. Complaint of not eating suddenly and not able to walk normally. As if "drunk" or "poisoned". A vet may diagnose infection of the brain and nervous system.

Can't stand properly. Fever. Loses weight quickly. Comatose for few days. Die or euthanasia. These may be the dry form of FIP. The dry form of FIP is hard to diagnose.

Keep the environment very clean to prevent FIP. Litter box disinfection, removal of faeces twice per day and change of litter once a week. Maybe, change of litter every 3 days if there are many kittens. Observe all kittens for LOSS OF APPETITE daily but it is hard to tell if they are housed together.

Parvovirus kills puppies - Research in 2005

2005-06-18T04:11:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET SHOP OPERATORS - PARVOVIRUS RESEARCH

Case 1.

Jun 17, 2005. Friday. The Golden Retriever puppy died despite treatment.
Jun 16, 2005. A Caucasian lady brought in a Golden Retriever puppy. Vomiting multiple times and had bloody diarrhoea. Temperature was normal at 38.8 deg C. Positive for faecal parvovirus. Chances of survival are very slim.
Jun 15, 2005. Wednesday. I vaccinated it at a pet shop with a breeding kennel. 2nd vaccination. The pet shop operator provided a free vaccination service for buyers and I usually went to his premises on Wednesday at 1 p.m to vaccinate the puppies. The owner said that the puppy was not eating on Jun 15, 2005.

"How could it contact parvovirus when it was just vaccinated?" the pet shop owner.
asked.

The incubation period of parvovirus is short. Exposure to the virus to signs of disease is called the incubation period. In this case, the puppy was brought back to the pet shop 10 days ago for a complaint of hind limb hair loss. It was exposed as the Caucasian lady said that the puppy had not been to places where there were other puppies.

Another possibility is that she had been to other pet shops or breeding farms and got the parvovirus in her shoes.

In any case, this local bred Golden Retriever had been given the first vaccination 4 weeks before the second.

The first vaccination would not protect the puppy as it might have maternal antibodies. It was exposed 10 days ago.

So, would the pet shop operator pay? He paid for the veterinary bill. Parvovirus strikes every pet shop operator in Singapore now and then. The more successful the operations, the higher the number of puppies affected.

RESEARCH.

Jun 17, 2005. I went to the Jurong Reference Library at 7 p.m. A beautiful renovated high ceiling library. It is a great pity that it is not bustling with children on this Friday evening. It is the June school holidays and I presume the children have had better distractions.

The librarian, a slim fair round-eyed lady in black uniform helped me to access the database Proquest. There were 2 important news report on parvovirus.

1. DVM, Cleveland, Feb 2005, Vol. 36, Iss 2. p.1. 2 pgs. Canine parvovirus doubling its population size every few years. Edwin Hahn, associate dean for Research & Advanced Studies at the University of Illinois' Veterinary School says it still responds to vaccination on the market. The disease emerged in 1978 when it jumped species from cats to dogs. The article says that the spread of parvovirus globally could be due to people's shoes and contaminated material. The parvovirus is a DNA virus but it acts like a RNA virus which evolves fast. There is a Japanese and Italian strain isolated.

My comments. As Singapore does not have the veterinary research facilities, it is hard to know whether the parvovirus in puppies here is a new strain and certain puppies will die despite vaccination. Most of the veterinary clinics would have cases of parvoviral deaths in puppies.

2. AAP General News Wire, Sydney Dec 11, 2004. The Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported outbreaks in Australia. The puppies became ill within 7-10 days with the first signs of infection being severe vomiting, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, depression and fever. The parvovirus survive in faeces for many months and can be transmitted in the hair or feet of infected dogs and by people's shoes or clothes.

Infected puppies must be isolated to prevent the rapid spread of the infection. The advice is NOT to bring the puppy to the vet and to treat early.

My comments.

Singapore imports puppies mainly from Australia. There are parvovirus puppy deaths despite the fact that they needed to be 3 months of age and have had 2 vaccinations in Australia before import to Singapore. A few of the imported puppies die of parvovirus within 14 days of arrival and buyers usually get traumatised. Such buyers usually buy the puppies within a day or two of arrival. In any case, the incubation period is short and the disease signs showed soon. NOT all imported Australian puppies are affected.

Even if the puppy is treated very early, recovery depends very much on its immunity and the severity of infection. When the vet is consulted, they are usually vomiting mulitple times and having diarrhoea. In such situations, they die within 2 days despite treatment.

Parvovirus remains a killer of puppies born in Singapore or imported.

The best advice to pet shop operators is NOT to purchase puppies till 2 weeks after they have the second vaccination. Such advices are laughed at because they are not practical. Very few Singaporeans want to buy puppies that are much older when there are home breeders and others who sell younger and cuter puppies.

Another rule and regulation from the Singapore Government? To ban the sale of all local puppies in Singapore unless they are over 3 months old and have had 2 vaccinations and 2 weeks after the second vaccination? The rule of 3 months old and 2 vaccinations apply to imported puppies in 2005. The 2 vaccinations and 2 weeks after vaccination before the pet shop operator can sell the puppies apply to local pet shop operators.

More rules and regulations. Singapore is still a FINE city. The entrepreneur gets fined for breaching rules and regulations which increase in numbers over the years as the bureaucrats puts forth rules and regulatons to control the market.

More penalties. More regulations. More operating expenses for the breeder and the pet shop operators. In the end, Singapore is non-competitive in the global market because more aspiring start up competitors are eliminated. The fittest survived the fines. The prices of puppies go up because there is not much competition.

So, it is a good idea to get into professional canine breeding or pet shop operation if you have the deep pocket to survive the numerous canine laws and produce high quality products and excellent services.

Be professional, well-informed and fined!

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET SHOP OPERATORS - Buying unvaccinated puppies

2005-06-16T04:45:00.000+08:00

Link

A very small mini-Maltese vomited a lot. It died one day later despite treatment.
"Why did it die?" the wife of the pet shop operator asked me.

Anothe Maltese coughing, vomiting and diarrhoea died. A Golden Retriever that had received a first vaccination by me at the pet shop 10 days ago had vomiting and diarrhoea. It died.

All 3 had tested positive for faecal parvovirus. The pet shop operator was not happy with having to pay for the parvoviral tests as he said he had not asked for the test. He had lost money and it was throwing good money after bad.

Without the tests, it would have been hard to tell why the puppies had died. I waived the fees for the tests.

Vets must understand that the pet shop operators need to contain costs. I note that many vets prefer not to service the pet shop operators and breeders as they expect free consultations and least cost services. They took up a lot of veterinary time.

An experienced ex-colleague of mine in the government remarked that I was not servicing high quality clients. His remarks were spot on. Education of the breeding industry and pet shop operations is very important if you think about the health of puppies. Breeders can be advised not to sell the puppies without any vaccination to pet shop operators till they receive 2 vaccinations. This measure cuts down on the numerous deaths of puppies caused by the deadly parovivurs.

Some of the professional breeders are adopting this measure. Previously, they used to sell the 6-week-old puppies to the pet shops but now the top ones don't do it till they receive at least one vaccination and wait one more week. The newer breeders sell without vaccinaton and get a bad reputation for producing "puppies that die after the sale."

Home breeders may need to be educated. If we know where and how to contact them. Maybe, through this blog.

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR NEW BREEDERS - Vaccination killed a puppy

2005-06-14T05:23:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR HOME BREEDERS - Vaccination reactions are rare and rarely fatal if the puppy is healthy and strong.

He was gaunt. Maybe he was born that way. "I am also a graduate," he said as I tried to explain that puppies are vaccinated by me at six weeks of age because the antibodies to the deadly parvovirus and distemper virus are fewer in some but not all of them.

He read a lot and most sources are from the internet. "Why don't you examine every puppy before vaccination?" he asked me. I don't examine them in detail because the breeder should know about signs of health and they don't want to pay more in consultation fees.

"It is not possible to check for antibodies in the blood before vaccination," I explained to the enlightened home breeder. If the titres are high, then there was no need to vaccinate. In Singapore, there are no laboratories able to perform such test. How about overseas, he asked? Yes, I said. But it would cost a lot of money. Was he willing to spend a few hundred dollars?

I do not know how he came to this conclusion that I despise him because he was not a graduate. There are very successful people and they are usually non-graduates. In this world, more non-graduates are successful in enterprises because they have nothing to lose. I admire them much more because they succeed despite the lack of a paper qualification making them a "graduate". So, how should I handle this situation? Should I lose my bedside manners and get accused of a poor attitude?

"I graduate in business management," the home breeder of beautiful Shih Tzus said. "You looked down on me because you are taller."

I let the comments passed since he had defused the tension created by him. He reminded me that one out of his five six-week-old puppy had died the next day after vaccination some time ago.

"It is best to vaccinate puppies when they are older," I said. "It is very rare, but such deaths do happen."

The home breeder needed to sell his puppies to the pet shop at a premium. Since there is the regulation of 2 weeks after the second vaccination before the pet shop operator could sell his puppy, any delay by him in vaccination would mean that the puppies have had grown bigger and therefore he would not be given a higher price. |

Here are his questions:

1. Can the puppies be vaccinated at an older age?
Answer. Yes. Provided they are not taken to a place where there are many puppies e.g. breeding kennels or pet shops.

2. How many vaccinations would be required if the puppy is 12 weeks old?
Answer. Two at 2-4 weeks apart.

3. Can breeding stock not be vaccinated at all?
Answer. This depends on their risk to exposure to the deadly viruses.

Situation 1. They must be vaccinated if they are in the breeding kennels. They will be exposed to various viruses. If they are not vaccinated with the booster vaccination, they have no antibodies to pass on to the puppies. One reason for very poor production in some dog breeders may be that they don't vaccinate their breeding females. The puppies don't survive past 6 weeks since they have no maternal antibodies. Successful breeders don't have this low productiviity. As breeding stock don't fall sick or don't die, it is not obvious to the new breeder that he should vaccinate all his adult stock once a year.

Situation 2. If they are staying at home and there are only one or two breeding females, they do not need vaccination booster after the first year since they will not be exposed to viruses normally. However, can you make sure that the females are not exposed to the viruses when brought to the breeding kennels to mate with the male?

In addition, the puppies will not have maternal antibodies since the mother had no booster vaccination after the first year.

Situation 3. If we adopt the American recommendations. There are some recent recommendations by some American veterinary associations and universities stating that the adult dogs do not need vaccination against distemper and parvovirus throughout their life if they get MLV (modified live virus) vaccinations. As a compromise, they recommend 3 yearly vaccinations for pet owners. Should we blindly adopt what the Americans propose?

So, you can see the confusion created by various sources on vaccination in the world wide web. All these jargon about dog vaccination, over-vaccination and adverse reactions can be too much for the lay person. Hence, it is best to just adopt your veterinarian's schedule and get on with living.

The home breeder waited half an hour to see whether his Shih Tzus had vaccination reactions. They were all right and he went back. The puppies taking the second vaccination were 3 months of age. Singaporeans love the younger one and are prepared to pay a much higher price. But it is better that his beloved puppies be alive than dead.

SURVIVAL SECRETS - NEW VET ASSISTANTS - Feeding sick Retrievers

2005-06-04T06:36:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR - NEW VET ASSISTANTS - The Golden Retriever wolfed down its feed and bled, then vomited.

"The Golden Retriever puppy was all right for two days after consultation. Then, he passed a large amount of blood in his stools. The domestic worker told me this morning me and I am worried. I will rush back home to get the puppy in for treatment," the career lady phoned me.

In such cases, I advised warding the puppy for observation. He looked all right but his stools had fresh blood. He was not suffering from the deadly parvoviral infection based on his signs and symptoms and the fact that he was vaccinated. Hence, I did not test for parvovirus as that would incur additional cost to the owner.

I put the puppy on electrolytes for 24 hours. The next day, he had passed some stools that were more solid.

"Feed him outside the surgery," I said to my new vet assistant. My routine procedure was to feed the warded dog a small amount of food. Anne filled a large bowl of dog food. The puppy was wolfing down the food as if there was no tomorrow. He smacked his muzzle into the stainless steel feed bowl and just swallowed large amounts.

Then, his left nostril trickled red blood. He licked his bleeding with his tongue and continued gulping down the dry feed. Anne was not sure what to do. It was something new to her. Soon, the puppy vomited the reddish brown feed three times. I stopped the feeding and wiped the blood off the nose.

"Put the puppy back to rest in his cage," I said. There was not a hungrier puppy in the whole of Singapore. Feeding small amounts (2 tablespoonful) every hour satisified its hunger.

Most kennel operators give large quantities of dry feed to newly recovered patients. Test the appetite and be prudent. The Golden Retriever puppy could have choked itself and died since he was very hungry.

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR NEW GROOMERS - Ear hairs

2005-06-03T06:37:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR NEW GROOMERS - Plucking ear hairs

"My grooming fees are $40.00," the groomer phoned me to say that the ears of the Maltese were normal when she sent it home. "The owner is claiming $150.00 veterinary fees from me as you said that the pus in the ear canal was caused by the groomer pulling out ear hairs and infecting the ear canal."

I told the groomer that I would not be able to state categorically that the cause of pus in the skin around the opening of both ear canals of the Maltese was her fault as I had not seen the puppy before grooming or just after grooming. I told the owner accordingly when she phoned me later.

The infection could be due to the Maltese scratching its ears after going home. Something may have irritated the ears at home. It was 2 days after grooming. A good defence lawyer would argue that the Maltese owner should have brought up this matter within 4 hours after grooming and not 48 hours later.

So, it was not possible for a veterinarian to certify that the cause was definitely due to the groomer in a court of law.

"Don't you have a check-list and a handing over inspection list for the owner to sign before taking over the groomed dog?" I asked the groomer. Apparently she did not have such procedures.

The veterinary fees were 4 times higher because the Maltese had to be put under general anaesthetic to clean up the pus. The lady owner and her mother were agitated every time the puppy winced in pain whenever the ears were touched. There was a large yellowish area of more than 4 sq cm. "Poor baby!" the mother felt as if she was stabbed in the heart whenever I touched the puppy's ears to examine them. Hard to believe that yellow pus could form within 48 hours after plucking of the ear hairs. It must be very traumatic or the solution used was very irritating or allergic for this puppy.

It was necessary to put the puppy under general anaesthesia so that it would not suffer pain. Hence the veterinary cost increased.

The owners wanted to claim from the groomer. I don't know what happened as I did not follow up. A check list or hand-over inspection with the owner would be useful to prevent misunderstanding.

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR NEW BREEDERS - Branding

2005-05-28T04:39:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR NEW BREEDERS - NAMING YOUR ENTERPRISE is part of branding.

"No point having a name for the breeding enterprise," the young lady breeder said when I asked her for her company's name to invoice after vaccinating 5 six-week-old puppies at the Pasir Ris Heavy Vehicle Car Park at 5 p.m. "We are not making money."

"All successful companies start small," I replied. "The name is important if you are building up a business. I know of a breeder whose puppies are in such great demand that there is a long queue of buyers."

It was not easy to convince these two partners in the bright sunny afternoon evening that their venture should have a proper name. A name represents their long hours and financial investments.

It is hard to tell this young couple that no dog breeding business ever makes money in the first year of operation. That applies to most start ups. It is a miracle if the inexperienced breeder survives the first two years and I have great respect for the survivors.

A name for the enterprise is definitely important to starting a business, for better or for worse. It is branding your investment and hard work and sells at a premium when the business is acquired if the business does well.

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET SHOP OPERATORS - The Westie's itchy eye

2005-05-22T05:06:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET SHOP OPERATORS - The Westie's itchy eye

"It is over 8 days since the Westie was purchased," the pet shop operator told me as the owner handed her mobile phone to me to talk to her. "The puppy did not have eye discharge when it was sold."

So who was at fault for causing this Westie to keep rubbing its left eye till the hairs at the bridge of the nose fall off. A chessy milky eye discharge forms every day and would not go away for the past 8 days. The third eyelid was reddish but nothing abnormal was seen as I exposed the eye to the bright operating light while the puppy's fore legs were grabbing me to avoid the brightness.

I asked, "Did you have a hand-over check list? A general examination form stating that the various parts of the puppy are normal?" This is not a common practice. "Maybe, there can be a sharing of 50:50," I tried to help the pet shop operator to save on expenses and retain the good will of the buyer who may or may not refer more buyers to her. Referrals from satisfied customers are the best customers and the best building up of the pet shop or any business operations. No amount of advertisement fees can beat referrals.

I tried to help this genteel, soft-spoken waif-like pet shop owner that could be easily blown away by strong monsoon winds to retain her clientele's goodwill and increase her business profitability. Rentals are expensive in Singapore and competition in the business is cut-throat.

Eye injuries or infections are emergencies. If the Westie had rubbed itself blind, by puncturing its eyeball, it would have no eye-sight forever in its left eye. Consult your vet promptly.
http://www.toapayohvets.com

Now, the veterinary bill is as inexpensive as I can offer. $150 as the Westie was put under general anaesthesia gas for eye wash and for medication and over 50 minutes of consultation and surgery.

"Would the puppy die if it goes under anaesthesia at such a young age?" the career-lady owner had paced outside the operation room peering through the glass pane of the door. The Westie was bought at $1,800 and that is a lot of money to lose on the operating table.

I had advised, "There is no other way to evert the 3rd eyelid to flush and remove any hair or dirt trapped below it except under the pain-free general anaesthesia. All puppies will fight if its 3rd eyelid gets everted and its eye flushed because it is painful." I had not warned her of the risk as gas anaesthesia is generally very safe if done properly.

Now, the puppy has wakened with a swollen left eye and all signs of life are normal. It is the payment of the professional fees. What should the pet shop operator do?

Each pet shop operator handles the problem differently. Some refused to pay as it was now 8 days after purchase. What would this pet shop owner do? I asked the owner. She was the mother of a Primary Three student who seemed to me to love food. The husband was present but he left the negotiations with his wife. A closely knit family of four, but the elder daughter was not free to come this Sunday.

"Should not have waited 8 days, as the puppy could be blind by then," I advised the mother who had been wiping the eye discharge daily. She said that the pet shop groomer had rough-handled the puppy thereby causing the eye infection. I had no comment as I did not know the groomer. Now, what's the compensation from the pet shop owner?

The pet shop operator gave her credits towards future services and products from the pet shop. This was a neat solution. The owner paid with her credit card and I expect the Westie to have a normal life from tomorrow onwards. It was not possible to see small dirt flushed out, so there was nothing to show the owner. The success would be due to a ordinary normal eye without the thick spotty eye discharge.

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET SHOP OPERATORS - Quarantine new puppies

2005-05-22T04:35:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET SHOP OPERATORS - Quarantine new puppies for 4 weeks?

"My pet shop is very clean," the pet shop girl with 20 years of pet shop experience said. "It is brand new. I have new cages installed. There will not be any parvovirus." She wanted to bring the 6-week-old Labrador Retrievers to the pet shop after the first vaccination at a house and I had advised two week after the second vaccination so that the puppies are well protected. The air in this middle-class leafy suburb of Upper Thomson was very fresh and the puppies were thriving in this house, well cared for by the Filipino domestic worker.

"New pet shops will have fewer viruses," I replied. "You will have brought in puppies from various sources and therefore the parvovirus causing bloody diarrhoea and vomiting and other canine viruses will be present. The Labrador Retrievers are not protected just because they have had their first vaccination."

Few pet shop operators would quarantine their puppies till they have had received their second vaccination and wait another two weeks. By then, the puppies would be 10 weeks old and not as cute as younger ones. Singaporean buyers seem to favour younger puppies and are prepared to pay a premium price.

So, some veterinary advices and regulations regarding vaccination and quarantine are just not practical to the pet shop operators even if they ensure that the pet shop operators do not lose puppies to fatal viral infections. City pet shops are always short of quarantine areas as they can't afford to pay the high rentals for quarantine areas. They can't quarantine their puppies at home as neighbours may complain to the authorities and they are restricted to the maximum of 3 dogs per private property and 1 per government-leased apartment.

I doubt any pet shop operator will quarantine newly acquired puppies for 4 weeks away from the pet shop kennels and wait 2 weeks after the second vaccination. Assuming the lst vaccination to be at week 6, the whole procedure as regulations demand, will mean that the puppies will be 10 weeks old. Assuming it takes 2 weeks to sell them at a top pet shop, they will be sold at 12 weeks old. However, for the smaller pet shops, it is much harder to sell puppies since such shops do not have the numbers and the diversity of breeds to attract the busy Singaporean buyers.

Such puppies grow very big and at 16 weeks old, their selling prices will be considerably reduced as they seem not so cute as more younger ones are available at some 200 pet shops dealing with dogs in Singapore.

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR OWNERS - Biting Golden Retrievers

2005-05-16T05:59:00.000+08:00

The boy loves this Golden Retriever very much. However, the mum looks after it, bathing it once a week. It came for the 3rd vaccination and looked great. Beautiful glossy coat. Not one pimple on the body. Clear eyes. Not one pressure sore at the elbow. It was like a show dog.

The elder sister of 2 years senior did not say a word as she watched the vaccination while the boy was chatty. He hugged the big puppy tightly. There was so much to hug in a big breed unlike the small chihuahuas.

"See where my puppy bites me," he flashed his right wrist. Two red love bites in front and behind his wrist. Like puncture wounds from sharp teeth.

"You are training your puppy to bite people," I said. "When he grows up,this puppy will think it is fun to bite children! By then, the teeth will be larger and sharper."

The parents had not thought of these implications.

I continued, "Veterinary authorities do order dogs that bite children to be euthanased. If this best friend grows up trained to bite the wrists of children, he will be considered a dangerous dog. When impounded and ordered to be euthanased after biting incidents, this boy would have lost a great companion in the coming years."

First-time dog owners may not realise that mouthing by puppies should be discouraged. They attempt to communicate with people using their mouth instead of shaking hands like people do to be friendly. Some do nip and if encouraged, may grow up to be aggressive biters and be a danger to the members of the public.
http://www.toapayohvets.com

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET SHOP OPERATORS - Penny wise, pound foolish? Save $10.00 to lose a valuable puppy worth $2,000?

2005-05-15T07:34:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET SHOP OWNERS - Imported puppies & parvovirus

"Is it normal for a puppy to sleep all the time and to vomit?" a pet owner phoned me. She had consulted a a vet for acute moist dermatitis (hot spots) in her Siberian Husky and had been given pills.

It is hard to diagnose over the phone and I seldom want to give advices which may be misconstrued. Phone advices are free and convenient.

"No," I said. Vomiting puppies are emergencies. First-time puppy owners may not know.

The next day, I saw the Siberian Husky. It vomited blood in a white frothy mucus from its stomach. Its stool were loose when the rectal temperature was taken. It had fever and just laid down on the examination table.

"Did the drugs from the vet cause the vomiting in this puppy?" the owner asked.

"Was the puppy vomiting and very sleepy due to drugs prescribed by the vet for skin diseases?" the owner wanted an instant diagnosis. A detailed examination is necessary as vomiting is due to various causes.
http://www.toapayohvets.com

"It is not possible to state the cause of vomiting at this time of examination," I replied. "The puppy may be incubating a viral disease and it now starts to show signs of the infection with vomiting and fever. This may led you to conclude that the fault was an allergy to the medication."

The puppy was kept in the surgery for observation. One hour later, it vomited a large amount of white froth tinged with pinkish fluid. 5 minutes later, it shot out a sticky yellow diarrhoea with red pieces of intestines. It was active after the fluid therapy but there was something suggestive of a beginning of a parvoviral infection.

I took the stool sample, put it in a parvoviral test kit. The result was positive. It was bad news. The chances of survival are slim. The puppy had been vaccinated twice in Australia before being imported into Singapore. A veterinary letter had shown 2 vaccinations (without the vaccine labels) done and signed by a veterinarian.

So, the pet shop operator did not vaccinate the puppies on arrival as advised by me. He had imported many dogs and most of them had no problems. So, why waste money on vaccination? After all, the Singapore veterinary regulations of two vaccinations and import of the puppies after 3 months of age had been complied with.

I still feel distressed seeing strong puppies vomiting and passing blood and then dying after a few days. No matter what others claim, the probability of success in the treatment of the deadly parvoviral infection is very low. This applies to imported puppies from Australia too.

The costs to the owner can be high economically and in personal trauma of a dead puppy much loved for the first few days.

I had advised this pet shop operator to vaccinate immediately on arrival. This does not guarantee that the puppies would be protected as his kennels may have parvoviruses, but it was the compromise solution. A few of the puppies might not have taken to the vaccination in Australia and would have benefitted from the immediate vaccination. Ideally new arrivals should be kept in a separate area for observation and vaccination, but it is not practical in expensive Singapore. They are usually kept in the pet shop.

The pet shop operator had a few parvoviral deaths in puppies some time ago. Then, all would be clear.

I thought he would have learnt from the losses. The anger and ill-will from buyers would probably not affect him. But he had to compensate for the owner's loss and that was real money. The owner had to pay for veterinary charges and that would be unhappy for being sold a sick puppy.

Does immediate same-day vaccination protect the puppy arriving at a pet shop? There is no proper scientific trials. From my observation with one top pet shop in Singapore selling around 50 puppies a month (I estimated as I had not asked the operator), the adoption of this practice and the high standard of hygiene in his cages have reduced considerably. The puppy deaths due to parvoviral infections are few in number. Almost all of the puppies in this pet shop are sourced locally with most of them vaccinated.

In the end, the pet shop operator must be educated. Vaccination reduces the number of virues in the kennels in the following manner.

Unvaccinated or unprotected puppies shed viruses in the stools or their coughing. The kennel handlers spread the viruses through caring for the puppies. The air movement and air conditioning could spread the virsues too. If the pet shop has a few sick puppies, such viruses accumulate over time. The more successful the pet shop, the higher the turnover of puppies. The higher the number of viruses.

In fact, the more successful the pet shop, the more vulnerable the puppies are to the attack of the larger amount of parvovirus present in the environoment. Every pet shop will have parvovirus. But the most successful pet shop will have more despite careful hygiene measures. New staff may be ignorant of such measures as the turnover of staff in pet shops is usually high. This may account for the waves of puppy deaths as hygiene slackens or there are some puppies missing vaccinations which are due.

Educating pet shop owners is not in the interest of the veterinary practices. Still, I hope this report to pet shop owners all over the world will help to reduce the incidence of puppies dying from parvovirus and to make the pet shop operator successful in his business.

Vets all over the world do not enjoy treating puppies vomiting blood and passing bloody diarrhoea due to parvoviral infections which could have been easily prevented by timely vaccinations. Puppy buyers have been badly traumatised by such deaths. Pet shop operators get the blame and that is not good for the survival of the pet shop business.

Vaccination of imported puppies may not be needed for all of them. The problem is that you just need a few puppy deaths to wipe out whatever profits you hope to make since you don't make big bucks out of selling puppies if you don't have economies of scale in having a large number of branches and grooming follow-ups unlike the bigger boys in this cut-throat pet shop business. So, do you want to save $10.00 to lose a $2,000- puppy to parvovirus? Not one puppy. Usually more than one. The saddest thing is that there is an effective vaccine but operators must be organised. But operators should not be educated through the pocket by frequent financial losses to parvoviral infections!

Dr Kong Sing
http://www.toapayohvets.com

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET SHOP OWNERS - Masking the clipping wound

2005-05-11T05:48:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET SHOP OWNERS - MASKING THE CLIPPER WOUND WITH PURPLE POWDER

"No,I would not be available," I said to Mr Formicelli's pet transport man who wanted me to treat a clipper wound at the "stomach area," caused by the dog groomer. "I am in Pasir Ris vaccinating the puppies and I would not be going back to the Surgery."

The sun cast a golden shadow on the puppies in this countryside area dedicated to the farming of fishes and dogs. I looked forward to visiting this place as I was cooped up in my small veterinary surgery in an industrial park surrounded by high rise apartments, greasy car mechanics and the undertakers.

I also dreaded the traffic jams if I had to go back to the Surgery. My left back car tyre had punctured as somebody had spilled screws on the fast lane of the expressway. There were around six other cars with punctured tyres parked along the shoulder of the expressway. I discovered the flat tyre when I reached the kennels.

Mrs Formcielli phoned. A polite woman in her sixties. Ran a tight ship or in this case, strictly supervised the pet shop personnel. She was not in when the groomer clipped the Corgi. The transport man had seen the wound but had sent the dog home at 3 p.m. The owner phoned to complain about the big "stomach" wound.

All right, she could send the dog to Pasir Ris for me to examine. A clipper wound. Probably a small nick either in the armpit or the groin, I thought. A stitch or two would do. Since Mrs Formicelli took the trouble to phone me, I said all right.

It was not a small wound. It was a 3-cm cut in the midline of the abdomen. As if, the Corgi had a spay surgery. A skin gap burnt black and blue by the liberal application of potassium permanganate powder. This magic powder is commonly used by Singapore groomers to stop wounds bleeding.

"Especially useful to stop nail bleeding," the transport man had told me as he fished out a small bottle from the glove compartment of his van. "Some dogs start to bleed at the nail after they reach home." I admired this hands-on experienced dog transport man. Lean and dark, a face trimmed off fat and double chins, he boasted a weight of less than 55 kg for a a man in his mid-fifties. He was able to carry heavy dogs up and down the van, putting younger men and me to shame.

So, how should I do now with this large contaminated abdominal wound? Damn it, there was no short cuts, I cursed. No field surgery was possible as I needed to decontaminated the large wound. I needed the cleanliness of an operating room and the anaesthetic. The potassium manganate had stained the fat inside the wound and the edges of the wound too. A lot of area needed to be trimmed off to get a clean wound and a high success rate of recovery.

I had to go back to the surgery. The car mechanic who came to fix the punctured tyre said that my spare tire was of an inappropriate size and he had to bring the punctured tyre back to the workshop in Defu. "No problem," Mrs Formicelli said. "I can sit inside the van. We can drive back to the surgery."

Mr Formicelli's Mercedes van could seat 3 people in front. I was not that bulky. The Corgi was operated on and sent back. It took 2 hours just to resolve its problem. If the groomer and the dog tranport man had informed Mrs Formicelli, the stitching would have taken a much shorter time. The owner would not have been distressed to see a big bluish-black hole because the dog would have been taken care off earlier.

The dog groomer would have got a big scolding from Mr Formicelli who told me that the groomer must have made a certain position of the clipper to get such a big wound. I am worried that this groomer would lose his job as this he had come to Singapore to earn a living to support his family. The senior groomer was on leave and therefore he had nobody to refer to. He could refer to Mrs Formicelli. Maybe, he was afraid. His half-inch clip of the Corgi was a work of art. Very even. Any dog lover would appreciate such professionalism. He was good at his job. He might want to be speedy and that would be why the Corgi was clipped.

I doubt Mr Formicelli would sack him as this could be one-time mistake.

I asked Mr Formicelli to organise a system of how to care for such big wounds. And never to use potassium permanganate for large wounds. In fact, he had the white antibiotic powder, but this powder would never stop the bleeding. The groomer probably panicked and applied the purple powder to stop the bleeding.

A bandaging would stop the bleeding, but the groomer might not be aware of this simple procedure. It was too much and too late in this case. The transport man sent me back to Pasir Ris and on the way, the dog was sent home. I could not forget the lady owner's anxious or maybe angry face as she carried the dog indoors. This is the other side which vets and groomers seldom see.

"It is not so easy to earn a living," Mrs Formicelli said to me. "We must be responsible for taking care of the owner's dog when it is clipped wrongly. No sending back immediately."

When employees make mistakes, the pet shop owner gets the blame. The solution is to make sure there is an open communication or permission for the groomer to refer the problem to the veterinarian without the fear of losing his job.

Dr Kong Sing
www.toapayohvets.com

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR BREEDERS - Retrievers never have dystocias?

2005-05-06T04:00:00.000+08:00

Every breeder believes that Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers give birth easily. Many puppies. No dystocias (difficulties in giving birth).

There are always exceptions to the rule and I had 2 cases from two different breeders of dystocia. One is described below.

A green vaginal discharge. No hope for at least 1 puppy. Would the breeder be able to save the others?

In this case, he was present at around 9.30 p.m, sent the Golden Retriever for an emergency Caesarean delivery. Bleary-eyed like my National Service son who had to dig holes for 2 days and 2 nights as part of his military exercise.

Would there be time to save all puppies? The breeder got 2 vigorous Golden Retriever puppies. The one stuck in the birth canal died. Surprisingly, another one deep inside the womb was stillborn.

Many newer breeders think that Golden Retrievers do not have dystocias. The vast majority do not have problems. But the puppy losses can be a lot if the breeder or his assistant is NOT available when needed to monitor the dams.
http://www.toapayohvets.com

The two survivors grow up very well and they should be all right. Only 4 puppies and yet there was dystocia. It is hard to be a professional breeder as it means 24-hour monitoring of the dam and then the puppies. No luxury of having lots of staff as kennel help is very expensive in Singapore and few locals want to work that hard.

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR NEW BREEDERS - Is an X-ray useful?

2005-05-01T09:02:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR NEW BREEDERS

"I think one or two is dead," the breeder said. "I can feel the swelling in the lower part of the body. Two must be stuck.

The Miniature Schnauzer had a sharp abdomen. A conical shaped abdomen unlike those heavily pregnant dams with swollen overflowing abdomen.

As if one pup is pushed up against the skin, obstructed by two pups jammed inside the one uterine body which is the birth canal. X-rays had revealed 5 pups. The breeder believed in X-rays to tell him whether the dam needs a Caesarean or not.

"X-rays 3 or 4 days are ineffective," I had told him many times. "Puppies move down the womb. Some may be in the wrong position in the womb blocking each other from being born, at the time of birth." It is hard for him to understand what I was talking about. He was interested in the size of the puppies. The bigger they are, the decision will be to go for Caesarean delivery.

The customer is always right. Now, I was having a dinner date. Sting-ray cooked in a special chilli sauce at Newton Circus. My date just loved this dish. Not me. I was in favour of not depleting the nature of the beautiful sting rays. The breeder phoned at 6.20 p.m. "I need a Caesarean. The water bag burst 10 minutes ago."

He was an experienced breeder. All breeders become very experienced after suffering a few puppy losses due to lack of time to monitor the dam. Expensive losses. Death of mothers sometimes. They have to go through these setbacks unfortunately. I think life is like that for all businesses. With setbacks and economic losses, the operator becomes strong or perish. No mercy from the dollar and cents bottom-line. Make it or lose your pants.

So, I was not very pleased to receive his phone call. I asked him to wait 20 minutes. But no news. I phoned him and he said he needed a Caesarean.

Everything went smoothly. His face lit up with the sort of inner happiness of a father. "4 boys out of 5," he signed. It seems girls are the favourites in the dog breeding world.

"Never mind," I replied. "Sell the males at higher prices." If he had 5 girls, he would have the choice to select the best and propagate the next champion line. He already has a champion male or two. So, he was looking for daughters. Fine looking ones.

"Is the sole black Miniature Schnauzer a female?" I asked. It was the tiniest. "No," he said. Black ones are rare. And of course, more valuable.

See pictures at www.toapayohvets.com as I still can't post pictures here. The mother had 5 pups. The left one was the tiniest. All survived just in time. If he had waited overnight or just 2 hours more, all would be dead. Sounds like a hard sell from a veterinarian interested in making money?

Personally, I would rather enjoy the fine evening with my date and hope that one day, she would stop eating sting-rays.

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR VETS - Know what the breeder wants

2005-05-01T03:42:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR VETS - Saving the breeder money on Caesarean may not be what he or she wants.

Using fingers to hook out pups may save the breeder Caesarean costs, but failure to produce live pups using this procedure means that the breeder will blame the vet for not taking the Caesarean delivery in the first instance.

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR NEW BREEDERS - Know and get your priority right

2005-04-30T06:37:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR NEW BREEDERS - Vaccinate when others have viral attack

Yesterday, a breeding start-up phone me, "I hear that my Landlord does not permit you to come to my kennels. I want to vaccinate 100 dogs."

"What's the hurry?" I said. He had commenced operations for a few months. "Send them to my surgery."

"I can't as they are adults. The reason I ask for vaccination is that some breeding kennels are getting parvoviral infections," the breeder said. "So, I need to vaccinate my breeding stock." There was a report of a pet shop being closed for a month as the puppies were dying from parvovirus. As for breeding kennels infected with parvovirus, I will not be surprised knowing the low priority breeders give to vaccination or poor planning for vaccination by breeders.

It is much more important for start ups to get their priority right because they have not made money and are burning money at a fast rate - rental, regulatory rulings, manpower costs, utilities, food, purchase of breeders and many expenses.

All breeding stock should have been vaccinated or should get vaccinated on arrival if the status is unknown. This start up has been in operation for a few months.

As most breeders are cost conscious, they try to save money even if the vaccination is $10.00 per puppy including veterinary visit to the kennels. Vaccination is low priority for many breeders as they don't see the killer viruses. Viruses are invisible. Then, they start to wonder why their breeding stock does NOT produce puppies or why their puppies are in poor condition.

When the breeding stock gets attack by viruses, they may not die. They just don't feel well. Not in excellent health. Maybe fever and loss of appetite. So the breeder loses money by having no puppies produced. All for the cost of $10.00 vaccination per dog.

I don't tell them what to do because they think I am soliciting for more business. A money-faced veterinarian. They learn from loss of puppies or adults. Loss of productivity. By then, many of them seem to lose their shirt or blouses and are no longer competitive or in business.

Many breeding start ups do not have the financial resources or knowledge on how to operate a profitable breeding operation. I feel so sorry, not for the two-legged, but for the dogs and puppies that should not have died if the breeders get their priorities right. Vaccination is definitely a top priortiy. If there is a vet who is willing to go to the kennels to do vaccination, it will be good for the breeder.

Provided his Landlord permits all vets to enter the premises as most breeders do not own their breeding kennels. If not, look for another vet approved by the Landlord. Or look for another Landlord who has no prohibitions.

Kennel vaccinations and house calls to the kennels can be a costly service as this takes up a lot of time. As for this new breeder, I recommend that he find a vet who is permitted by his Landlord to step into his premises. If he had his priority right, he should have vaccinated the adult stock some months ago and not react. Prevention is much cheaper than treatment in all medical diseases.

Parvovirus is easily prevented by vaccination which is around 99% effective in breeding stock based on my experience of vaccinating over 20,000 dogs in breeding kennels and pet shops in the past 2 years. If all breeders get their priorities right, I think veterinarians in private practice will have not much business from infectious and contagious diseases of dogs!

Dr Kong Sing
www.toapayohvets.com

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR VETS - Your Money or Your Patient's Life?

2005-04-28T04:42:00.000+08:00

To be successful in real estate, give what the client wants. You close the case when the customer is interested in buying or renting the property and not wait a while as the prospect may lose interest or have other attractions. In veterinary medicine, the same principle applies. Give what the customer wants. Instant gratification in a time-pressed Singapore, rather than wait.

Doctor hopping is common everywhere. Therefore, should the vet treat the rabbit as requested? Neuter and cure the skin problems at the same time as requried by the owner who has various choices of veterinary services?

This was a newly acquired rabbit. He may be under stress of a change of environment. No doubt he looked normal and was eating well. Stools were normal. Best not to take risks of him dying after the procedures had been performed. He may not be able to take the surgery and drug treatment and then dies a few days later. The owner may not complain after being warned of the risks.

Pretty dwarf rabbit

However, her friend and family members do not know the real situation. They just remember and tell everybody: "The vet killed the young rabbit. An incompetent doctor. Don't refer anybody to him."

It is best not to operate on newly acquired and very young pets except in an emergency. Sometimes, the pet can't take the anaesthesia and dies. If the time-pressed owner goes to the competition, so be it. Your reputation remains intact and the rabbit is still alive when it leaves your surgery.

Dr Kong Sing
www.toapayohvets.

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET OWNERS - Next vaccination - when?

2005-04-27T05:35:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET OWNERS - When's the next vaccination for my dog?

Today, I was told by some pet shop operators selling puppies that they were asked by a veterinarian to reveal their veterinarian who advises them to adopt a 2-weekly instead of 4-weekly vaccination for the second vaccination. Apparently, there is a directive stating that the second vaccination must be 4 weeks after the first and therefore they should adhere to it. The pet shop operator said they had not seen such a directive.

In the vaccination cards of most practices in Singapore, the second vaccination date is stamped as 4 weeks after the first. So why are some vets including me doing 2 weeks? Is there something unusual?

What was the basis for such advice?

I had researched the internet and read many doggy books for many weeks regarding dog vaccination.

No uniform vaccination schedule. There is no fixed schedule of vaccination even in the U.S. Some recommend no need to vaccinate after the first year.

A supposedly U.S veterinary association recommend 3-yearly provided the vaccine used for distemper and parvovirus is a MLV (modified live virus). It said that the dog receives life-long immunity. Therefore, no need to vaccinate after the first year.

Yet, another internet writer asked, "Why 3 years when you said that immunity is life-long? You are the authority in the U.S and you gave conflicting advices."

Some doggy book authors state this recommendation of 3 yearly.

No need vaccination after the first year. An American vet on his website said that he brought his dog to his veterinary surgery (where there are many dogs) and his dog has not been infected, after the first few vaccinations. Therefore, he said "No need for more vaccinations. See my dog (picture in his website). It is healthy although it is 10 years old and goes to my surgery with me everyday!"

There are internet websites disparaging vets for sending vaccination reminders as a means of making more money from owners. There are those who discouraged booster vaccinations because their dog died from vaccine reactions. Others objected to the use of multiple disease protection vaccines (polyvalent or combined vaccines). Another person recommend the use of antibody titres check up before the next vaccination. If no antibodies, vaccinate. If there is, don't do it.

As Singapore imports puppies from Australia, I see that one Australian veterinary practice recommending the 3rd vaccination for the puppy to be six weeks later in his vaccination letter.

So, the 2-weekly booster done by some vets in Singapore, including myself, seem to be conflicting for the layman. The vaccine manufacturer whose vaccine I use recommends 2-3 weeks for the next vaccination. So you can see the variations.

What's the correct schedule? Should the veterinary authority enforce a schedule nationally?

My recommendation is to trust your veterinarian. He (including she) is in practice and sees a lot of sick dogs. He knows the latest disease situations regarding distemper and parvovirus which are killers of puppies and some dogs and the recommendations.

Develop a healthy and excellent relationship with him or her as your vet is the second most important person (after you) for your pet.

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR HOME BREEDERS - Vaccinate before sale, wait 2 weeks

2005-04-26T07:14:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR HOME BREEDERS - Vaccinate at least once

I observe that most home breeders in Singapore love their puppies. Some will sell them at six weeks of age to the pet shops. Some keep on accumulating more and more puppies. Some vet each prospective buyer is vetted carefully and rejected resulting in more puppies being kept at home and maybe risking the fines for keeping too many than the permitted number.

I note that many home breeders don't know that they must vaccinate their puppies to protect them against the killer viruses called distemper and parvovirus. They just sell them at 6 weeks old to the pet shops. Active happy puppies.

Over the next few days, some of the puppies fall sick. Vomiting and diarrhoea. Not eating. Dehydrated. Getting thinner. Passed smelly red bloody diarrhoea. Vomiting. Runny noses. Die.

More veterinary legislation. More enforcement by the veterinary authority? More income from the fines imposed on pet shops. Surprise inspection and catch every pet shop operator who sells puppies not given the second vaccination. $50.00 fine per puppy discovered. Suspension of pet shop operations. Threats and more threats creating ill will and a bad impression of the veterinary authority. The private sector seems to think that fines are a good source of revenue for the government. This is the typical Singaporean bureaucratic way (all government departments) to minimise public complaints.

The best way in the long-term is to educate the home breeders. It takes time. It takes money to print a useful book. Who will do it? Who will provide the source of funds to publish the book? How will it be distributed? Where?

Anybody with ideas and interested in this project to educate home breeders, let me know.

Dr Kong Sing
drsing_98@yahoo.com
www.toapayohvets.com

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET SHOP OPERATORS - Forced feeding kittens

2005-04-26T05:37:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET SHOP OPERATORS - Force feeding flooded the lungs and kills a kitten.

Weak, skin standing up indicating severe dehydration. Ribs felt. A very thin 4-month-old brown pedigree kitten. Large bright yellow globules of pus stuck at the nostrils. Had been sick for a few days. Maybe three.

The kennel assistant wanted a house-call as the kitten was not eating and had fever earlier. Medication would have been given. "No house-call," I said. "The kitten needs to be warded for observation."

No news from the kennel assistant for the next 2 hours. I phoned her boss. The wife answered. "It is urgent that the kitten be warded," I said.

The kitten came. Thin as a rake if Singaporeans have ever seen a rake. Thin as a skeleton might be more appropriate. No fever but then the kitten might have been on anti-fever drugs.

I gave the fluids and antibiotics. Took a picture of pus rolling out from the nose. It had difficulty breathing. It was lying down, recumbent was the word for this.

10 minutes later, it died. Now, the vet would be blamed. It was injected and it died from the injection.

The kennel boss did not blame the vet. I was puzzled as to why it died so suddenly. Well, it had signs of illness - weight loss, dehydration and pneumonia. But it died at the veterinary surgery.

Was it bronchopneumonia caused by bacteria or virus or aspiration pneumonia? In the latter case, the kitten had been forced to eat and food went into its windpipes and lungs.

The owner did not apportion blame. He did not ask for the post-mortem as this would cost more. Yet he should know what was the cause of death.

And prevent further deaths. So, I did an autopsy. The windpipe was full of froth and at the Y-junction where the right and left bronchus from both lungs joined, there was a big blob of gelationous mass. Around 5 mm in diameter obstructing air flow.

It looked like canned food liquified. I asked the kennel boss. Yes, there were forceful attempts to force-feed this cat.

In such cases, stomach feeding may be the answer. But it is not easy for the average person to do stomach feeding.

At least we know the cause of death and hopefully, the kennel operators would know what to do next time.

The irony of this was that there was a grey British shorthair kitten with very high fever transported to the surgery for treatment immediately. The cat sneezed and sneezed the next day. Runny eyes. It was cat flu and recovered after 5 days.

Yet, this brown kitten was not sent for immediate treatment. There was no system of grading the seriousness of kitten diseases. Probably there are no such systems. Much depends on the kennel assistant's judgment.

Definitely, a house call by the vet is ineffective in such cases. I have had stopped making such house calls to catteries as high fevered kittens are a serious matter of life and death. They need more than a house-call.

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR NEW BREEDERS - Swinging the distressed puppy

2005-04-25T07:32:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR NEW BREEDERS - Know how to swing a distressed puppy and don't give up hope.

Many new breeders don't know how to swing the puppy in an arc properly. There is no breeder's course in Singapore. It is best to read up books, consult your veterinarian who does Caesareans and learn how to do it to save your puppy.

From some reports, it seems that forceful swings will not affect the puppy's brain. This was done in one case successfully.

In this case, the Shih Tzu had one dead puppy born naturally. The breeder's assistant waited for more than 6 - 8 hours. No puppy. A dirty green vaginal discharge. This showed that the placenta had separated and I believed there was no hope of any other puppy surviving if there were more than one.

With a heavy heart, I performed the Caesarean section. There was the usual dark blackish green fluid and a dead puppy. I check the womb further in. There was another puppy. Enveloped in a clear amniotic fluid.

The placenta had not separated. Was there hope for this 3rd puppy? I took it out. Cut the umbilical cord. It was comatose. Its body was limp. If I gave it to the new breeder's assistant to handle this puppy, it would be dead. It looked dead.

So, I gripped its head with my two hands, spread my hind legs apart. Starting from above my head, I swung the puppy down. Like those very powerful centrifugal ride inside a disc in Australia's Movie World (some 10 years ago) when I was there.

This swing forced out multiple drops of mucus from inside the lungs. 7 swings. The brain would have spun out if it was not enclosed inside the skull. It was now or never.

Still the puppy would not cry. Lifeless. Dead. My first assistant pinched, rubbed and stimulated the tongue, cleared more water coming from the nose. 15 minutes passed. No signs of breathing. A weak cry and no more.

In many cases,the experienced breeder would give up. Yet this was the only one of the 3 pups left for the breeder. He paid for 2 Caesareans. In the first one, the rotten egg smell of the puppy with its head hanging out meant there was no hope. The womb was toxic.

If this pup died, this breeder would have nothing.

I have not found any reference to more than 15 minutes for a distressed puppy to survive in the internet research. This was past 15 minutes. Pack up and go. Too bad for the breeder. He should have known better.

For some reason, I asked my second assistant to leave the operating room to take over the puppy. He pinched and rubbed it. Hair dryer's air swept it and warmed its body further. Not too near as it is too hot.

A loud cry heard from the consultation room which is separated from the operating room. I could see the puppy through the glass window separating both rooms. I did not see the puppy move. I could have imagined the crying if there was such a thing.

Another loud cry. Then another. And this red-nosed and red-footed puppy could not stop crying all the way back to its kennel in Pasir Ris. I drove it back as I was on the way to vaccinate 17 stray dogs. The appointment was 1 p.m but the Caesarean delayed me to 2 p.m. I informed the volunteers earlier. Today was Saturday and I don't usually go to vaccinate at the kennels as travelling took too much time.

The puppy cries remind me never to give up at the darkest hour. This was a rare success as most breeders gave up on the puppy after 10 minutes. This puppy had light pink tongue and was not moving or gasping for breath.

When it cried loudly, it had red nose and red feet. Exactly what you see in the picture!

Readers who have such experiences of more than 15 minutes of revival of the distressed pup, e-mail your experiences to me at drsing_98@yahoo.com.

Dr Kong Sing
www.toapayohvets.com

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR VET ASSISTANTS - Fear Aggression in Jack Russells

2005-04-23T02:31:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR VETERINARY ASSISTANTS - Fear Aggression in Jack Russells

She put her hand at the side of the cage to calm down the frightened Jack Russell in the cage. "That's the wrong way," I said. "He is going to bite you." Newly graduated. 22 years old. She had no experience of working with dogs although she had graduated from the veterinary school. Lectures and real life are vastly different.

Now, she has to prove her competence in her new job at Toa Payoh Vets.

The Jack Russell trembled as he showed his teeth. Aggression due to fright. The dog probably had not been socialised with different people and situations when young. It might have a bad experience at veterinary premises.

What should the new assistant do? Should all new veterinary assistants learn from being bitten? No.

How to get the Jack Russell out of the cage without being bitten? Some people can do it by talking to the frightened dog. Others can't because they have initially showed to the dog that they are frightened of him. Dogs can sense the animal handler.

In this case, what should be done? The proper way would be to let the senior veterinarian know that you can't handle this dog. You ask for help rather than get bitten. Or worse, the dog runs out of the cage.

Always remember to close the main door so that the dog just does not run out of the Surgery. This procedure is usually forgotten even by experienced veterinary assistants.

Readers who wish to share their own ideas on how to get a fierce Jack Russell out of the cage for surgery, e-mail comments to drsing_98@yahoo.com

Dr Kong Sing
http://www.toapayohvets.com

2005-04-23T02:13:00.000+08:00

Elective Caesarean if the dam is over 65 days. Much depends on the breeder's experience of previous losses and observation of the dam's lack of labour contractions.

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR VETS - A Chihuahua's deformed ear

2005-04-22T18:52:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS - The Chihuahua with a deformed ear needs a cosmetic surgery.

"I just put this Chihuahua in the pet shop as a consignment," the breeder said in a quiet voice. "It is unlikely to find a home."

I asked, "Have you thought of cosmetic surgery so that the two ears look similar in size and shape?

"Once I had a similar case. The veterinarian bandaged the Chihuahua's ear after surgery. The ear became septic. Full of yellow pus oozing out of the cropped ear. It was worse and from then, I just do not consider surgery."

Surgery does have implications. Some cases do get infections and all veterinarians will suffer a small percentage of such bad outcome. There are many reasons for the infection. One reason could be the post-operation care not given by the owner or the surgeon. If the dog had gone home straight after surgery, many owners do not know how to look out for signs of infection till it is too late. The vet gets the blame.

One bad experience had a lasting impression on this Chihuahua breeder and lover of Chihuahuas.

What to advise now?

Let this Chihuahua languish in a pet shop for a few weeks? Ear cropping is prohibited in Singapore unless there is a medical reason for it. Would the interest of the Chihuahua in being accepted as a pet if it has a good appearance after cropping be a good justification for ear surgery?

The justification is there. Is the breeder willing to take the risk of a botch up surgery done by me? Am I able to guarantee that the ear will not be badly infected?

In such cases, it is best to ward the puppy after surgery for a few days and make sure the wound is properly cleaned and antibiotics are given. Preferably no bandaging of the ears after the 2nd day.

The veterinarian may have to be firm. Never send the Chihuahua home immediately after cosmetic surgery even if the owner insists on wanting it back. His reputation is on the line. He is accused of a botch up surgery when the real cause is the lack of post-operative care at home. Results count. A good ear enhances his reputation. A bad outcome of surgery makes him "incompetent" by word of mouth spreading from one breeder to another breeder.

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR OWNERS - Alsatian puppy's weak hind legs.

2005-04-22T09:36:00.000+08:00

ALSATIAN PUPPY WITH WEAK BACK LEGS.
Owner wants to return to the breeder.

In Singapore, big breed puppies may not have much space to roam around. I gave this puppy, from a good pedigree and from a reputable breeder, to my brother as a present. It had space to run and so I was surprised that he complained about the hind legs knocking each other.

E-MAIL TO MY BROTHER AFTER HE WANTED TO RETURN THE PUPPY TO THE BREEDER.

Breeder asked you to exercise the puppy so that its hind legs will spread out as it has not much exercise when growing up. The parents look OK.

If you don't want the puppy, let me know soon.

E-MAIL REPLY FROM MY BROTHER 2 WEEKS LATER
Subject: Re: German Shepherd puppy
Date: Wed, 20 Apr 2005 09:12:36 +0800

Intially we didn't dare to exercise it because we thought it would aggravate the legs. But after talking to you last week, we have been walking the puppy on alternate days. The hind legs seem to have strengthened and it walks better now. We have named her Bernice. It is growing very fast.

We love the puppy. Thanks for your gift. We will keep it.

If you are free for dinner over the weekend, give us a call and drop over with your family. Its been some time and I guess there is much to catch up.

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR NEW BREEDERS - Be hands on & respect your vet

2005-04-21T21:02:00.000+08:00

READ DOG BREEDING BOOKS AND DEVELOP AN EXCELLENT VETERINARY RELATIONSHIP

Toa Payoh Vets vaccination cards serve to educate dog owners and others. It takes a lot of time to get the useful pictures and cooperation from dog owners and breeders. Most important will be the dogs and puppies as they move a lot.

Today, Thursday April 21, 2005. I have this interesting (to breeders) vaccination card.

The vaccination card from Toa Payoh Vets has this message for breeders in Singapore. Pictures are at www.toapayohvets.com.
Pictures are No. 222,223 and 224.

Picture No. 224. Apr 20, 2005. Uterine inertia, 71st day. If Caesarean is delayed for a few more days, pups will die. Breeder had shampoo in his car! Vet said the dam needed to be bathed as its face was terribly dirty. How could she nurse the pups comfortably if she was not clean? The dam's face was stained with tears and pus stucked and would have caused itchiness below the eyelids. So, I mandated a compulsory whole body bath. The breeder's assistant was really good in pet care. Very hands on. She just was curious in knowing about Caesarean and everything. Very unusual to find such a person.

The new breeder said, "I have shampoo in the car," when she asked for shampoo. I don't know that breeders carry dog shampoos in the car.

"Any problems in the Caesarean?" the breeder asked. "The first pup, backside out first, took some time to be extricated. 2 pups were inside the uterine body so each blocked the other from being taken out."

"The second pup was having difficulty breathing," the new breeder said. By now, all 4 pups were vigorous and moving a lot.

I asked how he knew which pup was distressed. To me, all 4 Shih Tzus looked alike. Except for the first one with a bigger head. He knew because he had to suck out the water from the puppy's lungs, he said. This breeder should do well in his new business. I hope he will do well as breeding is a very risky business if the breeder slackens on hygiene, lose interest in working hard or can't make money to sustain the first year of operation.

Picture No. 223. Apr 18, 2005. Caesarean was within 1 hour, yet the 5th puppy was not breathing well. It was hard to extricate from deep inside the womb and had breathed in amniotic fluid. The best way to deal with this is to suck out the fluid, if you know how.

Picture NO. 222. Apr 18, 2005. 58th day. Wasted too much time pulling out stuck large pup instead of Caesarean. Water bag had dead puppy - body bluish tinged. 2nd stilborn was large but probably drowned in amniotic fluid. 1/4 alive.

Be Kind To Pets: Pet owner education card No.55
© ASIAHOMES.COM
21 Apr 2005.

Secrets of success for breeders. Breeding books are available from the National Library or from the book shops. Develop an excellent working relationship with your veterinarians. Don't wait till tumours are large before you seek veterinary surgery.

I have yet to learn how to post pictures on this website. Blogger.com has not made it easy for picture posting. It seems to have outsourced to another party and this is where the difficulty lies. I have to learn how to link this outsourced "Hello" software to import pictures into the blog.

Have to find the time to learn another software.

Goto www.toapayohvets.com if you want to see the 3 pictures of the cases related to this posting.

Dr Kong Sing
www.toapayohvets.com
www.asiahomes.com

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR TOP BREEDERS - High quality buyers

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

Sunday, April 17, 2005

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 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 the $800 for Chihuahuas he just sold 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 people will beat a door to his kennels.

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 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.

Dr Kong Sing
www.toapayohvets.com
A picture of top-quality Chihuahua puppies is at the April 2005 webpage of www.toapayohvets.com. Goto April 17, 2005 picture of 3 Chihuahuas or goto BE KIND TO PETS webpages.

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET SHOP OPERATORS - Postpone vaccination of weaker pups or kittens

2005-04-08T06:37:00.000+08:00

Survival Secrets - How to be a successful pet shop operator

"Don't vaccinate at 6 weeks if your puppy or kitten is thin, " I advised the pet shop manager as I vaccinate his latest batch of puppies and kittens. "Wait another two weeks. Then, you are unlikely to get deaths from vaccination reaction." This batch looked good. Active, no skin disease.

One was thin. "Don't vaccinate this one," I said. It was easy for a vet to advise. After all, he does not bear the overheads of the pet shop operations. Demand for young puppies and kittens by Singaporeans is much higher. Nowadays, the pet shop operator in Singapore must make sure that the puppy or kitten have 2 vaccinations before they can be sold. Therefore, the breeder needs to vaccinate as early as possible. Most Singaporeans don't want to buy older animals at the pet shop.

So, vets should try to understand the economic need to vaccinate all puppies and kittens at week 6. The manager has to sustain the profitablility of the pet shop business. Or he loses his job. He has to make a good judgment on whether to vaccinate a thin puppy or kitten. Nobody wants to buy older pets. No value. Regulatory authorities prohibit display of much older pets for sale. Therefore, the manager's job is on the line, not the veterinarian's.

A pet shop's overhead can be higher than $10,000 per month and it is not easy to achieve sales of $20,000 if the pet shop operations are not up to par as rentals start from at least $3,000 per month for a bigger shop. Rampant price undercutting in pet food and accessories are common in the pet industry as in all retail areas in 2005 in Singapore.

The vet needs to be aware of the economic pressures and be updated on the new regulatory pressures affecting the sustainable profitability of the pet industry.

Dr Kong Sing
www.toapayohvets.com

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET SHOP OPERATORS - New puppy dies from dehydration

2005-04-07T04:11:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET SHOP OPERATORS - PUPPIES DIES FROM DEHYDRATION

Yesterday, the pet shop operator had another puppy not eating. It had diarrhoea for the past 3 days. It slept all the time. The Labrador Retriever was dehydrated. The past week had seen one Miniature Schnauzer, two Malteses dying after having diarrhoea for three days. These puppies were vaccinated on arrival. As tests or post-mortem of the dead puppies were not requested, I do not wish to speculate on the causes of deaths.

There are cases that the veterinary surgeon cannot cure no matter how early he is consulted. These cases are powerful (virulent) viral infections of puppies. The pet shop operator buys puppies from home breeders at around 6 weeks of age as consumer demands for such young ones are very high. For the home breeders, selling earlier means better prices and earlier revenue.

The puppies in most pet shops are kept in a "puppy room." In a small percentage of cases, the puppy stops eating. It has watery stools. Brownish or reddish diarrhoea. Another puppy stops eating. Same symptoms. And another one. They die within 3 days. Some had one vaccination. Some were vaccinated on arrival.

What should a pet shop operator do?

1. Seek veterinary treatment rather than treat yourself at the first sign of the puppy not eating or does not respond to your anti-diarrhoea treatment within 1 day. Obviously, you need to have an excellent rapport with your veterinarian so that he gives you discounted treatment. If you show respect for your veterinarian, the respect will be reciprocated. It is hard to describe how to show respect.

2. If it is not hospitalised as pet shop operators wants to cut out the high veterinary costs, the puppy should be taken to a cleaner room far away from the other puppies. This isolation is to decrease the number of infectious agents present in the room where all puppies are kept. You need to have a staff monitoring the health of the puppy, making sure it is not suffering from dehydration. Pinch the skin at the back of the puppy. If the skin folds stand up, the puppy is badly dehydrated. It is best to send to the veterinarian for treatment as you are unlikely to know what to do. Some puppies can be saved through rehydration and veterinary nursing.

3. In Singapore, a 2005 AVA (Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority) ruling prohibits puppies not vaccinated twice from being displayed for sale. Pet shop operators have had been fined $50/puppy, I was told. Therefore, new arrivals are kept in a "puppy room" which is out of bounds to members of the public till they receive 2 vaccinations.

4. The more successful pet shop operator has numerous new puppies in the "puppy room". Puppies are sourced from home breeders and professional breeders and sometimes they have not received their first vaccination.

Especially those from home breeders who try to save money on vaccination which costs around $35.00. Such home breeders may be ignorant and I hope home breeders who read this article will never sell puppies till they have received at least one vaccination and wait at least another week before they sell the puppies.

Professional dog breeders vaccinate at least once before they sell as they have a reputation to maintain. Successful pet shop operators sometimes demand a refund if the new puppy dies and therefore, successful breeders don't take the risk.

BEST PRACTICE FOR BREEDERS. One top breeder in Singapore now sells his puppies to the pet shops 1 week after the second vaccination. He told me that there are fewer complaints of deaths or illness from his pet shop clientele. This is one of those regulatory rulings from the AVA which saves puppies. The AVA has mandated that pet shop operators can sell puppies only after they receive 2 vaccinations. Therefore, this top breeder goes one step further by selling his prized puppies one week after the second vaccination.

I do vaccinate them on arrival at the pet shop but pet shop operators don't understand that the puppies are not protected against viral infections for the next few days till the vaccine take effect.

5. New arrivals should be kept in another place far away from the "puppy room" but this is not practical advice. So all puppies are kept in the "puppy room" and some will fall ill and die. Don't buy unvaccinated puppies from home breeders. Obviously this is nutty advice from a veterinarian who does not understand the industry. The pet shop down the road will buy and all customers will flock to the competitors as they have younger and fresher stock! In addition, home breeders sell their puppies much cheaper than professional breeders. So, the veterinarian must be careful not to give impractical advices. Older veterinarians and regulatory officers know what not to say.

6. It is easy for the vet to advise isolation of new arrivals. The shortage of rooms in a pet shop make such advices impractical and not appreciated. Therefore, a percentage of puppies will die when the viral load increase or viruses mutate to become super infectious viruses.

Every pet shop encounters such problems. The more successful the pet shop is, more puppies die. In one successful pet shop, I would vaccinate the new arrivals from home breeders immediately on the same day. They are still kept in the "puppy room".

A small percentage will die from bloody diarrhoea, probably around 1%. After a few weeks, no puppy would die. Then, the cycle repeats as viral load accumulates and super viruses present themselves. This is my theory of the cycles of puppy deaths in very successful pet shops.

The sensible solution is to isolate new arrivals in a separate room. All pet shops do not have spaces for such measures. The practical advice is to vaccinate them immediately on arrival,. This is the basis of my advice to pet shop operators I am serving. What other advices do readers have?

Dr Kong Sing
www.toapayohvets.com

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR VETS - Heartworms & Viral Marketing by Angry Owners

2005-04-05T05:44:00.000+08:00

SURVIVAL TIPS FOR VETS. Heartworms & Viral marketing by angry owners

Case 1.
"He does not like people to touch his paws," the lady owner of a big bulky Labrador Retreiver warned me as she held the dog down on the examination table. The dog nearly slid off the table. I spent 5 minutes trying to draw a blood sample to test whether this dog has heartworms. I tried not to touch its paws as I extended the front leg to get the blood vein.

"If you can't do it, forget about it!" the big lady expected the veterinarian to be a super controller of dogs. I took off the muzzle. The dog was calmer. I switched over to the other front leg as James pressed the elbow to distend the vein.

Managed to extract a bit of blood. A drop would do. One drop of blood was placed on the slide and the heartworm solution was added. Good news. The slide showed one line instead of two lines. The dog did not have heartworms.

I thought she wanted the heartworm injection, but she said no. This was a well informed owner. She had lived in Canada and expected high standards from any veterinarian. She adopted the dog from the humane shelter.

Here are questions from the owner's point of views.

1. How long can the Labrador Retriever live in Singapore?
Around 8 - 12 years.

2. Any risk of giving the heartworm prevention drug by injection?
There have been deaths after injection but this is rarely reported. In this case, the owner did not want the injection. An injection is more convenient. It is given once a year and costs $60.00. It is 50% less than the monthly tablets given by mouth for one year.

3. What's the cost of tablets?
The heartworm tablets must be given monthly. Each tablet costs around $10.00.

4. Will the heartworm medication get rid of the other worms of the dogs?
No. Depending on the brand. However, tapeworms are not eliminated.

5. Since tapeworms can't be seen unlike roundworms which is commonly seen in dogs, is tapeworm medication really important?
Yes. Tapeworms do infest people. In any case, the cost of the tablet is around $5.00 and it is worth the expense to keep your dog free of all species of worms in the gut.

This is an owner who loves dogs. However, all owners are concerned about veterinary costs and their concerns must be addressed.

Case 2.
Older German Shepherd tested positive for heartworms. The owner brought the dog for treatment a few days later without appointment.

The treatment is not one injection as most owners think. Treatment is more than one day.

Now, the dog is normal and not coughing. After treatment, it may die as the heartworms are dislodged from the heart and disseminate all over the body, including lungs and the brain.

So, are you prepared to take the risk and pay the high price for treatment drugs? A normal dog now. After treatment, it may or may not dies. The owner will get very angry at the veterinarian if it dies.

"Look, your dog is behaving normally." I advised. "Do you want to take the risk that the dog may die after treatment?"

The owner was asked to re-consider and sent home. Death of a beloved pet always affect the reputation of the veterinary surgeon. "The dog dies due to Dr Sing's treatment!"

That means, a red flag is raised when family members, friends or outsiders hear about this comment. Avoid this veterinarian. He is no good. He treats the dog and it dies. Nobody is interested in the circumstances and the risks told to the owner.

Some angry owners mass-email friends and associates to avoid the veterinarian and this viral marketing is bad for the reputation of the veterinarian. Owners seldom blame themselves for the delay in seeking treatment or in accepting the risk. I had a case of belated treatment and the dog died.

Friends and associates of this owners forward the emails to others as they naively believed in what their pet owner friend told them. This is called viral marketing and is very effective. I had strangers and fellow vets who phoned me to let me know about this malicious email.

Therefore, it is prudent to educate all prospects by spending a lot of time communicating with them before undergoing risky surgeries or treatments. A pet is family and sometimes better than a son or daughter who is seldom at home.

Never forget about the intense anger over the death of a pet due to veterinary treatment. And the implications of mass emails. Maybe weblogs, internet forums and now, podcasting is the latest technology. Legal action against such people takes up a lot of time and more damage is done.

Dr Kong Sing
www.toapayohvets.com
www.asiahomes.com

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR PET SHOP OPERATORS - Show the owner you care for grooming mistakes

2005-04-03T07:55:00.000+08:00

HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE PET SHOP BUSINESS
A high standard of care for the customer

Dr Kong Sing.
www.toapayohvets.com

CLIPPER WOUNDS - Grooming of dogs.

Case 1. Armpit clipped.

"Less than 6 mm (0.3 inch) cut at the right armpit. It will heal by itself," I said. "Probably, the owner may never notice it." I was trying to save money for the boss of the pet shop which fronts the main road. Despite the lack of car parking lots, it has lots of customers and at any one time, you can see at least 20 puppies for sale.

One ex-employee told me that it was the number 1 pet shop in Singapore as regards the sales of puppies and I believed her after seeing the premises during my vaccination of the puppies at various times.

Now, this top pet shop owner wanted the wound of a little Chihuahua cross with a longer body than the average Chihuahua to be stitched by the veterinary surgeon.

I placed 3 stitches using 5/0 dissolvable sutures within 6 mm. Actually, one stitch would do. These 5/0 sutures were as thin as hairs and could not be easily seen as they were white in colour.

To prove that the cut had been stitched, I gave the pet shop operator the remaining length of the suture to prove that I did suture his dog.

"It does not matter if the owner does not come back to me anymore," the pet shop boss said to me the next day when I treated one of his Miniature Schnauzers for passing blood in the stools. "The important thing is to care for the dog. To repair what damage had been done by my groomer."

"Did you give the balance of the suture to the owner?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Yes," he said.

Will the pet owner entrust this pet shop operator with his dog grooming the next time? And refer more business to him? I bet a hundred dollars that this client will still use his services. The chances of repeat business are very high for this pet shop operator as he showed real care and concern for his customer's dog.

Case 2. Thigh/groin area fold clipped.

I saw a case of a dog with a clipper cut of 2.5 cm at the thigh area, badly infected with a yellow pus when the dog owner came for consultation on another problem. This dog was groomed by a smaller pet shop. "The dog moved and was clipped," the owner explained. The pet shop operator blamed the dog and did not do anything. I reserved my comments as the consultation was not for this clipped wound.

Case 3. Foot pad cut and bleeding

Yesterday, I had a call to wait from a top pet shop chain to stitch a dog cut by a groomer. Blood oozed out of a 6 mm (0.3 inch) cut in the foot pad of the Miniature Schnauzer. The bleeding would stop once the foot is bandaged for a few hours and the groomer's favourite purple powder called potassium permanganate applied on the wound. The powder is caustic and is painful to the dog for a few seconds. Bandaging will stop the bleeding.

The boss had this policy for his groomers to seek veterinary attention when necessary. The cut was small but it was bleeding. There was no need to stitch up the small cut really. I gave the dog a painkiller and antibiotics. The owner had a bill to show that the dog was treated by a veterinarian and probably would not be so angry for the damage done.

Showing concern for the client when there are problems affecting the client and resolving the problem takes away ill will. The two top dogs (a mom-and-pop operator at a pet shop and a No. 1 pet shop chain owner in Singapore showed me why they are so successful.

For real estate agents at www.asiahomes.com, I hope you can learn from this true story.

Dr Kong Sing
www.asiahomes.com
www.toapayohvets.com

SURVIVAL SECRETS FOR VETS - Chronic ear infections of Cocker Spaniels - FAQ

2005-04-02T21:48:00.000+08:00

Yellow pus oozed out from the two ears of this adult Cocker Spaniel. Red, wet, smelly ear flaps. The dog kept pawing its ears. The owner said a veterinarian had been consulted.

Surgery was the only option. The dog's ear canals are L-shaped unlike human ears. The vertical canal from the ear opening turns at right angles to become the horizontal canal. The Cocker Spaniel's ear flap covered the ear opening. No ventilation. Water from bathing and dirt entrapped inside the horizontal canal which becomes damp and itchy due to infections.

Cut open the side wall of the vertical ear canal so that pus and entrapped water can drain out and air can get in to ventilate the canal. Sounds simple.

The inflamed ear tissues were badly infected and antibiotics and irrigation of the ear canals were needed. Two weeks passed. The owner's friend phoned, "The owner is overseas. Is surgery really necessary? How come surgery was not done for the last 2 weeks? Will surgery resolve the problem or is it a 50:50?"

"Immediate surgery was not possible because the stitches would not hold the infected skin edges together," I wondered whether the owner's friend knew what I was talking about over the phone. "In any case, you are not charged for the daily stay at the Surgery and this stay could be as long as 4 weeks."

Costs do matter to owners. The general anaesthesia and surgery for the 2 ears would be $500. Daily warding charges are not included.

However, the problem must be resolved. That is what most time-pressed owners want.

Phone explanations to owner's friends and family take up a lot of time. It is best to visit the surgery and get an explanation. The vet should draw the ear surgery pictures or get a handout and explains the FAQ (frequently asked questions). If only vets have more time.

Owners who have experience of this surgery to answer whether it is effective, let me know under New Comments. The surgery is called lateral resection of the ear canal. Some pictures will be most welcome.

Dr Kong Sing
www.toapayohvets.com