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Toa Payoh
Vets Clinical Research
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Sudden death of a dog during boarding
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
Date:
31 May, 2010 |
 toapayohvets.com
Be Kind To Pets
Veterinary Education
Project 2010-0129 |
May 29, 2010 Saturday was my day
off and it was a hot sunny day.
Sex and City 2 movie was shown. I
appreciated the better script and
the great humour about menopausal
hot flushes and irritable moods in
Abu Dhabi, of actress called
Samantha in the movie Sex and City
2.
 During
dinner, I went to the Inle
Restaurant at Marina Square served
a well cooked fried sweet, sour
and chilly bass. This was the
first time I had been to this
outlet although I had eaten
several times at the Peninsula
outlet. I was pleasantly surprised
that the fish was well presented
and cooked to my taste. I am wary
of smelly fish dishes not cooked
properly. Then my mobile phone
rang at 8.30 pm.
"A dog boarded at a kennel had
died after a shower. Can you
certify that he is dead?" Groomer
Clara phoned me. I had known her
for over 5 years and could trust
her when she said she would come.
Some people don't turn up after
making emergency or ordinary
appointments and don't inform me.
Therefore, I have to be careful
nowadays. Still I had to wait 45
minutes at the Surgery for Clara
to arrive.
"Can you wait till tomorrow Sunday
morning?" I asked.
"The owner wants it done today,"
Clara said.
I went back to Toa Payoh Vets.
Clara arrived with a dog boarding
kennel operator in a very small
rectangular type of van for 2
people.
The Maltese had died. Rigor mortis
had set in. His tongue was dark
purple. I could just certify that
the dog had died and go away.
However this sudden death would be
very distressful to the owner. She
might want some answers for
closure.
"Let me talk to the owner," I said
to Clara.
"I had transported this owner's
other dog to see you," Clara said.
As I saw Clara rarely, I had
presumed that this owner was not a
client of mine.
I asked my assistant to take out
the case card after checking the
computer and to write a death
certificate while I phoned the
owner. My assistant took the card
out and wrote the certificate. I
checked the certificate and spoke
to Mr Saw: "Do check the dog as
your details are those of another
breed of the owner." As the card
showed one dog's details, he
assumed the dog info was that of
the dead dog.
I spoke to the grieving owner:
"Your dog had passed away suddenly
from a heart attack. Did he show
any breathing problem or
coughing?"
"No," the lady said. "He went for
urinary stone removal via the
penis and then 2 months later, the
vet took the stones out from the
bladder."
"When was that?" I asked.
"One year ago," she said.
"The dog had fully recovered," I
said. "I don't know what is the
cause of the heart attack. Do you
want a post-mortem to check the
cause of death?"
The owner was not keen on this
advice. She said: "I am in
confinement." By that I presume
she had just given birth to a
baby. "What do you want to do with
the dog? Do you wish to have him
cremated?"
After some discussion, Clara would
bring the dog back to the kennel
and the owner would see him on
Sunday.
Some dogs do die during boarding.
Many owners don't do annual health
screening of old dogs. This dog
was around 7 years old and was in
good body condition. The teeth was
encrusted with tartar as no dental
check up was done.
P.S
It is important for the vet to
communicate with the owner as
regards sudden death in a boarding
kennel as sudden death of a
beloved pet during boarding, far
away from home, is a very
emotional issue.
Annual health screening using
blood and urine tests and dental
examination are seldom done by the
Singaporean dog owner. Many
diseases can be prevented or
controlled from annual health
checks if you want your pet to
live long. |
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BE
KIND TO OLDER DOGS & CATS ---
GET TUMOURS REMOVED EARLY ---
WHEN THEY ARE SMALLER. More case studies, goto:
Cats or
Dogs |
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To make
an appointment: e-mail
judy@toapayohvets.com
tel: +65 9668-6469, 6254-3326 |
toapayohvets.com
Be Kind To Pets
Veterinary Education
Project 2010-0129 |
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Clinical Research
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