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"Are
you grooming yourself?" I asked the pet shop girl who twirled
her long bronzed shoulder length hair behind the counter. A
thin teenaged girl working as a part-timer was busy cleaning up the kennels. A notebook
displaying beautiful pictures of Victoria Secret's handbags were
switched on.
As I was on the way to
vaccinate 2 puppies at another pet shop in Oct 2006, I dropped by to see whether
she had puppies for vaccination. I really hated to go to any pet
shop just for one or two vaccinations as this was time wasting.
"No, I am not grooming dogs,". the pet shop girl's mind was
on another planet as she did not get what I meant. I was referring
to her preening herself.
"Would
the Silkie Terrier still live if she had been operated by the vet 2
days earlier?", the pet shop girl asked me
one of several questions in this period of grief. "The vet said she
needed an operation after 2 days of antibiotics and drips.
During the weekend, the vet surgery was closed.
"We telephoned but there was no reply. Yesterday, the vet
phoned to say that a surgery was necessary. The Silkie died
during surgery. I did not even see her as she was sent for cremation
by my sister.
If only she had been operated on earlier."
"I do not comment on another
vet's case as every case differs." I said to the pet shop girl with
the bronze stained hair. "In this case, an earlier operation does
not guarantee that the dog would live, since the dog has had been
vomiting continuously for several days."
In moments of grief, it is best to provide a listening ear.
From my experience, chances of survival are slim if there is
persistent vomiting for many days.
A vet gets the blame when he or she operates and the dog dies, as in
this case.
The toxins from the bacteria infecting the womb would have damaged
the kidneys and that was the reason for the daily vomiting.
Sticky vaginal discharge had dirtied the floor tiles.
The owner of this dog was not the
grieving pet shop girl. The owner thought that vomiting was common.
After all, the dog had occasional vomiting for the past months.
She urged the owner to consult the vet but the owner said that the
vomiting was normal as the female dog had vomited occasionally in
the past months.
When the 7-year-old female dog
collapsed, she took her to a vet.
Would an immediate emergency surgery save the female dog? It
is hard to predict. Whenever the dog dies, the vet sometimes get the
blame.
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In this case, I visited the pet
shop regularly for puppy vaccinations and had seen the pet shop girl
just a few days ago.
Free advices and consultations for the past years. As to why
the case was not referred to me, such mysteries do happen to any
service provider.
Coincidentally, I had a case report of a Silkie Terrier having the
same problems at:
Closed pyometra in a female dog. Thanks to google
search, I was able to retrieve this article for dog lovers.
In conclusion, this Silkie would still be alive if she had been
spayed at a young age.
As the dog grows older, many busy Singapore dog owners have no
time for them or ignore signs of poor health for various
reasons.
In this case, the chances of this Silkie Terrier surviving if
operated 3 days earlier, are very slim. But miracles do happen.
I would advise an immediate emergency surgery. The owner must
be thoroughly briefed and know the risks of death on the operating
table.
This is because the toxins had accumulated and damaged the kidneys.
It was a matter of life and death at this stage. If the dog lives,
the owner is always grateful. If not, the owner or her family
members bad mouth the vet. The vet has done his or her best.
Tuesday, Oct 24, 2006.
Deepavali, Singapore. A public holiday. |
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A normal
uterus in the female dog is not swollen with pus.
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Pyometra. Pus
accumulates inside the infected uterus causing it to swell considerably. |
Pet Shop Visit in December 2009
Three years had passed by. I seldom kept in contact with this pet
shop girl till recently as I don't go to the shop to do puppy
vaccinations. However, I visited to ask her to re-pack some Hill's
Prescription d/d dog food for me as many owners want small packets.
Another aged female Cocker Spaniel of around 12 years old, belonging
to her sister had open pyometra some months ago. The sister had put
the dog on antibiotics for some time. "It is best to spay her," I
advised. But the sister just would not want to. I don't know why.
Finally, the dog was operated by another vet and survived. "But I
have to provide my dog (Golden Retriever) for blood donation as the
platelet count was very low," the pet shop girl said when I visited
her pet shop. That was good news. But there was a high cost
involved.
Spaying the female dog early would have prevented pyometra in these
two cases which were not handled by me or my Surgery. As an
alternative, inspect your female dog monthly. Record her dates when
she has her heat. Observe the colour and nature of the blood spots.
If the blood looks brownish or yellowish and starchy, it is time to
get her spayed. Unfortunately, in closed pyometra, there are no
discharge. Just vomiting. Or loss of appetite and lethargy.
It seemed a repeat of history during this visit. There was the
pyometra of her sister's dog. There was also a
slim teenaged girl working as a part-timer busy cleaning up the
kennels at 11 am when I visited. However, this short girl was not
thin She was OK and could be considered "handsome". But she
had a ring in between her nostrils. Her unique selling proposition.
She reminded me of the bulls I saw practice as a 4th year vet
student some 30 years ago in Scotland in 1973. Such bulls have a
ring between their nostrils if my long-term memory is still intact.
Why would such a young teenaged girl with normal good looks put ring
her nose I just cannot understand. She hung with her friends past
midnight at the Junction 8 shopping mall in Bishan and was working
part-time to earn some money.
"Do you want to employ her as a part-timer," the pet shop girl asked
me. "She can try out for one day without payment first."
"I need a girl who knows how to write reports and use the Excel and
Microsoft Word," I told the pet shop girl. It is difficult to
find such part-timers. I can't employ any nose-ringed girl or boy as
part-timers no matter how hard working they are. Buttons embedded in
the girl's tongue. Well, I don't know how such girls do it. It must
be very painful. However times have changed for some young
adults.
 As
for pyometra in aged female dogs, things have not changed much in
the treatment or cure. Prognosis is poor when the owner delays
veterinary treatment and when there is vomiting. Spaying would not
be of much help once the female dog has persistent vomiting for
several weeks as the kidneys had been damaged. Some 10 years
ago, I had an uneducated owner bad-mouthing me for not curing the
dog after the spay of her persistently vomiting dog. The dog
survived the spay but continued vomiting due to kidney disease, not
to professional incompetence of spaying! The lady owner did not want
any blood test but the cheapest veterinary cost. Sometimes it is
best not to handle such personalities who want "cheap and good"
veterinary services if the vet cares about the reputation built up
over the years. They tend to bad-mouth the vet in the Singapore
internet forum nowadays and this webpage will persist forever for
people all over the world to see.
For aged female dogs with pyometra, family members may suffer the
pain or in this case, the younger sister felt the pain of the
suffering of the aged female dog.
For those who believe in prevention of pyometra, spay your female
dog early, 3 months after the first heat. |
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TOA
PAYOH VETS
