 Dog Health
- Pyometra educational article for vets.
Would the Silkie
Terrier be alive if the vet had operated earlier?
Written
by: Dr Sing Kong Yuen
Revised: October 25, 2006
"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 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, 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..."
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"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, if 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. |
