0529ASingapore veterinary education cat alopecia stories published by asiahomes.com internet classifieds

0607Singapore hip cellulitis hair loss pet health and welfare educational for animal lovers, excerpts from The Glamorous Vets, Singapore as part of the BE KIND TO PETS community education project is sponsored by AsiaHomes Internet.

The dog with the big backside wounds

The lady at the other end of the telephone line said patiently: "You've got the right number but I don't own the dog."

It is extremely rare for a dog Owner to write down an incorrect telephone number in the veterinary case card. The dog was groomed and treated but the owner had not come to pick up the dog after 5 hours.

Could the dog be abandoned?" It had happened once before but such incidents were once in a blue moon. The last time it happened was a decade ago when a young man brought in a poodle for treatment of skin diseases, gave a fictitious address and did not turn up at all.

Groomer Ken speculated: "Maybe, it was the wrong number you were dialing. It could be the phone number from another case card."

How to prove that he was correct? "Bruno" he bellowed. The big Labrador cross dog, although groggy from the tranquiliser effects, turned his head towards him. "There, you've got the right patient and the phone number was incorrect," he commented with pride of a person who had thought of a wonderful idea to benefit mankind.

"Ah Kow (Chinese slang for dog)" I shouted briskly. The dog turned his head towards me too. "You see, the dog had not fully recovered from the tranquiliser and would respond to any call." Ken could not help laughing.

9023LabX_hipcellulitis160.jpg (22140 bytes) What had caused the big circular patch of cellulitis or infected cells in the skin of hip area of this dog? Was any other part of the skin involved? I had asked the Owner: "Was he scratching his backside against some object?" Mrs Moore nodded her head saying that the dog had been rubbing its back against the garden grounds. I checked the anal sacs which are two glands located at both sides of the anus by squeezing them out with the thumb and forefinger of my right hand, lifting the tail with the left. They were empty. Could impacted anal sacs be the cause of this itch?

Big dog clipped on the floor
The dog was tranquilised for Groomer Ken to clip the coat. "Why do the grooming on the floor?" I asked him. He replied: "It would be easier as the dog may fall off from the table."

Best to clip dog on a table. The grooming table was just sufficient to accommodate a big dog. "You will get back ache if you continue to clip dogs on the floor," I said. "The dog was tranquilised and therefore should not jump off the table if you watch over it."

"This cream is very good for such wounds as it is bitter and will stop the dog licking the wounds," said Ken confidently. He is a great believer in creams and a great sales person. No point contradicting him and explaining to him that these wounds were very extensive and the cells had degenerated to a yellowish colour of several centimeters in diameter and had been infected by all species of bacteria and fungi.

He applied the cream liberally after washing the wounds with his special germ killer spray. "These sprays will eliminate all viruses and germs when applied on the skin or table." said the natural salesman looking me eye to eye. It was no good contradicting a true believer.

"If they were so effective, why not set up a shop and no Owners would need to consult the veterinarian?" I asked Ken. There were no answers from him.

"The cream would not work. It would not be as easy as that," I continued. The dog had been licking the wounds for so long and he would not just stop his obsessive behaviour." The dog started licking the wound after the special cream was applied as if to confirm my observation.

This case would need a lot of nursing and review after 14 days. Antibiotics, washing of wounds and some anti-itching drugs. An Elizabeth collar round the neck would be useful but this was a big dog and it might be difficult to restrain it with a collar. A review fourteen days later would be important for the dog but many Owners do not do so.

Did the Owner turn up? Yes. He phoned to enquire why there was no phone call from the vet to pick up the dog. The wife had written the incorrect phone number. The dog was family and it was bundled in a small mini car and brought home with lots of love. I hope he would not rub his backside on the garden soil again! Dogs usually use their front paws to dig up the garden not their backsides to scooter on the soil.

What happened to this Labrador?
This was a very difficult case to ascertain the cause of the itchiness in the back area. The anal sacs which are 2 oil producing glands beside the anus were normal. If they were obstructed, the oil could not flow out and the dog would feel very itchy. Signs include chasing its tail as if it was bitten by an ant, rubbing its back on the floor.

The backside wounds heal after 30 days of washing and medication (picture on left). However, new bite wounds appear in the tail and further up the hip areas. What could be the cause? It did have a few ticks on its body when it was exercised. Could this be a case of tick bite allergy? Or mosquito bite allergy?. The dog was around 8 years old and its immune system could be much more sensitive to a few tick bites although it had no "skin problems" for the past 5 years. It was adopted from the animal shelter as a two-year-old neutered male dog. Skin allergies are very difficult to treat and do need constant supervision and regular follow veterinary check ups.

0610expatriate relocation to Singapore educational stories extracted from The Internet Realtors, Singapore, sponsored by AsiaHomes Internet. This story was contributed by www.asiahomes.com realtors.

The dodgy Landlord

"I will not be pressured to sign the tenancy agreement," said Mr Sabeti from his office at 8.30 a.m in the morning when I asked whether I could come to his office and get his signature to the revised tenancy agreement as it was handing over day. "The Landlord sounds dodgy. There are other townhouses for rent."

Mr Sabeti was a very nice English gentleman and we had seen sixteen houses and condos in two afternoons before the choice was made on a townhouse. This case was unforgettable because I slammed the door at the wrong time on Mrs Sabeti thinking she had already got into the back seat of the car. My assistant drove off before Mr Sabeti had closed the door as he needed more than the usual time to get into the back seat of the car.

It took triple the time for the English couple to squeeze into the back of the Toyota Corona together with two pre-teen daughters. There just was not sufficient width although the daughters were very slim.

The terms and conditions of the tenancy agreement had been agreed by the Landlord and the inventory check and handing over was due today. Now, the Landlord wanted to insert a anti-illegal migrant clause in the tenancy agreement.

I felt it was not necessary to do so at the last minute as it would sour the Landlord-Tenant relationship. Besides, I don't think this clause will keep the Landlord out of jail if illegal migrants are found in his rented premises. Or will it? I told the Landlord's agent accordingly. Mr Sabeti worked for the Singapore Government and had three teenaged daughters to come here to stay. Surely, a professional engineer would not harbour an illegal migrant. In any case, everything had been agreed.

"The Landlord forgot the clause," said the Landlord's agent who provided the clause which informed the Tenant that he would suffer the legal consequences if he harbour any illegal migrant.

"The Singapore Government had even jailed a pastor for 6 months for renting a room to an illegal migrant for $600 per month," I explained. He probably thought I was pulling a fast one.

I explained to the patient wife. Mr Sabeti could not believe it. In Britain, the illegal would be packed off on the plane at government expense and no Landlord would be jailed the mandatory six months as in Singapore, once an illegal migrant was discovered.

"If the Landlord does not appear to be a good Landlord, you can now not sign the tenancy agreement as this is a new offer and recover your good faith deposit," I explained to Mrs Sabeti. An offer to rent had been rejected since the Landlord now produces new terms and conditions. It will be up to the Tenant now to reject and get out of the deal.

"The stamp fees had been paid, the utility account had been transferred and the phone account had been opened." I explained and the stamp fees would have to be paid by the Tenant. Mrs Sabeti and her daughters were on the way to take possession of the townhouse. No doubt, they were very pleased with this townhouse and no angry father could overrule four female members although the sole breadwinner did hold the purse strings.

But now, the Landlord had opened the door for the Tenant to reject his offer. I gave the revised tenancy agreement to Mrs Sabeti and hoped for the best. There are many choices for the Tenant in 2001 although the four-bedroom dream home may not have all desired features at a rent of $4,000 which is considered low for a newer townhouse.

"The reason why Mr Sabeti was angry was that his boss took over two months to find a home while he took two afternoons," Mrs Sabeti explained to me. However, his boss did have to live in a hotel for two months.

"I have clients who decided after seeing six apartments in half a day and clients who saw a hundred over several weeks," I explained. Mrs Sabeti certainly did not relish the idea of being holed up in a hotel room for two months. The family liked the townhouse, the surroundings, the expatriate community, the fresh breezes and tall green trees. The rent was within their budget and they had four bedrooms. Only that the family found it in the 7th day of their 14th day of stay in the hotel and it sounded too soon. Now, there's the dodgy Landlord to contend with!