| 0709Singapore
old Pomeranian False Pregnancy pet health and welfare educational for animal lovers, excerpts from
The Glamorous Vets,
Singapore, sponsored by AsiaHomes Internet. An 84-year-old bitch produces milk  "She
is 84 years old. She had never been naughty. How could she still
be producing milk?" Mrs Chen asked. One dog-year is
equivalent to seven human years and this old Pomeranian would be
eighty-four years.Mrs Chen, a sprightly lady of over sixty years of age, wearing jade and gold bangles favoured by women of her pre-World War generation could not reconcile the fact that a dog in menopause should be showing signs of pregnancy. Singaporean and Malaysian women are said to be into menopause at around fifty years of age and here, her 84-year-old Pomeranian was producing milk! Was it normal? What could be done? "The bitch has signs of false pregnancy. The hormonal system is abnormal leading to milk production, as if the bitch was pregnant. Removal of the uterus and ovaries will solve this problem." I said. "However, your Pom has a heart disease and it is best not to operate as she may die under anaesthesia." This was a big risk which needed to be disclosed so that Mrs 
Chen could make her own decision. The bitch had been with her for
so many years, living with her growing family in a small 2-bedroom Redhill apartment built over fifty
years ago and shifting to the modern and spacious "5-room"
(actually a 3-bedroom) Housing Board apartment of Woodlands. I would advise against spaying. Mrs Chen decided not to take the surgery. She complained that her bitch had been coughing badly again after the medication was stopped and she was coming for a two-months' supply of medication. "You will have to give the medication at a fixed time regularly so that the water in the lungs are removed by the drug and the dog can breathe normally," I said. "Too much coughing will over strain the bitch's heart. The bitch may just die of heart failure." It is very difficult to educate the older generation about the strict regular giving of drugs for their pets with heart disease. As for Mrs Chen, her bitch will live longer than without medication and all it needed was to remember to give medication as scheduled. The bitch meant a lot for her. Singapore's human patients don't comply with doctor's instructions to take medication as prescribed. The same happens in veterinary medicine too.  Yet
Mrs Chen is a modern pre-war generation woman, adopting the pencilled eyebrows
favoured by the younger Singaporean ladies, a fashion where real
eyebrows are shaved off and a false one is painted on. Well, the
old Pomeranian had false pregnancy but the milk was as real as a bitch
in real pregnancy! I hope she would comply with the medication to enable her companion to live much longer. She had three grandchildren to look after, but the Pomeranian still remains her best friend. |