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HOW YOUR DOG
CAN LIVE LONGER?
Dr Sing Kong Yuen,
BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
Excerpts from "How Your Dog Can Live Longer?" by Dr Kong Sing |
Case study. Hairy ear canals in Miniature Schnauzers.
Painful ulceration. Bites people.
Lateral ear canal resection of the dog. Ear problems.
Otitis externa. Educational tips for pet lovers published in August 2002. Updated April 17, 2005.
Once bitten twice shy
"We could not go
back to the first vet as our Schnauzer had bitten his nail
off his finger!" Mr Ho said as he wriggled his left
forefinger. "The vet's hand was trembling
subsequently. But we had warned him that the dog would
bite. He still touched his ears and was bitten. This dog dares not bite me as I
will whack him." Mr Ho laughed.
I could feel the pain of the nail bitten off the finger in
my bones. Just a simple bite would be painful and if the
nail was bitten off, it must be excruciating.
This Schnauzer did not growl or give warning before
biting. He
 was the strong silent type. He put his
head down close to the floor, his tail turned sharply
downwards and headed towards the door to get out of the
veterinary surgery. Some dogs do associate the vets with pain and some would not
enter the surgery room. Their legs became wobbly as they
reached the surgery. Legs became so heavy that they
glued the dog to the ground.
"Why not use the ear ointment regularly instead of
putting him under anaesthesia to open up his vertical ear
canals?" I asked Mr Ho as the Schnauzer was really
pitiful at that moment. His greyish white face with long
hair made him looked very depressed.
Mr Ho had tried the ear ointment for the past 3 months but
the pus kept coming back inside the ear canals. He had to
spend over three hundred dollars for two ear irrigations and medication.
If the lateral ear canal resection surgery could solve his
problem once and for all, this dog would be euthanased.
This Schnauzer had ear canals choked full
of ear hairs trapping water during bathing. Furthermore, the ear pinnae or flap closed over the ear
canal opening. The closed ear canal was not ventilated
well. The dampness from bathing encouraged the
bacteria to grow and infect the ear walls. Pus
formed as the dog's white blood cells tried to contain the
infection. The ears became painful and inflamed. Therefore
the dog bit anybody when his ears were touched.
The dog was kept in the cage pending surgery. He was
passive
and quiet in the cage, a good patient. Just as I
was going to take him out for surgery, he bit my left
thumb without warning. Fortunately my nail was not ripped
off. I washed off the red blood oozing from a small puncture
wound.
I had to use the hand to operate. A piece of plaster
covering the wound stopped the pain.
The dog had both ear canals opened up. I hope he would
be happy to see the veterinarian in later years and not
associate vets with pain all the time. |
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Left
ear canal fully covered by ear hairs over 1 cm
long. Some Schnauzers have very hairy ears
and groomers keep plucking the ears frequently. A
permanent solution may be lateral ear canal
resection. |
Side
of left ear's vertical canal removed showing
opening of horizontal canal as a hole at the lower
part of the picture. Lots of ear hairs obstruct the
ear and prevent proper ventilation. |
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Right
ear canal also obstructed by a profuse growth of ear hairs.
Very uncomfortable for the dog as it traps water and
become ulcerated and infected. |
Pulling
out the long ear hairs from the horizontal ear
canal and cleaning up the canal after removal of
the side wall by surgery. Should have no more
ear problem now. |
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"I can give you a 90% guarantee of success in this
surgery," I said to Mr Ho who wanted the dog back
immediately after surgery. The family just loved this
Schnauzer and did not want him to be away from the best
care at home.
"Your dog will no longer suffer from pain and pus
infections inside his ear forever."
"This dog bit two vets," Mr Ho pronounced
proudly to Nurse Ann. It was an achievement to bite
the dog doctor who is supposed to be invincible and a
controller of all dogs big and small, ferocious and
submissive. I was the 3rd vet to be bitten. A
brown waterproofed plaster wound round my left thumb as I
washed out the dog's canal.
Mr Ho turned to me and furrowed his forehead, "Your
guarantee better works. Otherwise it would
be a lethal injection to kill it as I can't afford to spend more
money on veterinary fees."
As for me, I hope this dog would never bite the 4th
veterinarian. I have to be super alert whenever I
encounter dogs with ear problems.
From this Miniature Schnauzer and a sore thumb, I now
appreciated the
meaning of the English idiom "Once bitten, twice shy."
One of those idioms I memorised for the English test during the Primary School
Leaving Examination. To score the highest marks so
as to qualify for Raffles Institution, the top secondary school
in Singapore. That was 3 decades ago, but the
Miniature Schnauzer refreshed my English idiom swotting by
biting me and making me shy. |
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Extracts from the
Asiahomes.com Book: How Your Dog Can Live Longer ?
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS.
Buyers interested in this book, email to
judy@asiahomes.com
Article
contributed by: Dr Sing Kong Yuen, Veterinary Surgeon, Toa Payoh
Vets.
Health and
welfare education for animal lovers, excerpts from
Be Kind To Pets, sponsored by
AsiaHomes Internet.
April 17, 2005
Asiahomes
Internet, Affordable Internet Ads for Singapore Owners &
Realtors, $13.50/40 words/90days targeted at expatriates
relocating to Singapore. Visit
http://www.asiahomes.com to select your rental housing units or
to view over 5000 photographs and layout plans. |
CANINE SURGERY
INFORMATION FOR PET LOVERS:
EAR SURGERY IN THE DOG
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1. Case 1.
Smelly ear discharge in a Cocker Spaniel. 2005.
Ear Surgery in the Dog. 2 cases
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2. Case 2. Ear
Tumours caused by long-standing ear infections. 2002.
This webpage. |
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3. Is Image
Everything? Educational article for new housing agents
of
www.asiahomes.com |
|
4. Case 3.
Miniature Schnauzer with hairy ears bit two vets. 2002. Click
Once Bitten Twice Shy |
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TOA
PAYOH VETS 
