| 1219Singapore
Maltese severe anaemia, pet health and welfare educational for animal lovers,
excerpts from The
Glamorous Vets, Singapore, sponsored by AsiaHomes Internet.
Last Updated: 20 December, 2001 The Maltese has severe anaemia.  "The Owner complained that the dog had not been eating for the past few days," said Groomer Ken as he transported a white 3-year-old Maltese for veterinary treatment. "It needs an intravenous drip." I put the quiet Maltese on the examination table and opened its mouth. The mucous membranes of the mouth were pallid as if there was no more blood circulating in them. There were fresh blood in between its teeth. It appeared that there was bleeding from the mouth. There must be a lot of bleeding to cause this dog to be so pale. What was the cause of the bleeding? Groomer Ken did not know and neither did the Owner who was seldom at home. I put a thermometer into its rectum to check the rectal temperature. It was 38 degrees Celcius, lower than normal. Red sticky intestinal tissue similar to blood tissues seen in the mouth stuck to the thermometer. The Maltese had a serious bleeding from the large intestine. "It needs a blood transfusion as well as other treatments at the hospital," I said. It was too late to save this dog. "Should I feed liver?" Groomer Ken asked. Liver contains iron and this would boost its haemoglobin blood production. "Its intestines are bleeding," I said. "Food would worsen the situation." I said. This was a very serious case of bleeding. How long had this been going on, the Owner did not know. The exact cause was not known. It passed away the next day. As to the cause of the intestinal bleeding, nothing was known as the case was not autopsied. Autopsy and further tests meant more cost for the Owner who was retrenched. Could the dog have drunk cleaning chemicals as the Owner was in the office cleaning business? Or eaten bones? Or it had caught a parvoviral infection, the parvovirus being known to attack the intestines and causing bleeding? Many questions remained unanswered owing to the cost. It is not possible to save cases of severe intestinal bleeding in the dog as parts of the intestine may have perforated too and bleeding goes inside the abdomen. |