0920Singapore pet care, dog and cat pet health and welfare educational for animal
lovers, excerpts from The
Glamorous Vets, Singapore, sponsored by AsiaHomes Internet.
INTRODUCTION.
There can never be enough information on how to take care of your pets and be kind to pets
and wild animals so that they can live longer. The internet introduces a convenient way of
getting some information on pet healthcare. Since 1997, AsiaHomes Internet has
supported this webpage using narrative stories and pictures to educate the Singaporean
community in how to care for their pets. It is hoped that more pet owners will realise the
importance of good health for their companions as Singapore rolls into a fast paced
society in 2001.
PET CARE TIPS
FOR ANIMAL LOVERS AND DOCTORS (1997 article updated)
sponsored by AsiaHomes
Internet.
 Vaccination reaction. Swollen eyes after vaccination. This
puppy would not be vaccinated anymore as it may be fatal the next time. The dog was
sensitized to something inside the vaccine. The Owner would just have to be careful
that it would not be in contact with other unvaccinated dogs.
Some boarding kennels insist that dogs be vaccinated one week before boarding so as to
prevent your dogs from becoming infected with viral disezases. Therefore, check out the
policies and board your dog there. It is advised that you vaccinate your dog and cat
yearly to protect them against deadly diseases affecting the brain, lungs, kidneys,
intestines, amongst other diseases.
 Testicular Tumour in a 10-year old Spitz. It is best to
remove the testicle which has not dropped into the scrotum, a condition called retained
testicle. This testicle will be present under the skin or inside the abdomen. In
many case, it develops into a testicular tumour bigger than a golf ball as shown in the
picture on the left.
If the dog was sent for annual veterinary examination and booster vaccination, the
retained testicular tumour may be discovered by the veterinarian. Examine your dog
regularly especially when it is over 5 years old. It is interesting to note that human
males with retained testicles suffer a similar condition too.
 Ventral
dermatitis: Itchy skin at the lower "stomach" area or groin area.
Causes varies and may be due to contact with chemicals from strong floor detergent, rough
flooring or dampness in the bathrooms. Or even skin mite infestations.
The dog keeps licking area till hair thins and skin changes to black colour over several
years of irritation.
Do check with your vet.
 Generalised
dermatitis. Causes vary. Many Singapore owners hop from one vet to another in
search of a cure. Some cases are incurable. Shaving off the long coat, keeping ear canals
clean (see neck redness due to scratching), checking on impacted and infected anal glands,
excellent food and plenty of water, find out what stresses the dog and regular
veterinary follow up with your veterinarian may help alleviate the intense itch and
suffering and resolve the problem.
 Cellulitis:
A large patch of hairless and red skin wound in the left hip area of dog. It is usually
due to a small wound which becomes infected and the dog in this case keeps licking and
causing more infection. Prompt veterinary treatment of small wounds is essential
especially in cases which do not heal within 7 days.
 Dermatitis
due to tick infestations are common in Singapore stray or wandering dogs. Cross-breds
usually neglected till ears, eyes (see arrow in photo) and body are infested by thousands
of ticks. Consult your veterinary surgeon early to prevent suffering.
 Best type of dog for a child in
Singapore's hot and humid climate? Short hair (no grooming needed), erect ears
which are not covered and therefore ventilated unlike smelly floppy ears and a dark coat
(easier to maintain than white). The picture on the right is a Kerry Blue puppy, a rare
breed in this world and may be mistaken for a "mongrel" by anyone not
familiar with Kerry Blues.
 Get prompt veterinary
treatment after you if your new puppy becomes lethargic, coughs and has a runny nose.
See: The
chocolate Labrador Retriever puppy with a hacking cough.
 The dilemma of Housing Development Board (HDB) apartment owners.
is how to keep big dogs as pets in HDB flats without getting penalised. Regulations
prohibit medium and large sized dogs over 20 kg adult weight and 14 inches in height. This
adorable puppy will grow to exceed HDB height and weight restrictions. By then, it will be
heart-breaking to part with the dog and the Owner has to hide it from the HDB officials or
shift to private housing. As almost 90% of the population live in HDB apartments, many big
dog lovers are forced to keep only small breeds.
 Purulent
sinusitis. The facial sinus has been infected and swells. The infection is
usually from the decayed roots of the upper molar tooth on the left upper jaw. A long
delay in dental treatment of decayed tooth led to infections of the nasal sinuses and
eyes. This cat died despite treatment as the infection had spread to frontal sinus (above
and between eye swelling) and into the brain tissues. Singapore cat owners seldom send
their cats for dental check-up or scaling yearly and only do so when the cat can't eat,
not eating much for several weeks or has extremely foul smelling breadth. It is hoped that
the younger generation will be more careful as many problems can be prevented through
personal attention.
 Endocrine alopecia: Hair thinning in sterilised female
cat. There are many other causes such as flea bite dermtitis. Such cases require
veterinary attention. The cat feels itchy and keep licking the lower half of body,
thinning the hair on both sides of the back half of the body. One effective medication
given twice/week till hair grows and maintained may resolve the problem of hair loss.
Many Singaporean cat owners are ignorant of the need for prompt veterinary
examination and the cat becomes bald.
 Septic bite wound and cat flu: Wounds caused by
cat bites usually as some male Singapore stray cats fight to establish their territory.
The cat tends to lick the sore frequently but the wound gets itchy and infected.
This cat was treated early.
 In 2001, many
Singaporeans and expatriates are more concerned about the pet care of stray cats. Some
stray cats are saved by kind hearted people who will seek veterinary advices early.
Note the eye and nose discharge indicating a cat flu infection, a hazard of being a
free roaming life style not being protected by cat vaccination. It is best to
vaccinate your cats yearly but many cat owners somehow don't have time to do so.
 Dwarf hamsters are popular pets amongst Singaporeans in
2001. Do not forget to give them proper feeding and plenty of water. Chemical-free wood
shavings and regular attention to cleanliness of the cage will prevent many skin itchiness
disease and diarrhoea. Picture shows a hamster with skin warts and back hair loss.
 Do not keep endangered species. as this will
encourage illegal trapping and extinction of such species.
Common name: Serrated Star Tortoise, Toothed Cape Tortoise
Scientific name: Psammobates oculiferus
Distribution: Botswana, Namibia, South Africa
CITES listing: Appendix II (01/07/1975)
Pet dealers may be
interested to know that star tortoises are now not permitted to be sold in pet shops in
Singapore for the reason that there are no proper export permits according to CITES
Appendix II (see below) and not because they are getting extinct.
Appendix II
lists species that are not necessarily now threatened with extinction but that may become
so unless trade is closely controlled. It also includes so-called "look-alike
species", i.e. species of which the specimens in trade look like those of species
listed for conservation reasons (see Article II, paragraph 2 of the Convention).
International trade in specimens of Appendix-II species may be authorized by the granting
an export permit or re-export certificate; no import permit is necessary. Permits or
certificates should only be granted if the relevant authorities are satisfied that certain
conditions are met, above all that trade will not be detrimental to the survival of the
species in the wild. (See Article IV of the Convention).
Singapore is a member of CITES and more information on endangered floral or fauna can be
found at its website http://www.cites.org/
Many tortoises and
turtles are abandoned at temples and reservoirs in Singapore but some are well looked
after at home. For your knowledge, a male star tortoise is distinguished from the
female by a slight concave shape at the bottom of the body (finger points to it in the
picture above).
A website devoted to star tortoises is at: http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/elegans.html.
Other tortoise and turtle links are at: http://www.st-ives-vet.co.uk/links.htm#pet
Discus fishes as pets are still a favourite hobby. In 2001, there are so
many multi-coloured ones and healthy ones are always a pleasure to keep as pets or as a
small hobby to earn some money for the family. See
Breeding beautiful
discus in an HDB 2-bedroom apartment .
Many Singaporean teenagers are idealistic and may be anti-zoo, wanting wild animals to be
"born free" and live naturally after seeing caged animals poorly kept in
traditional zoos. However, poachers and destruction of their natural habitat by people
have led to extinction of many species of animals, birds and plants.
Is it better to let such wild animals be born free and eliminated owing to the lack of
natural habitat or be bred in zoos for the benefit science and of future generations?
It is up to the leadership of top zoos like the Singapore Zoological Gardens http://www.zoo.com.sg/ to educate about wildlife
conservation to students and to let them know why zoos are important to future
generations.
It is hoped that this webpage with tips on pet care will help to educate pet and animal
owners to take good care of their pets and prevent suffering of all animals. If one pet in
this world or in Singapore can be saved by the surfer being educated on this webpage, we
at Asiahomes Internet (http://www.asiahomes.com/singapore_classified),
feel that this project is worth the time and expenses setting it up. More educational
stories are compiled at The Glamorous Vets,
Singapore.
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