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 to a
younger, pet-caring
generations that will
replace the pragmatic
baby-boomer generation. I
find the two pictures
representative of the
care-free and late-night
personalities of the young
Singaporeans (18 - 28 years
old). This webpage is
dedicated to them.
Closing The Eyes Of Love at
Marina Barrage. The younger
generation of Singaporeans in 2010
is fortunate to live in a Golden
Age of the World Wide Web
Since 1997,
Asia USA Realty has
supported the
Community Education:
Be Kind To Pets
which use
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 2010. Some
updates in 2010 are inserted
below:
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. (2010 update : An anti-histamine
injection may be given to
prevent vaccine reaction
during the annual
vaccination.)
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 cases, it develops into a testicular
tumour bigger than a golf ball as shown in the picture on the left.
sent
for annual veterinary examination,
the retained testicular tumour may be discovered by the
veterinarian. Examine your dog regularly especially when it is
over 5 years old.
2010
Case: See:
Tumours in 3 male dogs - Sertoli
cell tumour, circum-anal tumour
and oral tumour
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.
(2010 update : Skin diseases in dogs and
dwarf
hamsters are common.)
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.
Housing Development Board (HDB) apartment owners
need to be aware of
regulations
that 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.
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 .
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 dermatitis. 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 (right) was treated early.
2010 Case: A needle inside a cat's mouth.
Going inside a lion's den
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.
The Cat Care Clinic in the USA
specialising only in cats may one day be set up in Singapore, I
hope.
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 c age
will prevent many skin itchiness disease and diarrhoea.
Picture (left) shows a
hamster with skin warts and back hair loss.
Picture (right) shows a rare
case of hyphema (blood in the front area of the eyes) in a dwarf
hamster I saw in 2010.
Do
not keep endangered species . as this will encourage
illegal trapping and extinction of such species.
Scientific name : Psammobates oculiferus Distribution: Botswana, Namibia, South AfricaCITES 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).
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 .
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 .
Update in 2010: Around 2008, the owner had given up
breeding discus due to poor market selling prices.
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?
Singapore Zoological Gardens to educate the students about wildlife conservation and to let them know why zoos are important to future
generations.
I hope 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
Asia USA Realty
feel that this project is worth the time and expenses setting it up.
More educational stories are compiled at
Be Kind To Pets.
In 2010, the younger generation of pet owners
is much more caring towards their pets. Pets
are family members and the older baby-boomer generation (born in
1946 - 1964) have to adapt and change their mindset when their
children expect them to love their pets. Nowadays, there are many
more animal welfare activists among the young Singaporeans. They
take care of the stray cats and dogs and abandoned pets and speak up
against puppy mills and animal abuse.
Hamsters in Singapore. Some of my recent cases are shown
below:
The pictures around 1997 - 2001 were poorly composed and taken. They
are terrible to view. I had to start
somewhere and with the cheapest digital camera. I knew nothing about
digital photography or graphics design (if there was such a word). I
use FrontPage software to write my cases. FrontPage is now extinct
and there are free websites to post your writings e.g.
www.blogger.com . Be hands on.
You'll learn from failures and succeed after some time if you
persevere and focus.
The world is full of exciting changes and I hope the younger generation
of vets and animal activists will continue to document cases to share
their experiences and knowledge with others all over the world via
the world wide web. I
am from the baby-boomer generation and will fade in a few years.
There is no money in documenting cases and sharing case treatment
knowledge with competitors. It takes at least one hour to edit 10
pictures for presentation in my webages. One hour is a lot of time
for the young generation who will rather slay dragons on-line or do
messaging.
Be Kind To Pets
can
help a first-time pet owner take better care of his or her pet, this
will be my objective - to help the pets as they can't speak for
themselves or defend themselves.
TOA
PAYOH VETS
