407. Mum could not decide. Who should operate on the Maltese with a needle in the stomach?

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

"Please do not pressurise your mum," I said as the young-looking and slim woman who is probably in her seventies sat on the yellow chair in the waiting room covered her face with her hands.



The taxi driver had referred the daughter to my Surgery and she had asked about the surgical fees for the removal of the needle in the Maltese's stomach. The Maltese was her mum's dog. I quoted my usual fees.

"How many such cases you had performed?" she asked. I confessed that there were not many as cases as needle in the canine stomach were uncommon in my practice. "I have experience in the common types of surgery like spay, gall bladder, urinary bladder and Caesarean sections over several years of practice. But no needle-in-the-stomach of a dog case had ever presented itself to me, I said.

As the mother was used to the other veterinary practice, it would be best for the mum to let her dog be attended to by someone she felt comfortable.



"But mum's vet is not around as the practice has several vets at various times," the daughter said to the mum. "Besides, how do you know whether the other vet had sufficient surgical experience?"

The mother closed her eyes and just would not say anything. "It is all right for her to get her dog operated by the other vet," I said. Yet the mother would not know what to do.

"You must be a seamstress," I guessed. "Nowadays, Singaporean women seldom sew."

"Mum has a school for dress-making," the daughter said. It was difficult for the daughter as she could not know where to find a vet who has tackled similar cases at fees she felt comfortable with. The other vet had suggested surgery the following day when the needle might have moved to the intestine, protected and coated by cotton balls swallowed by the dog.

The vet had advised giving cotton to the dog. The mother had given 5 cotton balls in the bread and the dog had eaten them. Before he came to see me, he had vomited white froth and I presumed cotton fibres.

But the important thing was that the dog was the mother's. I guessed the paymaster was the daughter.

It was tough. I left them alone while I consulted a Golden Retriever puppy for a young Caucasian man and his Indian girl friend. The Golden Retriever was just purchased 5 days ago. So, I advised against vaccination till 10 days after purchase in case any viral disease manifest itself in this period of time. The girl friend had lots of questions to ask.

"Anna, write down the questions for the puppy book," I said to my assistant. "Such questions are FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) and a book will be easier on me if I ever have the time to publish it.

After this case, there was a 3rd woman who could be the other daughter of the Maltese owner. Since all had decided, I operated. The sharp end of the needle had perforated through the stomach for 3 mm. I pulled it out.

I thought: "Simple surgery!"

Damn it. The needle came out. A thread at its eye just would not move out more than 1 cm. This area of the stomach near the gullet was where the needle had puncture had the big blood vessels. So, no surgical incision should be done her.

So much for "simple surgery". I felt something soft preventing the thread from being pulled out easily. A 2 cm mass. Was it a special type of button? Yet it was softer than a button. A plastic piece? I was no seamstress. So, I did not know what it was. The X-ray had shown only the needle inside the stomach.

What should I do?

I had to incise a small cut at the area where it was safe to do so. What was that piece that entangled the thread of the needle?

It was a 3-cm "coin-like" dog treat!