409. The needle point exited the puppy and squirted the vaccine onto her favourite blouse

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

It is tough to be a new vet.


"Do you know?" the fair lady petshop owner suddenly said as I was injecting her round-eyed Shih Tzu with ear scabies. "Your new vet squirted the vaccine onto my favourite floral blouse! So yucky!

"Dr Daniels injected the needle under the puppy skin for vaccination," she laughed softly, "But the needle went in one part andout of the skin. As he squeezed the plunger of the syringe, the vaccine shot in an arc onto my best blouse! I had no change of clothes..."

"I am sorry that you suffered. Such mishaps of the needle exiting the skin during vaccination and the vaccine misfired had ever happened to me.

"Most likely all newly graduated vets would have suffer such indignation of the dog owner at least once in their career!" I said solemnly.

"Dr Daniel could be nervous as this was his first visit to your pet shop. Maybe the puppy was not properly held and could have moved as he injected. All vets learn from hands on experience."

Such complaints must be treated seriously. The petite lady petshop owner in her twenties furrowed her forehead, closed her big round eyes and seemed to accept my explanation.

"Why don't you wear a diamond ring like your partner?" I changed the topic which seem more interesting. "She wears dazzling large diamond rings and sometimes diamond pendants."

"I have no husband to give me diamond rings," she extended her ring-free fingers of both hands, "Furthermore, I can't afford the big carat diamonds she has."

Well, diamonds are a girl's best friend. But not for her. I thought she had forgiven Dr Daniel when I commented that she could ask the young vet to express or squeeze out the anal glands of her own Golden Retriever on his next visit. She said she could not do it and the dog was chasing her tail and biting her anal area.

"Bring the dog to the pet shop," I advised. "Dr Daniel would do the necessary for you free of charge."

"No, no," she said. "He might be too rough on Silver!"

"Bring Silver to your pet shop and let me know when I come for the next puppy vaccination." No more ideas to change the subject. I said goodbye while she uploaded her family and dog pictures on Flicker in her laptop.

It is sure tough to be a new veterinarian nowadays. But all professionals must start with the first case and we all learn over the years. But it is hard to say that in private practice when expectations are so much higher.

408. Why should Anna care about the Filipino domestic workers?

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

"You will have to devote 30 minutes a day to writing and revising the Pet Care and Health book," I asked my veterinary assistant Anna into my consultation room to remind her for another time to focus.

I could have become a nagger. "Small amounts of time spent will add up to the completion of the book. The book content is around 80% done but there needed revision to make it relevant to the reader. The reader is the Filipino domestic worker, your country women who would benefit from getting Singaporean advices on pet care."

"Click,click,click,click..." sounds from Anna's ball point pen resonated in the still air as she sat on the yellow chair across the consultation table and holding the draft book with many notes not updated.



I would not know whether she was de-stressing herself or angry. She would click her ball point sometimes, in the middle of consultations. Just a few clicks. Unconscious clicks?

"And why should you bother to help the Filipino domestic workers?" I asked her.

Anna was silent.

"You are privilleged to graduate from the veterinary university," I said. "Not anybody can become a veterinarian or graduate. The Filipino maids all over the world and in Singapore work long hours. They start work from 5 a.m and are fortunate to complete their work at midnight in many cases. Earning much less than you to send home money for the family..."

I guess Anna would think: "So what?". She always had a sweet smile. And never lost her temper. Writing is a lot of hard brain work. Lots of revision. Lots of reading to do. I borrowed at least 100 magazines and dog books from the library for her to read. It could be overwhelming for a new graduate.

"I know the new young vet who has just joined the practice is not interested in helping to write this book. I don't expect him to help out. He is from a very rich family. Born with a silver spoon. So I don't expect him to empathise with the frustrations of the Filipino maid entrusted with a new puppy that suffers from diarrhoea and coughing or skin disease.

"In your draft, you advised 'Consult the vet...'. But many Singapore dog owners do not want to consult the vet to save on costs. The maid has to resolve the problems like the common diarrhoea and the book will guide her how to do it.

"With this book, they gain pet care and health knowledge. To show prospective employers with pets that they really know how to handle puppy handling and health situations in Singapore. To get better pay and be employable. To help feed their children in the Philippines and give their children money to go to the university. To better the lives by sacrifice in living in a foreign country for years...

Anna pursed her lips. Grin and bear the nagging? I did not know what she was thinking about my lectures. She had graduated and must have thought no more lectures and writing projects finally. Just enjoy handling the puppies and dogs. Not sitting down to research and write and write.

"After all, I am not asking you to write love stories which will sell like hot cakes. This project is money-losing unlike sensational love stories. It is my community service. So far, 2 other Filipino assistants had resigned without doing much.

"You write non-fiction on a subject you have had been trained for the last 5 years. In writing for the Filipino maids, you learn a lot too because you read various author's views on puppy care, training and health matters." I droned on and on.

It was like speaking to a wall. The book needed revisions. Anna had stopped revising. Writing is a lot of revisions and frustrations if the book is to be good enough and worth reading. But she did not know.

"Half an hour a day would be needed. After the English version is written, it can then be in Tagalog and sold at affordable prices to the Filipino maids.

"But if there is no perseverance and time devoted to writing, no good book would be produced. Your country women would not be educated in Singaporean pet care and health. Some puppies would not be properly cared for and some would die due to the lack of knowledge entrusted on the maids to care for them.

Would altruism appeal to the young Anna? Would puppy welfare motivate Anna to write? Only time will tell.

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!

406. Positive & negative reinforcement training

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

DRAFT

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT TRAINING

1. A variety so that the puppy will not get bored.

Food, food treats (small piece to prevent weight gain, tummy ache or loss of interest), toys (chew toys) and your attention (praises, pat, going out for walks, allowed on furniture, car rides) in exchange for good/desired behaviour.

2. Dog trainers train the dog to behave rather than punish for bad behaviour.
E.g. Say "Sit" before placing the food bowl, Teach the dog to bark on command, using clicker and food treat rather than punish or yelling "No barking"

3. Hand signal (use one hand to point, other hand to give food treat). The dog associates the hand that gives the signal and food treats can then not be given.
Clicker (click immediately when the dog shows the good behaviour). More reliable than verbal commands as the trainer's voice may change in tone. Also, independent of owner being present or not.
Verbal cues (say "Pee Pee ") when the dog shows the good behaviour.
Verbal cues (say "Good Boy") to release the dog after performing good behaviour.
Chew toys - special ones favoured by the dog for training. Replace them when they are worn.


NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT TRAINING.

1. Pain or stress the dog by punishing for bad behaviour.
Yank his collar, Push him to the ground, Yell "No",

SHORT TRAINING LESSONS ARE FUN
REINFORCE. Use small pieces of food treats otherwise the dog puts on weight.
BE UNPREDICTABLE. Other types of rewards instead of food treats. A hug and praise.

405. First week - White Miniature Schnauzer is noisy at 2 am. Neighbours's Distractions, Spay and crate training.

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore


Miniature Schnauzer, Male, White, 10 weeks.

Purchased 1 week ago.
Crate + pee pan.
Makes noises at 2 am and 6 am.
Poop 4x per day.
Fed 2 x/day.


"Distractions after eating, so the puppy does not poop soon after eating," I said. "2 ama and 6 am barking may be a means of telling you to clear the crate of stools."

Toilet training usually sabotaged by parents or children."

"Neighbours come and play with the puppy too," the mum said.

A career daughter with 2 first-time dog owner parents in their 50s.
"Spaying is very painful," she said. "I saw the pictures of the spay hook in your website."

"The hook is used so that the skin wound is much smaller than if the finger is used to hook up the uterus and ovaries, " I explained. "The dog is under general anaesthesia and feels no pain during the operation."

"Is spaying necessary?" she asked. She was the X-file generation that is more concerned about animal welfare.

Her mum wrinkled her forehead, "Spaying is good."

"Your mum is worried about the dirtying of the apartment when the female dog has her menses," I said. "Spaying is one reason to solve this problem."


As the mum seemed worried about cleanliness, I suggest that CRATE TRAINING be used. The puppy would be kept in the carrier 2-3 hours. Mum will take her out and put her on a confined area with newspapers every 2-3 hours so that the puppy will pee on newspapers. After feeding, put on the confined area too.

Alternatively, put newspapers on the crate flooring instead of the pee pan. I don't know whether she understood what I was talking about.

404. The Silkie Terrier wakes up everybody at 4 am.

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

Silkie Terrier, Male, 18 weeks. Purchased 3 days ago.
Crate + pee pan in the kitchen.

Barks to wake up everybody at 4 am.
Must clear stools at 4 am.

Steps on stools in crate.
Poops at 4 am and 12 noon.
Eats at 7 am and 8 pm. But the puppy did not poop within an hour. Why?

Distraction by owner after feeding. Play with feed bowl after eating. Owners attention.
So, forget to pass stools? Don't play with puppy within 1 hour after eating to get him to poop after eating.

Praised when poop and pee inside the crate.
But still wakes up owner at 4 am to clear the stools.

IN THIS CASE, the Silkie is trying to keep its crate as a sleeping and eating place and want to eliminate outside the crate. Neutralise urine on the bedroom floor.