Tag: medical conditions

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Boo’s journey as an IVDD survivor

What is IVDD?

IVDD: Intervertebral disc disease
One of the most common neurological disorders of dogs and it is the most common spinal disease of dogs.

Do you know?

Chondrodystrophoid (dwarfed) breeds of dogs whose normal cartilage development have been altered genetically for the purpose of a short, stout appearance – i.e.: Dachshund, Beagle, Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso, and Pekingese — are most commonly affected.  Other chondrodystrophic breeds that may be affected by IVDD include Corgis, Cocker Spaniel, Pekingese, Shih-Tzu and Poodle. Nonchondrodystrophic breeds that are commonly affected by IVDD include German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever and Doberman Pinscher. Obese dogs of predisposed breeds are especially likely to suffer from IVDD.

 

BOO’S STORY

I wish I could turn back time.

Boo’s mom.

She is perfect in my eyes. Nothing can replace her. We have each other and that is enough. I wouldn’t mind burning my salary all on her, it was worth it. You can say I am the worst kind of pawrent, but I wouldn’t care. I give her my best.

I recalled 8 months back, I couldn’t bring myself to talk about Boo’s condition. Boo was diagnosed with IVDD days before Christmas. Retracing the memories, I wish I could turn back time. There was so many regrets, so many things where I wish I knew. I wish somebody knew. There were so many sequence of events that I wish I could change, maybe Boo will be better. But who really know? Who was actually prepared for this?

French Bulldog has always been my love. I recalled 3 years back, I did the necessary research; finding a true frenchie breeder, research on their possible medical conditions. Oh boy, found her and that was it. I got her from a reputable breeder. The chances of lesser medical issues is getting from a reputable breeder where you know the complete bloodline of the pedigree, you know the prerequisites. To me, first step complete with additional coverage to getting her an insurance.

Trust me. French Bulldog are not for the faint of the heart. They are highly expensive. It is never the initial cost but the maintenance of it. Imagine getting a printer and the inks are hella expensive, oh sorry wrong. More like getting a Ferrari, and the road tax and the petrol will kill you. Well, we are here on IVDD, so let’s keep it as that.

Definitely it was my fault, I allowed her to jump. It was difficult. We slept on the same bed, she takes the stairs, she loves playing fetch, occasionally I’m lazy I didn’t use a harness but instead a collar. Whatever it is, she was a very happy hyper dog. Nothing could stop her. She was invincible. There are so many wrongs here that I did not stop.

Honestly, all the research in the world, how the hell would you even know how does IVDD look like? When you probably noticed, you are posssibly going downhill. Trust me, google ain’t helpful by then. You can only guess and assume. It was terrible. I remembered I brought her home after a playdate. She was restless. I thought ok maybe she was tired. I carried her, she screamed in pain. I left her. She was dirty, I decided to bathe her. I probably shouldn’t have. I lifted her up and put her down, she screamed again. Oh god, it was bad. It hurt her so bad that she pooped.

She was shivering. I thought maybe she was cold from bathing. She didn’t want to sit at all. She was eating as per normal. It didn’t affect her. I left her alone with heat pad and towels surrounding her. Until 2 hours later, she peed and poop where she slept. This was not normal. It was 9pm. I couldn’t find a place where I could go. I didn’t want to pay extra for overnight consultation. I decided to go to where Boo’s always go. I was so dumb, I should have rushed her to a specialist.

So many mistakes, I didn’t even know where to begin. My emotions was taking over all my decisions. I couldn’t stay sane. I see pain in her eyes, it was terrible. My heart was breaking at every minute. My happy little girl became a 360 change within 12 hours. Honestly up to date, I wish I could turn back the clock.

I should have brought her to a specialist. Don’t bother on saving money. It cost the same end of the day. Or maybe I wasn’t smart enough or maybe the vets I went all charges crazily high.

Reasons to go to a specialist

Going to a specialist, you get your diagnose quicker. Time is the essence for IVDD. Every minute counts as the dog can lose the ability to walk, control their bladder, or even have any sensation in their legs. There are 5 stages of IVDD, 5 being the worst.

Personal experience

  • Some clinics do not have all the equipment. You will end up transferring your pet from vet to vet. – It was too painful and stressful for both parties. Imagine, you want to know what was the condition but it was all you can get is only a suspected diagnosis because they do not have the full amenities for a proper diagnosis.
  • After many times saying no, the vet continued to insist on the dog to be in something because it will be easier for them to do the scan or they probably learnt it that way. – it was too painful to watch. Boo freaked out, couldn’t recognise me, she blanked out. They dropped her at that moment, Boo was rolling on the floor non-stop, went into a panic attack and bit me till I was bleeding non-stop at the vet. It was terrible, the only pain I could feel was my heart.

Anyhow, only about 4 days later. Boo was operated on. Did not go to a specialist. It was said we need a miracle if she ever walks again. We bit the bullet and proceeded anyway. She was diagnosed with stage 5 of IVDD with no deep pain sensation and being incontinence. We are still ongoing physiotherapy weekly and she only shows improvements of her core.

Total damage:

Surgery + Mis = ~SGD$14,000K
Physiotherapy = $180 per session


Boo used to go intensive physiotherapy 3 x week for Dec to Feb
Which cut down to 2x week for March to May
Currently: 1 x week for June to Aug
Think it’s cheap, think it’s easy? Do the math….

Above are some of the little glimpse of Boo’s story on her facing IVDD. I wished I could be of more help on the signs. But one can never be so prepared for it. What are we? We are still humans. Nobody expected this. Nobody wants this. However, trust me. If i could turn back the clock, I promise you I will do it better.

I see many people owning Frenchies these days because of certain trends etc, but do they really know the cost? Do they know what they got themselves into? I see Frenchies being abandoned due to medical issues. I got Boo from a reputable breeder, but shit still happen. Are you really prepared for these cost? Do you have minimum SGD$20,000 set aside for emergency? Oh btw, credit card extension isn’t allowed on vet bills – It is not approved by MOM. Bank loan isn’t immediate also. BTW, vet will ask for 60% downpayment of the estimated bill before admitting the dog in. Will you dedicate your time to assist them if things go downhill? Are you willing to sacrifice your personal live for them? Are you really? I see people thrashing me previously, but really what will you do if you were living in my shoes?

Getting a pet is a commitment. It is a responsibility and sadly, love isn’t enough. It cost money. To older generation or people who don’t own a pet, might think it is just a dog/cat/animal, but it is a life. A life you hold. Remember in these 10-18 years of commitment, you have many responsibilities or milestone things coming your way, but your pet only have you. Please don’t abandon them if you are not ready for the cost or the hefty bills or not willing to part with it. Pets only understand love but love alone isn’t enough.

XOXO,
Boo’s Mom
Insta: @boo._thefrenchie

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Planning your own parasite prevention routine

@lokithetoast

Customizing your own parasite prevention routine

Most pet owners know the importance of parasite prevention for our pets. Easy as it sounds, I in fact had a hard time choosing the different products to provide complete and wholesome protection for Loki. 

I’ll be sharing about the common brands of heartworm and flea & tick prevention, as well as how we come to decide on the combination that suits our lifestyle.

Heartworm 

Heartworm disease is a serious illness that affects both dogs and cats by directly attacking the heart. In severe cases, heartworm disease can potentially cause death. The disease can be transmitted by mosquitoes. 

As per our vet’s advice, heartworm prevention should begin as soon as possible, before a young puppy or kitten turns 7 months old. After the 7-month period, they will need to be tested for possible heartworm infection before beginning their prevention routine.

Flea & Tick

Our pets can get fleas and/or ticks from the environment, be it other pets or bushes. Such infection can lead to other issues like skin irritation, anemia or tick paralysis if not treated.

Our Research

The following comparison is done based on the dosage required by a 12kg dog.

Prices are taken from SingPet.sg (member price) or PerroMart.

HEARTGARD® PlusBravecto ChewsNexGard® SpectraFrontline® PlusAdvocateRevolution
Price per applicationAbout $12$32.09$13.13$9.70$9.32$13.24
Application MethodChewChewChewTopicalTopicalTopical
Frequency of ApplicationMonthlyEvery 3 monthsMonthlyMonthlyMonthlyMonthly
Kills fleas✔✔✔✔✔
Kills ticks✔✔✔✔
Kills eggs and larvae✔✔✔✔✔
Treats ear mites✔✔✔
Heartworm prevention✔✔✔✔
Treats hookworms, roundworms✔✔✔
  • Idoxasoline Drugs

Although NexGard Spectra may be the option with one of the most wholesome protection, I chose to skip on the product as it is in the idoxasoline class. Such drugs have been associated with neurological adverse reactions and seizures in pets. FDA has reported that such drugs are safe for pets’ use but personally, I choose to stay away after reading reports on them. Other products in the idoxasoline class include some of the Bravecto and Revolution products.

  • Drug Coverage

After eliminating those brands, I was left with the option of Heartgard, Frontline and Advocate. Although Advocate may be cheaper in price, it misses out in tick prevention which I feel is more important and deadly compared to ear mites. Hence, I chose a combination of Heartgard and Frontline as part of our parasite prevention routine. 

  • Lifestyle Suitability

We also consider whether the different topic drugs are waterproof or not. Brands such as Advocate are in fact not fully waterproof for the entire course of 1 month. The brand recommends bathing your pet not more than fortnightly. Hence, this may not be suitable for some pets. On the other hand, Frontline Plus is fully waterproof 1 day after application. Activities like bathing or swimming will not reduce the effectiveness of the product! 

Owners also have to check whether their pets are allergic to certain ingredients in the drug. For example, Nexgard Spectra chews are all beef-flavoured which will not be suitable for some pets who are allergic to beef. 

Some owners may also opt for the yearly vaccination to prevent Heartworm disease. As mentioned by a few owners, the price for the jab is dependent on the weight of the dog and the clinic which you go to. For reference, the price of the jab for a 12kg dog is about ~$140.

Where do we buy them?

Heartgard Plus is not sold over the counter in Singapore. Instead, you will have to get them from the vet, with or without a consultation. The price of Heartgard Plus (6pc) from the vet is about $70.  Instead, I buy them on Shopee or Carousell where the prices are much better as they are mostly from Malaysia

As for Frontline Plus, they are usually cheaper from PerroMart ($~58). VIP members of PLC will get to enjoy an even lower price (~$53) during the month of their birthday!

P.S Always consult your vet is you are unsure! The above is based off my research and lifestyle suitability.

The above article is written by the hooman of @lokithetoast.

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Our experience with entropion (cherry eye)

@milkythecloud

entropion/ɪnˈtrəʊpɪən,ɛnˈtrəʊpɪən

  1. a condition in which the eyelid is rolled inward against the eyeball, typically caused by muscle spasm or by inflammation or scarring of the conjunctiva (as in diseases such as trachoma), and resulting in irritation of the eye by the lashes (trichiasis).
This is Milky, out little boy.

This is Milky, our 1 year Chow Chow coming back from Pet Expo 2019. We would celebrate his 1st birthday on 23rd July, and continue to gush over his mini eyes, not knowing that it’s the start of something more.

1. THE WARNING SIGNS

Milky started tearing a lot. His tear stains got really bad and he started barking at empty spaces (especially at night). He had always have had tear stains but it always got better after we applied eye drops – but this time, it was different.

Eventually, we brought him to a clinic near our office at Clementi area and things just spiral down from there.

2. THE START OF A NIGHTMARE

I remembered talking to 3 different doctors from the same clinic – and realised that 2 of them couldn’t manage Milky for the eye-drop test in any way.

Yes, he struggled A LOT. The female doctors & nurses aren’t able to handle him – so case in point: if your dog is big, consider looking for a male doctor or an experienced doctor who can handle big breeds.

Luckily, Milky is not aggressive at all so he didn’t try to bite. He was just really scared because they needed to drop yellow solution into his eye and check the extent of entropion through a microscopic medical tool.

Eventually, Milky was diagnosed with entropion and needed a surgery. To put it in simple terms – Milky’s eyelid has so much folds that it started to curl in and caused his eyelashes to poke at his eyeball 24/7. The constant poke caused abrasion on his eyeball and caused his eyesight to worsen (explaining the barking) because he thought that there was someone there, but most likely it was just the blurry eyesight that confused him.

We scheduled the surgery; and off he went.

The day of the surgery. Silly boy still didn’t know what’s going on

The surgery took a day, and we came to pick him up thereafter. Look at his REALLY puffy eyes!

It is worth noting here that Chows Chows have a thin windpipe and drools a lot – because of that, their risk of dying during a surgery due to GA increases with age and frequency. This was from another doctor (not from the same clinic)

Look at my little baby.

3. IT DIDN’T END HERE

The doctor who did the operation was honest – he told us that he is a general surgeon and not a specialist when it comes to eye surgeries like these. He was very assuring and empathetic (which I really like), but the surgery didn’t go well and was in fact, not a successful one.

We thought that everything was over and things are all good; fast forward 3 weeks – his eye got worst.

This was 2-3 weeks AFTER the surgery. We spent $4K+ in total for the first surgery.

4. THE MOST DISAPPOINTING VET

We went back to the clinic and asked – what’s going on? The doctor who did the surgery wasn’t on-duty, and it was a Japanese doctor who attended to us. It was pretty bad (not her), but in the sense that she didn’t really know what was going on and I can’t really understand her accent.

There were a lot of Huh? and Why? and eventually, she referred us to another hospital – let’s call it V.

I had the WORST experience at V.

At this point, I just want to make it very clear that this is my personal experience and doesn’t represent the views of the general public. But I believe as a paying customer, I reserve the rights to share my own thoughts and opinion. This is my rights as a consumer.

I remembered it was a Saturday when I brought Milky over to the hospital (9pm+) and the said doctor known to be an eye specialist wasn’t around. I have an important family lunch the next day that clashed with the doctor’s only availability (2pm+).

Eventually, we decided to board Milky at the hospital for 1 night and let the doctor check on his eye the next day. I would then head over to the hospital to catch up with the doctor after my lunch.

And that is the start of the most disappointing conversation with said vet. I reached the hospital at around 3pm+, and the vet was free to have a quick chat.

??‍⚕️: “Milky has entropion and need another surgery. The cost will be around $4K+.”

??‍♀️: “But he just had his surgery 3 weeks ago – why would he need another surgery?”

??‍⚕️: “I don’t know, I didn’t do the surgery. He will need another eye surgery and I am available earliest next week”

I was livid; and got very emotional. What do you mean “I don’t know, I did not do the surgery?” My POV is that as a doctor, I would have expected at least a breakdown of

  • What happened?
  • What probably went wrong?
  • Is it safe to do the surgery within such a short span of time?
  • Are there any other alternatives we can go about?

No, he simply told me that HE DIDN’T KNOW and walked off when the conversation ended.

I paid for the bill – $400+ for:

  1. Overnight boarding
  2. Doctor consultation
  3. Medicine (I can’t remember if this happened)

The entire process took less than 24 hours. I boarded Milky 9pm+ and brought him home the next day at 3pm+.

5. THE PETS COMMUNITY

At this point – I was distraught. I called the surgeon and told him about the really bad experience I’ve had with V and said doctor. I wasn’t confident to let a doctor who dismissed a patient with “I didn’t do the surgery” to touch Milky.

He apologised for the failed surgery, and also for the bad experience I had. He was again, very empathetic and I really like that because I felt like a worried mum and his assuring (tone) helped make things much better.

He recommended Dr Heng from Mt.Pleasant, who is the only other doctor who is known for eye surgery in Singapore. It was also at this time that the other Chow Chow owners on Instagram knew about my situation and invited me into a WhatsApp group with over-pouring love, care and help.

2 weeks after his corrective surgery with Dr Heng

I don’t have any photos of Milky going for his corrective surgery, but I must say it was a great experience with Dr Heng. She knew what she was doing, and the total cost came to about $1.6K for 1 eye.

FUN FACT – Mt Pleasant operates as a franchise so whilst they share the same brand name, each outlet runs differently. Reason is because we were initially not comfortable with Mt Pleasant due to a bad experience.

6. CONCLUSION

Dr Heng mentioned that Milky has a 75% chance of going blind in his left eye if we did not proceed with the corrective surgery. But even then, there were doubts like “Well, doctors would always be pro-surgery cause it’s more income”; and i think it was just a very stressful period for us because information is not exactly readily available.

Everything became much clearer only after we joined the CHOW CHOW WhatsApp group and got the advice from all the owners who have done the surgery with their furkids before.

We also wondered if we should have bought pet insurance for Milky (Aon, Happy Tails do cover cherry eyes) but alas, it would only take into effect 1 year into purchase so we wouldn’t be able to claim anyways.

My little baby feat. July 2020

Through this episode, I really started to appreciate the power of a community and seek to replicate that via Woof Agency & Pawjourr.

We are still building this ecosystem as we speak, but it’s very important to me that pet owners do not need to be alone when they navigate through pet ownership.

If you have any questions relating to entropion, please feel free to email me at Jane@thewoofagency.com. I am no expert but would be more than happy to share what I know 🙂

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Tumour removal for a senior dog

@fifi.prinsassy

Giving belly rubs to our furkids is great fun for the dogs and pawrents. It is a great activity to bond and keep us happy by making our pets happy too. However, frequent belly rubs can do something that is rather crucial and important –  detecting abnormal growths. Tumours in dogs, a common occurrence in senior dogs, are 50% malignant and 50% benign. When discovered, especially for pawrents with senior dogs, the common concern was whether it is safe for our dogs to go through with the removal surgery.

While I am neither an expert nor a vet, I will share my experience with tumours on my 13-year-old Miniature Schnauzer, Fifi, from the discovery to the removal process.

The Backstory

Instagram: @fifi.prinsassy

Fifi has been loved by my family since she was 2 months old. We never spayed her since young as my dad wanted to let her be natural, but that became a constant dilemma within me throughout the years. With every vet visit, the vet will always remind us how important it is to get her spayed as it will pose serious health issues to her as she ages. Finally, my dad agreed to spay her upon hearing about laparoscopic spay which would be less invasive and harmful to Fifi. She was neutered at Animal Recovery Veterinary Centre last year in April. We were extremely happy with how the vet handled her spay as there was a complication that occurred. Fifi’s ovaries did not stop bleeding from the laparoscopic spay thus they had to operate her to remove them, turning the procedure into a full spay.

Discovering the tumours

We discovered a tumour before the spay. One day, while I was rubbing the belly of Fifi, I noticed a hard lump in one of her mammary glands. It was small and invisible to the naked eye. Thinking that it was just a cyst that might go away, we paid not much attention to it. However, knowing that it wasn’t normal, we brought it up to the surgeon who is in charged of her spay. The vet said that we should monitor the mass and it would be best to remove it especially if it grows. No vets will be able to advise if the mass is malignant or benign before removal. Seeing that the tumor did not grow, we left it alone while we tried to save up for her surgery since we did not know about pet insurance in her younger years.

Decision to remove

Noticing that the tumour grew, we started considering removal surgery for her. Like any pawrents, I want to give my furkid the best life ever. However, considering her age, it was not an easy decision to make since the risk of surgery increases with age. I spoke to some friends who are dog owners, googled for articles and discussions about senior dogs undergoing surgeries and spoke to the vets we visited. Some form of assurance was offered when the information I gathered were success stories of senior dog surgery even though some of my friends advised that we should just let her enjoy her golden years.

In the end, I just couldn’t imagine myself putting her through the pain and suffering she might face from cancer since it is inevitable that malignant tumours will definitely develop into an emergency situation. We chose Animal Recovery Veterinary Centre to carry out her surgeries again since her previous surgery record is with them and we thought that the vets might be more familiar how to proceed knowing her surgical history. Animal tumours from other vets in Singapore will also be sent to them for biopsy since only they have the facilities to carry out the test. The vet in charge was Dr. Wong Hoong Kien. While I was still not fully confident of our decision even during the pre-surgery consultation, there was a dog which came in as an emergency case of tumour and that incident then confirmed that we made the right choice.

During the consultation, we were rather shocked to learn that Fifi actually has 6 mammary tumours with 4 being really small and hard to detect. The vet then said that we had to remove them with two surgeries or the wound would be too large to heal. The first surgery will remove 3 tumours on the right and the second will remove the remaining tumours on the left. Dr. Wong was very patient in explaining to us the process of the surgery and that comforted me that Fifi will be in good hands.

My surgery procedures experience

Fifi in her ward

On the night before the surgery, Fifi had to fast from 12am with no food or drinks. As with all surgeries, Dr. Wong ran a blood test to make sure that Fifi is healthy enough to undergo the surgery. Usually, the blood test and the surgery is carried out on the same day hence, we were instructed to drop her off at 9.30am to allow enough time for both procedures. However,  Fifi’s white blood cell (WBC) count was marginally low. Since there could be multiple reasons for this, Dr. Wong suggested us to do additional tests (X-Ray and Ultrasound) just for a peace of mind instead of rushing for removal, to make sure that there is nothing critical that might be causing the low WBC count. Both test turned out normal and with that, Fifi was booked for the surgery on another day.

We dropped her off at 9.30am on the actual surgery day with Fifi fasted. We then had to sign a form for permission to resuscitate Fifi should her heart stop in operation. The initial deposit was SGD1500 and Dr Wong ran the blood test again just to check if the WBC might have increased. Even though there was only a slight increase, he said it should be enough for her to fight off the infections. Usually, the centre would call me between 11am to 2pm to inform me about the test results and that they will proceed with the surgery.

For most dogs, it should be a day surgery procedure. However, due to her age and in consideration of the low WBC count, Fifi was hospitalised just to make sure that she is in good care for her initial healing. We could send food to her and were allowed to visit her between 5pm to 7pm. Dr Wong and the nurses who helped did a great job with Fifi. She was fine when we visited her and was standing up in her ward. We were relieved to see her being able to stand and even greet us with her adorable face. My stubborn baby who is extremely attached to us refused to eat because she misses us, thus we were advised to keep her in the centre for 1 more day just in case she is not eating due to pain. The next day, she ate when we fed her our home cooked food so she was discharged the following day.

Post surgery experience

Resting with the Cone of Shame

Fifi was emotional when she reached home. We had to cage her up for her own good so that she does not move around too much as she is rather hyperactive for her age. On the first day home, Fifi would whimper throughout the whole day and she did it even more when one of us leave the house. She had bandages on the would so We did not have to worry about her licking her wound initially. However, she had to wear the Cone of Shame since she starts licking her wound as soon as the bandages come off. Caring for her was not difficult as we learnt how to carry her without hurting her wound as well as how to trick her to eat her medicine by mixing her food.

Dr. Wong would also call to check in a week after the surgery just to get updates from us to make sure Fifi is okay. He also asked me to send him pictures of her wound so that he can assess the recovery. There was a mild infection on her wound so we went to the vet to pick up some antibiotics for Fifi. She recovered soon after finishing her dosage. There will be a post-surgery follow up consultation which the vet will update us about the biopsy results of the tumours as well as advising us on the next step. For the first surgery, Fifi had 1 malignant tumour and 2 benign. Thankfully, Dr Wong was wise to cut slightly wider and deeper to make sure he completely removed the tumour cells to reduce the chance of regrowth. However, it is advisable to send her for check ups every 3-6 months just to make sure there are no regrowth.

4 weeks after her first surgery, Fifi went through the same procedures for the remaining tumours smoothly. She is recovering right now from her wound and we are pleased to learn that all the remaining tumours removed are benign. With this removal, I hope that Fifi can stay with us for many more years into her ripe old age.

A note to pawrents

While this article is not meant to serve as an advise on whether your senior dog should undergo surgeries, Fifi’s example (as with many other stories out there) is meant to bring hope for you that surgery might still be an option. Ultimately, it really depends on you to choose with consideration of your pet’s health status, the severity of the condition and the how invasive will the procedure be. Do not be afraid to take a chance and give your pet a fighting chance against tumours just because of age factor.

To summarise, the following factors should be taken into consideration when you are deciding on whether to pursue surgery:

  • Pet’s health (age, healthiness, strength etc.)
  • Condition’s severity
  • Procedure’s risk and side effect (if any)
  • Experience of surgeons and clinic
  • Price
  • Facilities of clinic (ward, surgical equiments, testing facilities)
  • Reviews of vet and clinic (from fellow pawrents and community)
  • Research your vet (some of them have LinkedIn with their background)

P.S. My family sincerely thank Dr. Wong and the nurses involved in Fifi’s time with them for the excellent care she received and going the extra mile to make sure that she’s doing okay even after her surgery. While she gave them a hard time for not eating, the nurses were patient enough to handfeed her and I am touched by the gentle treatment they gave her. The team has put in great efforts to comfort her of her anxiety and stress. My family will always be grateful.

The above article is written by the hooman of @fifi.prinsassy.