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bitch breast tumour mammary carcinoma, pet health and welfare educational for animal
lovers, excerpts from The
Glamorous Vets, Singapore, sponsored by AsiaHomes Internet. Surgery under apprehension I try not to put my professional reputation on the line by accepting high anaesthetic risk cases. These include old dogs over ten years old and those with heart problems and as thin as a rake. In private practice, the professional reputation can easily be tarnished by an emotional owner who would blame the veterinary surgeon if the dog passed away on the operating table. "The vet killed my dog, don't go to him."  This
twelve-year-old Bichon Frise was one of such risky cases. No fatty reserve although she
had a good appetite. Was she too stressed to put on weight? The breast tumours of the fourth and fifth right mammary glands were larger than a golf ball. The surface was corrugated with small lumps. The blackened skin in this area showed that she had been scratching the area for some time, causing melanin pigments to migrate and darken the skin. "It may not be able to withstand the lengthy surgery and may just die on the operating table," I said. "Most likely the tumour might have metastasized to the lungs. An X-ray would be useful to let us know. It may then be kinder to put the bitch to sleep." It was always easy to recommend the best for the dog such as pre-surgery blood tests, but I had to consider the pockets of the owner as Singapore became more expensive to live in as it became a developed nation. It was best to keep the veterinary costs down. What if the lungs had secondary tumours? Would the Owner still want to operate? She would. The cost of X-rays would increase the cost and it was of academic significance since she would still want the surgery. The Owner was willing to accept the risk of death from anaesthesia. Her grown up daughter would not entertain any thought of euthanasia. "When would you operate?" she asked. I needed three days of antibiotics as a minimum. There were three holes in the tumour. One of them was very large. I presumed the bitch had bitten the tumour as it must be itchy. The bitch kept licking the tumour. 
It must be a maggot wound since she was given the freedom to exercise in the garden.
I could see the movement of pointed heads buried inside the breast tissue as I peered into
the bigger hole. Around twenty-five of these maggots, almost the diameter of a
one-cent coin were deeply tunnelled inside the tissue and actively sucking the blood of
this bitch. I pulled them out after giving them a small drop of noxious
liquid. The operation had to be postponed for seven days. The wound would heal well after removal of the maggots. It was not possible to remove the tumour with the maggots as the surrounding skin was unhealthy and badly infected with bacteria and fungus. The skin stitches would not hold and there would be a much bigger operating wound. Small baby ticks start to drop onto the examination table. This bitch was also infested with ticks. The groomer would be needed to de-tick and clip off all the infected hair. Ticks are attracted to blood and would go for the operating site which would be at least 20 cm long. The bitch had a good appetite. If she could build up her body fat and be stronger by postponing the operation for thirty days, the chances of survival would be much higher. I don't have much time as the tumour grows bigger by the week and I would operate on this patient under apprehension. |
