| 0914Singapore
silkie terrier, anal sacculitis and tick bite dermatitis, pet health and welfare
educational for animal lovers, excerpts from The Glamorous Vets,
Singapore, sponsored by AsiaHomes Internet.
Last Updated: 19 November, 2001 The silkie terrier with blackheads "Please understand and don't ask me what the other veterinarian diagnosed," said Mr Plate, a tall big gentleman with a beard, like the feudal lord you see in the movies such as Lawrence of Arabia. "It would influence your diagnosis. I want a second opinion as to whether I should put my dog to sleep. Or is there a cure?"  The Silkie Terrier had hair only on his head and on the lower part of four legs. The rest of the body was hairless and the skin was thickened in many areas due to continous scratching. Prominent blackheads which are blocked sebaceous glands of the skin could be seen.  He had a
few years of skin itchiness leading to hyperpigmentation or deposit of big pigments on the
long irritated skin. What was the primary cause? Was it a hormonal imbalance,
ectoparasites on the skin or other causes? Mr Plate had brought flowers for the last rites before his dog was to be euthanased and then cremated by Groomer Ken. He was very solemn, a man of full of thoughts and few words. A busy regional chief of some business. To second the first veterinarian's advice to euthanasia or not? I put the dog on the examination table and checked his health. He had a normal rectal temperature, breathing rate and pulse. "Was he eating a lot and drinking a lot of water?" I asked the owner. Mr Plate whipped out his mobile phone to enquire from his wife. The answer was no. Certainly, the dog looked trim and could not be having a voracious appetite which could be an abnormal symptom of a hormonal disease.  "Where did the skin disease first occur?" I asked Mr Plate, not expecting him to know. "It started from his backside." Mr Plate replied. "Was he frequently chasing his tail and rubbing his backside on the floor?" I asked. "Yes," Mr Plate replied without a smile. "Don't all dogs do such a thing?" This was a chronic dermatitis case and the location of the first onset of the skin disease was very important in diagnosis. I lifted the tail up. The anal region was covered with black pigments, a tell tale sign of several years of rubbing. I then squeezed the anal sacs which were two oil producing glands on the left and right side of the anus. Thick muddy brown oil of a strong rancid smell oozed out of the glands. "It seemed to be a case of anal sac impaction. You would have to clip off the hairs and get medication for a month before a decision can be made to euthanase the dog," I said. "How much it would cost me?" This was the crux of the problem. If the cost was "high", the dog would die now. If it was low, the veterinarian would be operating at a loss, but a reprieve from a lethal injection was immediate. So much depended on the amount of veterinary fees. Mr Plate had already spent some money on the first veterinarian and now he was mentally prepared to say goodbye to a companion of ten years. Something or somebody had held him back. He had to have a second opinion. Groomer Ken would have to charge his dog transport fee and the grooming fees as well. Singapore seemed to be in recession every seven years and this was the beginning of the recession after the Gulf War. "One hundred dollars for consultation, diagnosis and treatment including medication for thirty days," I said. Was it too much? Would Mr Plate decide on euthanasia?  Mr Plate accepted the fee. The groomer charged eight dollars for the transport and grooming. That was all right with him. "You have to send the dog home this evening, no matter how busy you are," said Mr Plate. Groomer Ken had to give priority to this dog. I asked the groomer to clip off the remaining hair so that I could check the skin condition, to clip the long toe nails and clean the ears. After clipping, I could see that the sides of the thigh were also hyperpigmented. The right side of the hip was also hyperpigmented.  When the
coat was being clipped, at least a hundred small ticks were seen, especially at the
entrance to the vertical ear canal. They were 4 mm in diameter, rounded brown bodies
with eight legs. They looked like spiders and you could see at least two on the
picture of the right ear in the picture on the left. Some ticks hopped off the dog to look for another dog. Tick bites could cause an intense itch. Some dogs are allergic to tick bites and would scratch their body till all hair had no chance to regrow. It was not discreet to ask Mr Plate how long the dog had tick infestations. The hairless coat and the crocodile-thick skin due to persistent scratching by the dog told me it was many years. I gave an anti-tick injection to the dog. Groomer Ken had his favourite tick spray and skin lotion which would he normally applied to the dog after clipping. "You still got to bathe this dog thoroughly to wash away as much of the dead cells, the bacteria and fungal organisms as possible," I told Groomer Ken. There was no short cut for this dog. Somebody was holding back Mr Plate's final decision to euthanase the silkie terrier. Was it his wife? "Mr Plate's 80-year-old mother was very upset, asking me when the dog would be coming home when I went to the house this afternoon," said Groomer Ken. "I did not dare to tell her that it was a one-way ticket." Sometimes the head of the household like Mr Plate is under stern bottom-line pressure from economic grounds to euthanase the dog. His aged mother was not informed so as not to upset her. It would be emotionally traumatic to the female members of the family including his wife once the death was announced. The dog was the surrogate son to the aged mother and sometimes even better than the adult son who would be away from home for long hours and for weeks. What would happen to this quiet silkie terrier? Would his hair regrow? Would he recover? Only time will tell. |