Puppy Survival

25. High quality puppies and work

2007-02-21T14:04:00.001-08:00

Written for a boy who wants to be a vet.

Quality is a lot of hard work, team work and knowledge.

It was the 3rd day of Chinese New Year, a Wednesday which was a working day. My assistant James did not come to work. I text messaged my manager Mark at 7 a.m. He had had told James to start work on Wednesday. James had taken advantage by coming back from Malaysia on Wednesday night when he should be present in the morning. Mark did not respond to my text messages.

There was an emergency Caesarean section at 8 a.m. Although the water bag had burst one hour ago and there was no greenish vaginal discharge, it was best not to delay. Any delay might kill the Miniature Schnauzer puppies.

Just a few days ago, another breeder had delayed seeking veterinary help. The delay caused 1 Salt & Pepper and 5 beautiful white Miniature Schnauzer puppies to die (see picture). The dam passed away on the operating table.

Now, this breeder had wanted an elective Caesarean around 12 hours ago, but I asked her to go to another veterinarian. She did not go for the Caesarean but phoned me the next day at 7 a.m.

Wednesday was the 3rd day of the Chinese New Year and many factories are still closed. But it was not a public holiday. James should be back to work. Mark should be contactable by phone. But he re-directed office phone calls to his mobile phone. On reaching his mobile phone, he had a voice mail asking callers to leave him a text message. He did not respond promptly.

Now, there was a problem because Mark and James were absent. I have such a small business unit and there are people problems. I thought of Mrs Formicelli running a global business.

How to solve my problem? Time was of the essence. We could not wait. She could go to another practice or veterinary hospital if she wanted. She decided to learn. To help in the monitoring of the anaesthesia. Just to make sure that the dam was breathing the gas normally.

"In the middle of the night, it is common for the breeder and the veterinarian of small practices to work together in Caesarean sections even in the United Kingdom or the U.S.A," I said.

Small practices provide breeders inexpensive veterinary fees and a veterinarian they know. The advantages of the use of veterinary hospital would be the sufficient manpower but breeders would not want to pay higher fees nor have a choice of veterinarians.

The breeder agreed to participate. I made sure by asking, "Would you faint at the sight and smell of red tissues and placentas?" She said no.

We started. The dam breathed regularly as the anaesthetic bag inflated and deflated rhythmically. 2 big pups were stuck in the birth canal. I took them out. One had yellow meconium (faeces) smeared all over its backside.

It was the same situation as another pup in a Caesarean I had done for this breeder just yesterday morning. When meconium is present, it indicated that the puppy was stressed and Caesarean would be recommended. Pups normally do not poop inside the mother.

Now, the operation was going smoothly. So good. Suddenly, the dam wriggled her head. A gargling sound as if she wanted to vomit. Another similar sound. The breeder looked at the dam, not knowing what to make out of this abnormal behaviour. She did not say anything as she did not know what was happening.

It was likely that the dam was going to vomit. Food and stomach juices would be vomited out and might go into the lungs. There was no standard operating procedures in the text books. Books cannot explain everything or give answers to unexpected emergencies.

There was no time to waste.

"Put the dam's head sideways by untying the strings on her paws," I shouted as I stopped my surgery. I could not help the breeder. Time was of the essence. She put the dog's head that faced skywards to the sideways position.

"Take out the breathing (endotracheal) tube now," I said. She did not know where to place the tube after taking it out.

"Put it on the table," I said. But she dropped it on the floor. We had to focus on the dam.

"Put on a gas mask to continue general anaesthsia," I said. The dam slanted sideways and it would be difficult to operate. However, she was rather stocky and did not slant all way to the side. Her back paws were still tied to the table. Only the front paws were untied.

So many things can happen in anaesthesia. A lack of focus would kill the dam and the pups.

All ended well. The pups were ripe. They cried when I cut the umbilical cord. The black and silver pups were identified by their black ears. The salt and pepper pups had whitish grey hairs in their ears. Would this way of identification of the more valuable black and whites be fool-proof? The breeder said yes.

This breeder produced high quality Miniature Schnauzers in 2007. To the inexperienced Miniature Schnauzer people, the pups are just black ones. But they are real high quality stuff.

Now, how did she do it?

She used top quality breeding parents.

But the whole production process was hard work. and knowing when the dam needed a Caesarean section (close observation and spending time with the dam) and finding a veterinarian who knew about Caesarean deliveries when necessary are equally important.

Otherwise, nothing would be produced. This breeder had 3 years of experience of breeding just Miniature Schnauzers. I remember her start-up partner very well.

Her partner had this niche idea of just marketing high quality Miniature Schnauzers. He was a foreigner. A new pet shop specialising in the sale of Miniature Schnauzers. A first in Singapore. People thought he was a wacko and his pet shop would close down soon.

Like so many of the 200 pet shops in Singapore. Every year, many would start up and many would close. Nowadays, the pet food suppliers refused to give credit to the new shops. When they close, money could not be recovered! Most Singaporeans go for "cheap and good" puppies.

Well, the pet shop operation is in its 3rd year. Only high quality Miniature Schnauzers or nothing are sold nowadays.

Nowadays, I do not source the Miniature Schnauzers for this pet shop although, at the start, I got many for the founder.

I knew that a start up had to survive its high overheads. Breeding top quality Miniature Schnauzers in sufficient numbers take some years. The founder was not keen on accepting some of the puppies.

"You could sell them at lower prices," I advised. "High quality means high prices. And not many Singaporeans can afford them or want to pay for high quality. In any case, you do not have the numbers of puppies to maintain your overheads. Just selling 3 or 4 high quality Miniature Schnauzers can bankrupt you in no time. When you are established, you could focus on only high quality Miniature Schnauzers.

"When prospects come to the pet shop and see you just have the same 3 or 4 Miniature Schnauzers, they don't come anymore or recommend their friends. In a puppy selling business, you need to have sufficient numbers to attract viewers.

The founder accepted my advices of getting outside sources of Miniature Schnauzers. The other breeders knew that he wanted only Schnauzers and raised their selling prices whenever they had better quality ones. Or even low quality ones.

After the name is established, the pet shop does not accept any outside Miniatures Schnauzers. The breeders in general did not have the high quality. So there was no point sourcing from them.

As far as profitability of this pet shop business, I have no comment as I don't know. High quality is a business strategy in a competitive world. If a person can ensure high quality, he or she will usually get the better quality customers. If this high quality is consistent and maintained over the years, money just flows in.

Unfortunately, there will be manpower problems as the operations become bigger and globalised. The founder must be very interested in the overall operations or find a good motivated team to do it.

What has this to do with a boy who wants to be a vet? You always must ensure that you produce high quality work to your professors. Know what is required of you. And what you can do to produce high quality reports.

One example is digital photography. Get on to it. Produce high quality pictures to support your written report for your professors to differentiate you from your classmates who probably do the minimum.

You need more than a good camera to produce high quality pictures. You will need to read up widely and know the techniques of digital photography. To be hands on. It will take lots of hard work and time.

For example, this report is quite boring without a picture. However, a poor quality picture is also not interesting for the reader who loves to read such articles. It takes me many years to get the pictures interesting. Even then, out of 17 pictures I took of the dam and her 5 puppies, only this one was of sufficient quality that could be used.

In assessing my 17 pictures, I was thinking of a Miniature Beret Maker who could not produce a perfect Miniature Beret. Producing a high quality picture may or may not be equivalent to producing a high quality beret.

But both productions had similar problems. I know very little of the Miniature Beret maker's difficulties in producing a high quality beret. But to produce a high quality picture, I share with you what you would need to do:

1. Extensive technical knowledge of digital photography. Read widely every thing but in particular digital photography magazines and books. Attend course. Consult other photographers. In my case, it was reading widely all the hundreds of photo magazines and books from the various branches of the National Library.

2. Hands-on experience. Take a lot of pictures. The Beret Maker must make a lot of berets, but it is much more expensive if he has not much technical knowledge. He is experimenting on the company's money. Many things go wrong during production. In taking pictures, the positioning of the puppies and the dam affected my quality. Puppies nearly fell off the table, not co-operating. I had the good morning lighting at 9 a.m. The sun could be hidden by the clouds, so I had to be fast. A picture without this good sunlight would be dull unlike the one you see here. There are many factors but hands-on experience is very important.

3. Software. Digital photography is much cheaper than in previous years where I spent lots of money developing negatives. Now, it is much cheaper with software. Still you need to know how to use the software to get the picture. It takes at least 20 minutes to produce this picture you see.

4. Report writing. You need to research to be able to produce decent high quality reports for your professor. Content is important. Presentation with high quality pictures make your report worth reading as the professor has so many mediocre reports to read and probably is very weary.

This report also takes 1.5 hours to write. It takes you 1 minute to read. Start thinking high quality and make sure you pass your examinations in this first year. Otherwise, you will be kicked out during the 2nd year when deserving but unfortunate Biomedical undergraduates with excellent first year grades replace you.

24. Biting the hand that feeds you.

2007-01-17T15:12:00.000-08:00

"Do you want to put him to sleep?" I asked the gentleman. "Giving a biting dog to other people may not be good-hearted."

But the owner did not want him to be put to sleep despite the fact that his right hand fingers had been bitten at least twice.

"Biting the hand that feeds him," I said. "He may be a risk to other people."

"Maybe, the Jack Russell is angry because I bought the poodle puppy," the man said.

No excuses now. His wife wanted him to get rid of the young male Jack Russell.

See is believing - Corgi has "parvovirus"

2007-01-11T14:15:00.000-08:00

This report is written for Kitty and Bernice, 4th year, Murdoch University. Best wishes for your future career as a veterinarian.

Friday January 12, 2007

"No stools," Kitty withdrew the dry white cotton swab from the anus. This slim 4th year Murdoch University undergraduate was seeing veterinary practice for one week.

The Corgi had smelly diarrhoea 2 days after purchase from the pet shop.

"Put the cotton swab deeper into the rectum," I said. She cautiously inserted the cotton swab a bit further into the rectum. The cotton swab was a bit yellowish brown. I wanted her to practise, as that was the purpose of her seeing practice. Could she be afraid that the rectum be perforated by the cotton swab? I put the swab 2 cm into the rectum. The dark yellowish greenish brown swab was taken to be used for the parvoviral faecal test.

The teenaged owner was worried about the Corgi's health and the veterinary costs of treatment. He had phoned me as to whether he should seek treatment for his puppy with diarrhoea? I said I could not decide for him. If the puppy dies, the vet gets the blame. A complaint might be lodged with the veterinary authority and unnecessary explanations would be needed. It is best not to say anything to callers who want phone diagnosis.

Kitty had also taken a stool sample for microscopic examination. "Do you need a few drops of water to loosen the stools?" she said. I told her that I would do the microscopic examination and she would do the parvoviral test with my veterinary assistant Mark, in order not to increase waiting time.

After the test was done, Mark came to the consultation room "Parvovirus positive. 2 purplish red lines."

"Wait for me to check," I was given the Corgi the fluid therapy to prevent dehydration. However, the boy had heard him and must be fully stressed.

The parvovirus is a deadly disease and would kill the puppy. However, this puppy was imported from Australia and had 2 vaccinations. He was older, at 3 months and better protected than 2 months old.

The foul smelly stools are not always a sign of parvoviral infection although many veterinary assistants make instant diagnosis based on the smell. My nose detected that the smell in the consultation room air was not like the typical bloody and decomposing smell of parvovirus. Microscopic examination of the stools did not reveal any blood or worms.

Parvoviral infection was unlikely at this time. But the parvoviral test must be done to aid in the diagnosis of the cause of fever and acute gastroenteritis.

After treatment, I read the test kit slide. Only one deep purple line. There was not even a faint second line in the slide.

"But there were 2 lines," Mark said. I hope Kitty learnt a lesson no veterinary book or lecturer would be able to teach her. Seeing is believing. Repeat the parvoviral test if necessary.

(In the evening, Anna said that the Corgi passed solid stools. The owner had phoned several times. In all cases, no veterinary staff should talk to the owner about the condition of the dog. Singapore is becoming a litigious society. Avoid any misunderstanding by only letting the owner speak to the veterinarian.

22. Cyanosis at the first cut during Caesarean - Chihuahua. Plan B.

2007-01-06T14:37:00.000-08:00

This article is written for a boy who will be embarking on a long journey to be a vet.

Intubation --- inserting an endotracheal tube into the chihuahua is the recommended as safest way of delivering anaesthestic gas and oxygen. There is a control of the amount of gas and oxygen compared to a gas mask. During heart failure emergency, oxygen can be delivered quickly through the endotracheal tube.

This is the theory. The 3-year-old Chihuahua came in for an elective Caesarean as she stopped labour contractions despite oxytocin injection being given. It had been 6 hours since 3 pups were born.

The dog was intubated with a 6.0 endotracheal tube. Gas anaethestic at 2% was the normal recommended dosage for "dogs". The tube fitted tightly in the windpipe. The dog was in general anaesthesia.

I felt for the puppies. There were located near the umbilicus. I incised the skin incision. Blood oozed out in dark blue almost black. I looked at her tongue. It was purplish blue. She was breathing.

Veterinary assistant Anna was not saying anything although she was monitoring the anesthesia. She should be warning me, but she had not the experience after graduation. All new veterinary graduates will be in the same shoes.

After all, the dog was breathing and this was the start of the Caesarean.

The surgeon must be aware of the overall condition. Not just focus on surgery. Ideally the surgeon should just do surgery. But in big practices and veterinary schools, this is the practice. Obviously prices of Caesarean would be much higher with more overheads.

In small practices, the veterinarian must be knowledgeable. What to do to prevent death during and after Caesarean.

To gain knowledge, spend time reading and reading. Best is to spend time with a mentor. Most of the time spent seeing practice in general is non productive if you just are not much interested.

In this case, the solution is to disconnect the endotracheal tube from supplying more gas. Quickly. Let the dog breathe in normal air for a minute. Still, the tongue was purplish.

Now, I don't want to dog to wake up. So, there must be a balance of not too much gas or too little. I re-connected the tube to the gas after a minute or two.

The tongue was still purplish. Less deep purple in tone. The gas was reduced to 1 %.

What to do?

Wait. Something is not right. It is hard to tell. This dog had been given oxytocin by the breeder sometime ago. Was it the oxytocin anaesthetic reaction? In many of my normal without-oxytocin Caesareans, no such surprises.

"Maybe the endotracheal tube is too big?" Anna suggested. It was good that she offered suggestions. She is a Filipino veterinary graduate recently graduated.

I was surprised she said that. If the tube was too large in diameter, it would not have got into the trachea (windpipe) and the dog would not now be under general anaesthesia.

I did not think so. As I was a national servicemen, I remember my Plan B. Plan A was not doing smoothly. What is Plan B?

21. 2 cases of puppy survival - Timing is everything

2006-12-09T16:38:00.000-08:00

Helen M Stevens' Embroidered Animals

2006-05-28T22:20:00.000-07:00

The MasterClass Embroidery Series

Helen M Stevens' Embroidered Animals
A David and Charles Book
First published in the UK in 2005
Text and designs copyright C Helen M Stevens 2005
Photograph and layout copyright C David & Charles 2005

Distributed in North America by F+W Publications, Inc...

Helen M Stevens has asserted her right to be identified as author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988

All rights reserved.

CONTENTS
Introduction
Chapter One - Fur and Whiskers
Chapter Two - Tooth and Claw
Chapter Three - Met by Moonlight
Chapter Four - Best Friends
Chapter Five - Weird and Wonderful

Materials
Basic Techniques
Stitch Variations
Suppliers
Acknowledgements
Index
Stitches And Techniques

Toilet Training - headings

2006-05-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

1. Common practices - let loose in apartment

2. Singapore Practices -
2.1 paper 100% in small cage or room.
2.2 Puppy training aids + Newspapers
2.3 Puppy training pads
2.4 Puppy crate with door and pee tray.
2.5 Pee tray.
2.6 Play pen
2.7 Play pen + Aluminium tray
2.8 Pee pan + floor grille
2.9 Cushion + bed

3. Communications, lack of

3.1 Basic information from puppy seller.
3.2 Different environments - unable to train.
3.3 Whining and barking on first night.
3.4 Young children or aged parents.
3.5 Inconsistent training commands.
3.6 Barking to go to toilet at 3 am.
3.7 Sleeping with the puppy.
3.8 negative reinforcement, shouting, beating.

4. Best time to train - 2-4 months old.

4. Common behaviours
4.1 Nipping at back of legs, hands. Jack Russells.
4.2 Barking back
4.3 Whining
4.4 Food guarding.
4.5 Mounting
4.6 Eating stools
4.7 Flatus
4.8 Swollen stomach

5. Support network or resources in Singapore
5.1 No accredited list
5.2 Word of mouth or internet. Not able to handle the numerous cases.
5.3 Puppy seller's sources

18. Progesterone testing

2006-01-18T02:41:00.000-08:00

Poorly timed matings are the main cause of missed litters.

1. Vaginal smears. Cornification of squamous cells.
2. Digital exam of the vaginal vault. Test for ring strictures and other problems.
Examine over 2000 bitches, feel when vagina is ready for the dog. The vault feel slightly calloused, very tiny ridges on the mucosa. Vaginal contractions with proper stimulation.
3. Experienced male stud dog.
4. Progesterone tests makes determining ovulation easy. Bulldog. 90% cases can't breed naturally and require C-sections, use progesterone timing to deterimine the date of ovulation, A.I and C-section 63 days from date of ovulation.More live, healthy Bulldog pups.
Do not accept a bitch to breed to stud without the progesterone test in some big dogs like Bearded Collies and GSD.

17. Behaviour change in old dogs - More affectionate

2005-11-27T19:09:00.000-08:00

1. Behavioural change to rquiring more attention.

Consult vet to rule out vision, balance, hearing loss, joint pains (arthritis) etc.

1.1 Complete blood count, serum biochemistry profile and urinalysis every 2 years.
1.2 If normal, maybe CDS (canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome) - brain function changes in old dogs. Selegiline (L-deprenyl) often lessens or eliminates many of the symptoms.

TOILET training & giving medicine to dogs is difficult?

2005-11-05T21:07:00.000-08:00

Keyboard at National Library computer, toa Payoh not functioning well. sunday, 1.15 pm. some capital letters not shown in this article. will edit later. as I don't have time to separate the topics, I put it under toilet training blog.

"very difficult to give tablets," the eldery owner of a beautiful all-white male Maltese with NO eye tearing, said to me, this sunday Nov 5, 2005. so, no deworming given.

Over forty years old, she brought her Maltese for the yearly vaccination after getting a reminder card. I saw her 2 years ago. as if reading my thoughts that there were 2 veterinary clinics in her neighbourhood in serangoon north, she said, "I prefer to have my dog treated by you."

TIPS
1. GIVING TABLETS TO DOGS. i told my assistant annie to write down. In this dog, the better method is to give the tablet (crushed) hidden inside a meat ball.

"the Maltese eats only dry food," the lady said. Her teenaged daughter nodded. "He stops eating even if he has to starve once he smells medicine in the food. very hard to force his mouth open."

what to do?

ADVICE. delay dinner by one hour. crush tablet. use chopstick to hide medicine in a hollow in the meat ball. Make sure meat ball has another layer of meat so that medicine smell not obvious.

give first 2 meat balls without medicine. dog is so hungry, he will swallow fast. 3rd and 4th meat ball with dewormer.

Practise earlier without medication the same steps.

2. STOP LICKING PAWS. this Maltese does lick the front paw. However, the lady owner apply some anti-licking liquid with a towel onto the paws whenever she sees licking. It solves the problem. the maltese has 4 beautiful white paws.

3. URINE MARKING. Only one spot near the fridge. she tapes the newspapers onto the walls and covers the spot floor with newspapers. Lots of cleaning required.

I suggest using a plastic board or tray to cover the wall. the male dog will lift his leg and spray onto the board. vinegar and water 1:2 to neutralise smell.
Less work than taping newspapers daily to the wall.

Neutering. Not a solution now as the dog is 2.5 years old and may not stop urine marking. Neuter at 6 months may be effective. dog does not mount on people or jump or be aggressive. Much loved by the lady owner.

2 Beagles die of 'parvovirus' 7 days after going to the pet shop

2005-09-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

"Is your vaccine not effective?" a top breeder asked. "My 2 Beagles had 2 vaccinations and they die in the pet shop due to 'parvovirus'. If it is 2-3 days after sale, I will bear responsibility but they die after 7 days."

Before I could answer, the breeder replied, "The Shih Tzu in the same pet shop did not die."

"When did you sell the Beagles after the 2nd vaccination?" I asked.
"One week, but I sold the Shih Tzu later than the Beagles."

"It is hard to say what the Beagles die of as we do not have the clear picture. Gastroenteritis is not caused by parvoviral infection alone.

"Don't sell till 2 weeks after the 2nd vaccination." But he had no complaints for some months when he adopted this procedure. Much earlier, he sold after the first vaccination and had more complaints of deaths due to parvovirus. So, he adopted the 2 vaccinations before sale.

Yet there are puppies that have got 2 vaccinations and still die from parvoviral infections. I have had attend to parvoviral cases from puppies given 2 vaccinatons by another veterinarian and sale to the pet shop. Not many.

Could there be a super parvovirus or the puppies affected not able to produce the antibodies to protect themselves? Nobody knows.

FAQ on Vaccination of dogs

2005-09-02T03:01:00.000-07:00

How Vaccines Work. T J Dunn Jr., DVM, Dog World July 2005.

1. Same dose for big and for small breeds. Why?

The 1 ml usually used is the minimum amount of viral or bacterial antigen that is needed to stimulate the dog's immune system to produce antibodies in the highest percentage of dogs. If more than the minimum amount is given, there is no "overdose" effect as would occur with a drug. Therefore Great Danes and Chihuahuas get the same 1 ml dose.

2. Half dose for small breeds?
Not sufficient amount of antigen to stimulate the dog's immune system to produce sufficient antibodies. If the stimulus does not take place, the dog is not protected.

3. Adverse reaction to any vaccine.

4. Over-vaccinating dogs.

5. Vaccine-induced illness.

6. Questions on safety, efficacy and frequency of administration.

7. What's inside the solution that is in the vaccine?
Mainly the antigen, a harmless bacteria or virus. Other ingredients are preservatives and buffers or immune stimulators.

8. Safety and effectivenss. Vaccine production are regulated by the Uited States Department of Agriculture's Center for Veterinary Biologics. Vaccines are pure, safe, potent and effective. Major companies are Fort Dodge Animal Health, Merial, Pfizer Animial Health, Intervet Inc., Schering-Plough Animal Health.

9. Future developments.
9.1 Transdermal Vaccines given bycompressed air, not a needle, through the skin. These are available for cats.
9.2 Using DNA sequences that code for specific proteins on the virus or bacteria.

SINGAPORE FAQ ON VACCINES
1. Must receive 3 vaccinations for puppies before going outside or mix with other dogs?

2. Can bathe after vaccination? No. Wait 7 days.

3. Can go out after 3rd vaccination. Wait 14 days.

4. Any adverse effects of vaccination? 99% none. Sometimes not eating, fever, vomiting, diarrhoea for 1-2 days. Occasional deaths. Don't vaccinate too young for very small breeds. 8-10 weeks old best for mini-Maltese.

5. Must vaccinate every year?

6. Go to puppy kindergarten classes before 3rd vaccination?

Swinging damages the brain and kills puppy

2005-08-16T16:21:00.000-07:00

The other side of breeding from the most experienced breeder can sometimes be fascinating for the veterinarian. I was the back up veterinarian as younger colleagues provide more affordable surgeries to breeders.

"Cutting the dam's back during pregnancy gives rise to a Schnauzer without a tail," (see picture), the senior breeder explained the intricacies of dog breeding to me. "It occurs whenever I did this."

I don't know what to say. He had the requisite number of years. Thousands of puppies reared by him. I don't breed. I had to keep a serious and professional outlook as he does share many breeding experiences not found in the text book.

That cylindrical syringe coer which fitted into the puppy's nose at one end (hole cut out) to suck out fluid from the lungs while the other end is in the breeder's mouth was an excellent innovative idea. Why didn't I think of that? I always do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. "It is too salty." the breeder commented.

If only I can find such covers and test them. But does it work? I don't know. It sure did not work on the distressed pup. Or that I had over-burdened this senior breeder with 6 pups within 10 minutes of opening up the dam. He could handle 6 pups. He probably forgot about the distressed pup. It died with a neat thread tied to its umbilicus.

I never tied the umbilicus until all the pups were checked alive. The breeder had all the kit but somehow he was distracted from giving priority to the distressed pup. I can't understand why.

Westie - Toilet training success

2005-08-09T14:54:00.001-07:00

"The whole neighbour hood could hear him barking," the owner said. "When I left for work after spending 3 days with him."

Took 3 days' leave. The puppy in the bedroom. Newspaper. Watched for signs. Praise. Separation anxiety? Now better. Mum at home.

Took picture. Very good looking compact Westie.

Scottish Terrier toilet training success story

2005-08-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

CASE 1. Ebony.
"She will wait for me to return back before she sleeps," the owner said. "She would greet me and I would say "go to sleep." When I come out of the bathroom, she is sound asleep.

CHEWING OWN TOYS ONLY.
As the 2 kids 5 and 7 years old are playing next to her, she would observe them playing their own toys. She would pick their toys but never chew them. She would chew her own toys. One time, the kids screamed when she touched their toys and she had not searched their toys in the toy box since.

PAPER TRAINED
Bought a bigger play pen (meant for large breeds). About 6 feet long by 3 feet wide. Put one sheet of newspaper on one side. Eating, drinking and sleeping area on 66% of the floor area. She was encouraged and praised to go to the newspaper. She was allowed only one hour out of the playpen. Signs of sniffing, circling, put back onto the newspaper and encouraged to pee there. In less than 14 days, she was paper trained.

PROBLEM
Accidents. This is because there was no door in the playpen for her to go to the toilet. Would consider getting one later when moving house.

DRINKING
Dual nozzle water bottle very good. She can drink outside her play pen.

SHREDDING NEWSPAPER
Only does it when the soiled papers are not changed. She barked to change newspapers.

Continual supervision and training for the first 7 days is the key to success. Very happy with her superior intelligence compared to previous Westie. Hard to photograph her as she never stayed still.

Disclaimer

2005-08-09T14:44:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: The information contained herein is for educational purposes only, and is not intended as a substitute for the diagnosis or treatment of any health problem, whether it be physical or psychological. Consult your physician or a licensed medical professional for a detailed diagnosis of your particular medical problem. Sinpets.com assumes no responsibility for how this material is used. Note that sinpets.com updates its content frequently and, as some information may change, the information may become out of date. The findings and opinions of the author expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily state or reflect those of sinpets.com

Puppy Development

2005-07-24T16:14:00.000-07:00

2-4 months - Best time to train. Puppy's minds are like sponges.

5-9 months - Most difficult time to train. Adolescence. Rebelllious. Trying to be the top dog. Be firm, patient and consistent.

10 months. Hormones settle down. Be consistent. He will learn to relax.

CONFINEMENT

Kitchen, bathroom, alcove or small room. Doors closed by baby gate.
Crate: Not more than 4 hours (if less than 5 months old). Get a friend, neighbour or dog walking service if > 4 hours.

DEN CLEAN

How to write a biblography

2005-07-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

Source: vgsbooks.com associate of lernerbooks.com

How to Write a Bibliography

Here are examples of how you write different information sources in a bibliography:
Books
One Author:

Author. Title. City where published: Name of Publisher, Year Published. page(s).

Example:
Behnke, Alison. Japan in Pictures. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications Company, 2003. 17.
Two Authors:

Author and Author. Title. City where published: Name of Publisher, Year Published. pages(s).

Example:
Arnold, James R. and Wiener, Roberta. On To Richmond: The Civil War in the East 1861-1862. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications Company, 2002. 54-60.
Encyclopedias

"Name of article." Name of encyclopedia. Year published.
Example:
"Canada." World Book Encyclopedia. 1998 ed.

Magazine Articles

Author. "Name of article." Name of magazine. Date published: page(s).

Example:
McCarry, John. "Peru Begins Again." National Geographic. May 1996: 2-35.
On-Line Source

Name of site. Date site used

Example:
vgsbooks.com. 7 June 2002

BOOKS AT 7TH FLOOR, NLB VICTORIA STREET

Two Authors:

Author and Author. Title. City where published: Name of Publisher, Year Published. pages(s).

Example:
Arnold, James R. and Wiener, Roberta. On To Richmond: The Civil War in the East 1861-1862. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications Company, 2002. 54-60.
Encyclopedias

1. Litowinsky, Olga. Writing & Publishing Books for Children in the 1990s. The Inside Story from the Editor's Desk. Walker & Company. 808.068

2. May, Jill P. Children's Literature & Critical Theory. Oxford University Press. 1995. 808.068

3. Shulevitz, Uri. Writing with pictures. How to write and illustrate Children's books. 808.068

4. Roberts, Ellen E.M The Children's Picture Book. 808.068

5. Bickham, Writing the Short Story. A Hands-On Program. How to create captivating marketable short fiction. 808.31

6. Novakovich. Writing Fiction Step by Step. 808.3

7. Demarinis. The Art & Craft of the Short Story. 808.31

Above 7 books are in Level 7.

8. A guide to writing of children's books. RS INH 808.0683 Level 11. NLB

The Golden Retriever with black belly indoors till 3rd vaccination

2005-07-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

A slim 16-year-old boy with mum. He loved music and knew what he wanted to be, unlike most teenagers. His Golden Retriever was nervous. Probably the puppy remembered this veterinary surgery and the injections and handling of her to examine her belly for two large lymph swellings of over 10 cm long, above her breast tissues on both side.

The Golden Retriever puppy, small in size and imported from Australia. She still has some swellings on her breast tissues but they were not so obvious. Now her belly skin was black. Could be something irritating her.

3rd vaccination done today. "Now, she can go out to the garden." As if the puppy is too much inside the house.

"The new puppy can go to the garden," I said. "The important thing is that she should not contact other dogs or puppies before the 3 vaccinations and only 2 weeks after the 3rd vaccination."

I added, "Make sure the puppy does not eat grass and soil, causing stomach upset. Many owners do not supervise the puppy in the garden."

The pet shop operator did advise no contact with dogs till after the 3rd vaccination. It is prudent as the parvovirus kills puppies and some other dogs may have the viruses. The puppy is fully protected 2 weeks after the 3rd vaccination in most cases.

Toilet Training puppies - 2 cases

2005-07-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

RESEARCH ON TOILET TRAINING - Case studies

CASE 1
30+ year-old lady, advertising department, with an upscale magazine. She had dogs before.

"Just talk to your puppy," she said. "Ask him to go to the toilet."
3 days paper trained. Was the 8-week-old Miniature Schnauzer naturally intelligent?

If talking is so easy.
"Did you take leave and spend 3 days with the puppy?" I asked.
"Yes."
Well, that is the reason why the puppy gets trained in 3 days.
She promised to e-mail to me her experience to share with others.

CASE 2
This was the same day, Saturday.
Career lady 20+ brought in the 8-week-old imported Miniature for Veterinary Health Examination. 24 hours money back guarantee from the pet shop at a Shopping Centre.
"Thin," I said.
"Poor thing," she said. "Must be caged in all day."
"Can you feed three times a day?" Most pet shop recommends 2 times a day.
"I work," she said. Her boyfriend was a top banker. Well, he could take time off to feed him during lunch time.

The puppy screamed when I massaged the ear canal. The pet shop operator had cleaned his ears with some insecticide ear drops. He screamed when I pressed his hip joints. He was walking normally and not lame. His hearing was not so good on the left ear. "How can such a young puppy be hard of hearing?" she laughed. Probably associated hearing impairment with old men. It was a serious matter though as partial deafness could be a reason to return the puppy to the seller.

"What's the best way to toilet train?" She had a crate with a push-out pee tray sold by the pet shop. Since she was working the whole day, she would have to confine the puppy. The crate had a wire flooring. Urine would pass through and the puppy would not be smelly with urine.

"However, don't expect the puppy to be paper-trained," I said. "He is not urinating on the newspaper which is below the wire flooring on the pee tray. However, some owners told me that their puppies use the newspaper as its toilet area later."

"What to do? What is the best way to toilet train the puppy?"
"Crate training by confinement in a crate just enough for the puppy to sleep and stand. Bring the puppy to the newspapers (with urine smell) every hour on the hour. 3 days of leave. Sleep with the puppy and take him to the newspapers when he sniffs and turns or whines."

"But the puppy is mute," the career lady said.

"He is timid," I said. "Both of you appear to be giants to him and he is in a new environment."

This was a weekend. "I don't think you will want to be confined at home for at least 3 days," I judged from her bubbling personality that she was extroverted.

"Can someone else paper train my puppy?" she asked.

"Yes." I said.

She looked at her boyfriend "$50 for you"

"A private banker's time is worth more than $50 per hour," I said. "Not per day." The boyfriend was agreeable to train the puppy. Not for money.

Pet friendly accommodation in Singapore

2005-06-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

PET POLICIES OF SINGAPORE SERVICED APARTMENTS AND HOTELS

I am writing a www.sinpets.com PUPPY BOOK commissioned by a Singapore housing agency named www.asiahomes.com. Under the SERVICED APARTMENTS in Singapore, I will include a list of Singapore Serviced Apartments available for expatriates coming to Singapore.

Please provide the following information on services:

1. Property name.
2. Benefits to pets. Treats, toys, gifts, pet sitting/walking, pet menu, food/water dishes, pet sheets or pillows, pet beds or other extras. Yes, No, Partial benefits?
3. Telephone number, Fax number, e-mail and website address.
4. Accepts cash only or credit cards.
5. Address.
6. Balconies, exterior or interior corridors.
7. Pet policies.
Accepts pets but no specific information at press time.
SIZE. Very small (up to 5kg), Small (Up to 12 kg), Medium (up to 25 kg), Large (up to 100 kg). All sizes accepted if no size is specified.
SPECIES. Dog, cat, or others. Phone ahead to inform about the type of pet you intend to bring.
DEPOSITS AND CHARGES. Amount. Refundable, non-refundable. Per pet or per room. Daily rate or weekly.
CERTAIN ROOMS. Is it smoking rooms and on the ground floor?
HOUSEKEEPING SERVICES. Require pet to be crated, removed or supervised by the owner during housekeeping services.
SUPERVISION OF PETS. Pet must be supervised at all time.s
CRATE. Pet must be crated if owner is absent.
8. NO PETS allowed.

Pets refer to dogs and cats.
In public areas, leash your pets and do not allow it to disturb others.
Non-traditional pets such as birds and reptiles need to be crated at all times.

Always confirm pet policies when making reservations and 2 days before departure.
The publisher cannot be held liable for changes occuring after publication.

This letter will be mailed to operators of serviced apartments.
My e-mail is drsing_98@yahoo.com, tel +65 9668-6468. Publisher www.sinpets.com

Toilet Training Your Puppy in Singapore

2005-06-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

TOILET-TRAINING YOUR PUPPY IN SINGAPORE
Be Kind To Pets community education

Dr Kong Sing, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
www.toapayohvets.com

To: Daniel, Jason and Judy Sing

First published in Singapore in 2005 by sinpets.com, an associate of Asia USA Realty (Singapore) asiahomes.com Pte Ltd, Blk 1002, Toa Payoh Lor 8, 01-1477, Singapore 319074. judy@asiahomes.com, www.asiahomes.com, +65 9668-6468

Copyright sinpets.com 2005

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilised in an form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN X XXX XXXXX X

Printed and bound in Singapore

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

2. PUPPY DEVELOPMENT
3 months old, 3 hours.
Recognising the signs - sniffing, circling, whining
Negative reinforcement. Beating the puppy. Force the puppy to smell the shit, urine.
Positive reinforcement - praise, treats, clicker

3. TOILET TRAINING EQUIPMENT
Housebreaking aids
Newspaper with urine
Commercial pads with attractant smell, litter box, pee tray with newspaper
Playpen + pee tray
Crate(cage).
Urine neutralisers
Carpet neutralisers

4. TOILET TRAINING METHODS
Newspapers, Training pads, litter tray
Crate, Playpen, Confined area, Room
Leash
Combination

TOILET LOCATION
INDOOR
Apartment too small - Balcony, kitchen (see people), living area,
whole apartment.
Bedroom messed up.
Playpen with no gates.
Playpen elevated, wire flooring, pee tray below.
Playpen for large breeds
Ground floor apartment
Outdoor
Indoor
Indoor & Outdoor

5. ACCIDENTS
Too excited
Too large an area to roam - whining and continuous barking

6. PROBLEMS
Shredding newspapers, training pads
Chewing bed or cloth - intestinal obstruction
Relapses - boarding, new arrivals, tiled floor, carpet.
Toilet too far away at night
Whining to go to the toilet at night
No time to train - Take 7 days' leave. Sleep with the puppy.
With-hold water after 8 p.m
Tiled area preferred - vinegar, anti-ammonnia cleaner, repellent, commercial
products
Infected bladder or private parts
Kennel cough, vomiting, diarrhoea
Medication, milk
Blood in stools
Loose stools and farting
Vomiting blood and blood in stools
Submissive urinaton
Eating stools, drinking urine.
Consistency of family members
Feed 2 times per day.
Irregular feeding times esp. weekends

7. A SCHEDULE
Plan, Consistent words, Confine, Paper + urine aids/newspaper, Recommended food
from Seller. No milk. 2 times per day. Fixed feeding time.

Goes to work and train in the evenings. Takes 7 days' leave. Buy over the
week-end

Aged mother. Stay-at-home mum stressed. Trainer.

8. REFERENCES

9. INDEX

10. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

My first 5 years: Baby Puppy Record Book

2005-06-13T16:33:00.000-07:00

1. My First Five Years: Baby Record Book.
By Jean Marie

Baby book and journal.
Keep records of important events in the child's first 5 years.
$19.95, cloth. www.cedco.com

References - Animal Photography

2005-06-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

1. www.ronkimballstock.com
8 Pet Photo Pointers
1. Shoot around its behaviour rather than forcing an animal in a particular position.
2. Build rapport with the animal if possible. If the owner is useful, let him help.
3. How do I get rid of red-eye? Actually bright blue or green-eyed with animals. Use the flash off-camera e.g. using a flash cord or bracket.
4. Sunny day shooting. Bounce a little light into the pet's face avoiding a raccoon eyes. Use fill-flash or a reflector or a white, sheer bedsheet to hold between the bright sun and the subject.
4.1 Open white shade on a lightly cloudy day is more flattering than bluish cool shade. Indoors, a ocuple of strobes or umbrella lights work well. Use window light or flash bouncing off the ceiling. Use natural light for long exposure if animal is very still in respose.

5. Kittens and puppies. Kittens may scratch puppies.
6. Comfort - a confined space like lying in a basket. Use squeaky toy, open or close a door at a distance, call his name. Cats, wave a feather.

7. Be familiar with equipment.
8. Aware of animals' personalities to get a good shot. Do research.

2005-06-13T16:06:00.000-07:00

Puppy Survival Secrets in Singapore

1. Vaccination - imported ones
2. Deworming & other parasites
3. Toilet training. Paper training. Crate training.
4. Feeding bones, foreign bodies, people food, supplements, vitamins, milk
5. Breeding
6. Laws

7. Common practices/problems encountered
7.1 Microchipping
7.2 Tug of War
7.3 Shredding Newspapers
7.4 Eating Stools
7.5 Blood in Stools
7.6 Vomiting & Diarrhoea
7.7 Kennel Couhg
7.8 Parvovirus
7.9 Distemper virus
7.10 Neuter and spay
7.11 Ear Cleaning
7.12 Skin diseases
7.13 Eye ulcers
7.14 Cancer prevention
7.15 Cocker Spaniels in HDBs
7.16 Fainting
7.17 Hernias

8. Grooming
9. Behavioural problems.
9.1 Consistency
9.2 Socialising
9.3 Mounting
9.4 Barking
9.5 Biting hands