The owner said that her
British Bulldog was 49th day pregnant. Dr Vanessa Lin was
the vet in charge. She palpated the abdomen and declared
that the dog was not pregnant. I palpated and agreed with
her. There was no big foetal lump or lumps in the abdomen.
A simple case of pregnancy diagnosis. Not pregnant.
But veterinary medicine can throw out surprises for the
vet who wants to provide least-cost veterinary services.
"There is a possibility that the foetal lump is positioned
cranially below the diaphragm such that the vet can't feel
it," I cautioned. I had read some dog breeding reports on
this type of situations.
"If the dog is diagnosed as not pregnant now and she loses
her sole pup due to this diagnosis, there will be a lot of
unhappiness. Bulldogs usually need a Caesarean section as
the puppy's head is too big. Since the vet has diagnosed
this dog as non-pregnant, the owner would not have had
prepared the dog for an elective Caesarean section as
veterinarians are trusted professionals.
I related an incident to Dr Lin about the single pup
syndrome case in a Pomeranian. A vet diagnosed the Pom as
not being pregnant by abdominal palpation. The breeder who
brought in the dog agreed with him. The vet assistant
supported his diagnosis. Three people with experience said
not pregnant.
The Pom had a difficult birth and required Caesarean
section. The pup died after the Caesarean section. The dam
died a few days later. The death of the beloved dam evoked
much anger and resentment. If only an X-ray or ultrasound
were done as part of defensive medicine, this sad outcome
would not have occurred. This pup would probably had been
located as a small foetal lump in the most cranial
position behind the diaphragm.
Dr Lin advised an ultrasound. The dog was confirmed not
pregnant. Defensive medicine is needed in many cases. When
the owner is unhappy or provoked by the competitor vet,
many complaints are made. A simple X-ray or ultrasound
taken should have been done as part of defensive medicine
as vets are not Gods and variations in medicine can
sometimes ruin a hard-won reputation.
TOA
PAYOH VETS
