Glacier

Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
Case written in a blog: 08 September, 2005
Case updated: 04 June, 2009

What is in the best interest of the Shih Tzu may not be in the best interest of the veterinarian. But the interest of the Shih Tzu must come first rather than the generation of income from sick Shih Tzus.

Wood shavings were used by a new owner of the Shih Tzu as bedding but a piece of wood shavings stuck on the right eye. The next day, the Shih Tzu had corneal ulcer and a fever. The owner could treat this eye problem at home and saved on veterinary costs. But she did not have a draught-free and dark place to house this Shih Tzu. I visited her condo and it was one of those breezy types in a green wooded area. So, I had to ward this Shih Tzu.

The owners decided to sell her, on my advice as they do not know how to take care of her. There will be further eye injuries and grooming and veterinary costs if the Shih Tzu is not properly cared for. The lady owner phoned me of the decision to sell.

An adult lady with a male Shih Tzu puppy came in for

Deep corneal ulcer and fever in a Shih Tzu puppy. Wood shaving used as litter stuck in eye few days ago. Toa Payoh Vets.

vaccination. "How do you toilet train your Shih Tzu?"
I asked this confident young lady. "Lots of time and patience," she said. She explained her procedure. It took 3 weeks of messing the kitchen floor before her male Shih Tzu got the idea. Spanking and putting the nose of her Shih Tzu to smell the urine on the newspapers was her method to prevent the Shih Tzu from eliminating on the kitchen floor.

"Do you not give a command when you showed your puppy the soiled newspapers?" I asked. This was the part she left out.

"Yes," she said. "I say 'Pee here'". That was a necessary part of toilet training.

"Would you like to buy a female Shih Tzu?" I asked as I assessed she could care for the Shih Tzus.

She was shown the Shih Tzu in my Surgery. She was interested and was in the process of finding a Shih Tzu companion. I connected both parties.

"I bought mine for $400," she said when the owner wanted to sell hers for near to $900 which was the purchase price of the gold and white Shih Tzu.

"Go to the internet like Yahoo," the confident lady advised. "There will be buyers for your Shih Tzu." Maybe she bought hers from the world wide web.

I asked both parties to negotiate directly. Selling Shih Tzus is not my core competence. I really had to rush to the breeding farm to vaccinate puppies and kittens and it was late.

Wood shaving stuck onto cornea. Wood shavings used as bedding for Shih Tzu (left). Toa Payoh Vets

What is in the best interest of the gold and white Shih Tzu may not be in the best interest of the re-seller. Well, it is hard to sell damaged goods and now there is a buyer, the price is slashed too low.

"In my opinion," I said to the re-seller, "It is better to sell to somebody who knows how to care for your puppy rather than recover the money. Shih Tzu puppies grow and may not be so attractive to buyers." It is hard to lose over 50% of the purchase price but sometimes, cut losses prevent further expenses. It is hard to do it.

It was a relief that the Shih Tzu owner accepted my advice and cut losses. Shih Tzus are commonly known to suffer from corneal ulcers as their eyeballs bulge out prominently and are therefore prone to injuries. A Shih Tzu puppy is high maintenance. It needs daily grooming.

Some Singapore owners send the Shih Tzu for 2-monthly grooming or let the house-maid care for the dog. However, a lapse in maintenance or vigilance can lead to corneal ulceration.

In 2009, I encountered a case where the house-maid (referred to as domestic worker by the Singapore's civil service) did not report the eye injury (excessive tearing, rubbing eyes, half closed eyes). The corneal ulcer deepened and blood appeared inside the anterior chamber as well as outside the eye. In this case, the Descemet's membrane (inner layer of the cornea) had been ruptured. Aqueous fluid flowed out from the eye in addition to the blood. This was a very serious case. Would the dog be blind? I can't guarantee he would not be.

"The house-maid cried," the owner told me when he and his wife and pre-kindergarten son came to visit the dog at the Surgery. Vision loss was quite possible in this 7-year-old Shih Tzu.

NOTE:
"Putting the nose of her Shih Tzu to smell the urine on the newspapers" is one method of toilet-training not recommended by by positive reinforcement trainers. Confinement of the Shih Tzu puppy in the first 2-4 weeks, close monitoring of the signs of elimination and quickly carrying the puppy back to the newspapers in the playpen, giving command "Pee here" may be an easier method.