3 girls want to be a vet

Saturday, Mar 14, 2009


"I don't think I can get the AVA veterinary scholarship," Intern 3 declared. On Friday March 6, 2009, the A "levels" academic results were announced.

Intern 3 was the only one still doing internship at Toa Payoh Vets. The other 2 interns who had been provisionally accepted by Glasgow University to study veterinary medicine had stopped coming.

Intern 3 had got 3As in her major subjects. She also got an "A" for General Paper. I asked, "How did you get an 'A' for GP? It is not that easy."
"I was lucky," she replied tersely.

4As can get her to any top university in Britain and Australia and probably to the U.S. Intern 2 has 3 As and 1 E for GP but her heart was not fully into veterinary medicine as she has many choices. I guess she would be great at music but how many people can earn a living as a musician in the city of Singapore?

Intern 3 did not contact me but I bet she has excellent results too.

Next week, Intern 3 will be attending the Public Service Commission Scholarship Interviews and the AVA interview for veterinary scholarship. I feel that Intern 3 is passionate about Veterinary Medicine. Yesterday, one client asked me whether she was my daughter as she was doing her internship.

"I will be most proud if she is my daughter," I referred to her 4As. "So will be all parents. I mean, this is a girl whom no parents need to check on her academic studies or worry whether she will pass her examinations!" How does one produce a young adult who scores straight As? It is hard enough to get 1A, let alone 3As and an A in GP too.

As for Intern 3, I tried to make her think positively. If one goes to the AVA interview with negative thoughts, the interviewers will sense that. Intern 3 needs a veterinary scholarship because her parents have other children to support. Her 2 older siblings are studying in local universities and she has 2 younger siblings.

How to get Intern 3 to think positively? I don't know. It is the personality of a person and their upbringing and family. I said, "You must apply for the scholarship first and therefore get the interview." It will be very strange if AVA does not interview an applicant with straight As.

"It is like asking a girl for a date," I used an example more relevant to her age. "I did get rejection when I was your age and asked a pretty girl in my neighbourhood to go to a movie. I got rejected and did not know where to hide. But at least I tried and failed. Nowadays, your internet generation just send text messages by phone. There is no face-to-face rejections." Intern 3 laughed at me or at my illustration. She has applied for the AVA scholarship interview. Interview is next week I think.



It is very difficult being a parent when one has kids with straight As and want to study veterinary medicine. It costs around S$250,000 for a Singaporean to study a 5-year-course at Murdoch University, Australia. That money could be retirement money for the average ageing parents. Sometimes, it may be perversely better to have not so brilliant children?

Instant Diagnosis and other events for the intern

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

5 days before the Agriculture Department (AD)'s veterinary scholarship interview. I tried to show the intern the workings of the AD to prepare the intern well for the interview since she indicated keen interest in being a veterinarian.

One of the functions of the AD is to make sure that supply of chickens to the consumer is healthy. So, a visit to a poultry farm would be appropriate. "No visitors," the poultry farm owner said to my contact who called for an appointment to visit a breeder and layer farm. "AD prohibits visitors. Maybe some months later. However, if you have money-making proposals, the farmers will have time for you, in my experience." Well, I don't have any financial deals for the farmers.

The other poultry farms, the pig abattoir also said no visitors. The Veterinary Public Health, part of the AD wanted a written letter but time was short.

Suddenly, 2 officers of the AD came to my Surgery to show me a white tablet and asked some questions about a breeder who kept a stray cross-bred puppy in her kennels. The breeder had mentioned that I had treated the puppy but this was incorrect.

One officer towered above me. The other older person who handed me the 500 mg griseofulvin tablet had known me for some 30 years ago when I was working for the AD as a veterinarian. We had not met for many years and the presence of the AD officers at my Surgery was not a good sign.

"Your reputation in the small animal and pet shop industry preceded you," I said to the taller man. He did not know what I was talking about. "You are known to be very stringent and would issue summons for infringement of rules and regulations on the spot." He had a job to do.

The intern had been checking on the Miniature Schnauzer with fever. I asked her to be present. This would be the first time she would see the real AD people. "Why does the AD prohibit the visits to poultry farms?" I asked. "Bird flu," the older officer assumed the intern know what bird flu is about.

No visitors. No chance of getting bird flu seemed to be the rationale for this prohibition order. There were some recent bird flu deaths in people in Indonesia. So, a blanket visitor ban would seem to be the prophylactic solution.

At least the intern got the answer directly. I promise the AD officer that I would do a medical examination on the breeder's stray puppy soon. There was a public complaint about the puppy being "sick" or something. I was not sure as I was not permitted to see the letter.

As it was half an hour before my 4 p.m appointment to vaccinate dogs at a breeding farm, I would schedule the next day.

7. Presumptive or presumptuous?

After a hectic Sunday, Monday was quiet. I had more time to go over yesterday's cases with the intern. As she did not possess a notebook --- a portable computer, I asked her to use the second desktop in the room to write and record Sunday's cases.

Only by writing and recording could she learn about veterinary medicine. I would be able to discuss with her in depth once she had written her case observations. I would also know whether she knew how to use digital pictures to enhance the quality of her writing.

There was no short cut to being a good intern if she does not bother to record. After seeing many cases on Sunday, she would not remember the pertinent points and our oral discussion not based on writing would be a waste of time if she wanted to excel in veterinary medicine as she had done so with her straight As in the Cambridge A-level examinations.

Each case ought to have 100 words, in narrative form, with the theme "Be Kind To Pets". This was a tall order as I doubt junior college students were taught to write narratives to educate. The school system encouraged expositions and factual report writing.

But she had to start somewhere and narrative non-fiction is what makes for interesting reading by most people who simply have no interest or time to read.

She wrote 2 cases with pictures. One about the boy with a Shih Tzu that had just fractured his fifth digit of the left paw and the other one about the Pug with a big circular "hot spot" or cellulitis.

"The reports are well written," I said. "As this is your first attempt, I would not like to criticise too much as that would discourage you." Her Grade A in General Paper already had told me she could write good English. The average student would be fortunate not to fail General Paper. No doubt she had an excellent command of English.

"Do criticise the case reports so that I can improve," she said.

"First drafts are rough," I said. "Seldom are first drafts perfect. Sometimes we need to wait one week, review and re-write," I explained. That explanation puzzled her.

"Well, you did not capture the theme of 'Be Kind To Pets'" I elaborated. "In the case of the fractured nail, it was essential to show that the boy was much concerned about his dog. Its paw was bleeding. He bandaged it and rushed to the vet. The pain was intense because the fracture was at the nail bed, a sensitive nerve and vascular area. If he wanted to do self-treatment, he could. But the dog would suffer in pain for many days and the nail bed could be infected. That would be worse. In this case, he did the right thing. See the vet immediately.

"As for the cellulitis case, she showed a frontal picture of a pug sandwiched between two legs of the owner."

"Why did you use this picture?" I asked.

"To show the reader that this was the pug involved."

"It is a very good idea to give a face to the case as it makes it more interesting. How does the reader know this is the actual pug involved. It is just a picture of a pug facing the camera!"

She had not thought about this aspect. It was an excellent idea of putting a face in a case study.

"Next time, photograph the pug at an angle whereby you can see the cellulitis spot on her right backside. An oblique angle of photography. No legs of owners to frame the picture as that would distract."

It was only by writing that she could learn about the finer aspects of photography and photo-journalism. To make her report alive and of great interest to the reader or to the veterinary professor should she get her Agriculture Department's veterinary scholarship.

"There are only 7 days to go before the interview," I said. "Did you ask the 5 poultry farms you telephoned why the Agriculture Department advised them not to permit visitors?" I had asked her to make appointments so that we could visit one farm in Lim Chu Kang on this coming Wednesday.

"No," she said.

"Why not?" I asked. "You need to be..." I could not find the proper word. "You need to be proactive." Proactive might not be the correct word. Inquisitive? "

"None of the interviewees at the forthcoming interview would have gone to visit any poultry farms," she asserted. There were so few such farms and today we discovered that there was an order to bar visitors.

"How can you be so sure?" I asked her. "One interviewee may have a relative or friend who knows the chicken farm operator and would be able to talk intelligently about poultry farming during the scholarship interview, unlike you."

She nodded her head and adjusted her black rectangular spectacles frame. Yesterday, her right eye contact lens was loose when she was being debriefed at the end of the day. "I can't take it out because my hands are dirty," she said. "Just wear spectacles during the internship," I said. I did not know much about contact lens but many young adults nowadays wear them, I think.

"You cannot be presumptuous," I said to her. "If you assumed wrongly, you lose your scholarship due to the lack of preparation on this vital area --- food animal health --- a core competence of the Agriculture Department."

Actually, the correct word may be presumptive rather than presumptuous. I checked the dictionary while I write this report and presumptive may be the appropriate word. Now, how to get an appointment to visit a poultry farm?

I would like her to prepare herself well for the interview and get the scholarship, since the father had decided that he would only pay if she studies human medicine, not veterianry medicine.

6. "Discover, Create and Nuture"

She was punctual arriving at the Surgery just before 10 a.m for her first day of her veterinary internship. That was a good habit as it showed commitment to learn and personal responsibility. She had a decent-sized deep blue notebook of 6-inch by 9-inch instead of the little black diary of 2.5-in by 4-inch, which was much too small to record veterinary observations and cases.

This National University of Singapore notebook had the words: "Discover, create and nuture." This slogan probably meant nothing to her. But to me, they told me that a 19-year-old had discovered veterinary medicine was what she wanted to study in the university. Creation of a fully qualified veterinarian would take the next 5 years of undergraduate study. She needed a mentor with sufficient experience and maturity to educate her before her journey started as she was new to the world of animals. Her hands-on experience was her beloved 6-year-old cat.

"I had postponed neutering a Chihuahua that had come in at 9.00 a.m," I said. "So that you could see the operation". I had asked her to start at 10 a.m on this Sunday, so it was not her fault.

Surprisingly, the waiting room was full at 10 a.m on this Sunday May 6, 2007. It could accomodate around 7 clients and pets and all had appointments. One dog owner had to linger outside as his Miniature Schnauzer barked his heart out at all other dogs in this 5 sq m waiting room.

"Get in the first case," I told receptionist James who nowadays had stopped giving numbered cards. He was over 70 years old. He could not recognise who came first and there had been unhappiness at queue jumping. So, the card numbering system was a good idea for him to prevent queue jumping. I don't have those fanciful electronic numbering system. Let sleeping dogs lie. I just had to ask who came first, when necessary.

The first case was a detective mystery.

"Doc, the hair on the tail did not grow normally" the owner of this luxuriant-coated 3-year-old female Shetland said. "But the tail wound you treated 2 months ago was now fully covered with hair." I looked at the "new hair growth" (see picture) where the old wound used to be. I could not believe my eyes.

The rest of the tail was almost hairless as on the day Groomer Mark clipped away all hair in case there were other hidden tail bite or lick wounds.

The tail was not entirely bald. Fine hair growth. As if time had stood still. Not only that, there was a 1.5cm diameter red wound further behind the recovered wound (see picture).

"Is it possible that vigorous tail wagging could have resulted in tail trauma and injuries? Do you have bougainvilla or other plants inside your apartment?"the Sheltie had not stopped swinging her tail from left to right and back for as long as she was on the consultation table. It was no wonder that the owner loved her. Such a happy dog!

Now, how to resolve the problem of the hair-less tail of 2 months? How to make the hair grow back? It was not the sole problem. A big circular grey patch with 5 bite wound scabs presented on the Sheltie's left rib cage (see picture). The hyperpigmented skin with the grey black pigments told me that the Sheltie had licked this area for more than a few weeks but the owner could not confirm.

"The Sheltie might have some foreign body, for example, wooden splinters, embedded inside the skin. Her skin became itchy and she had to bite and lick it. If the condition persists for another month, the best course of action would be to snip off the infected skin." The owner said that nothing had injured the dog. His dog would look ugly if any more of her luxuriant hair got shaved off her left rib cage area during surgery.

I did not say more or speculate. The victim was four-legged and was not able to communicate to us. What the owner wanted was a cure. I asked Groomer Mark to express the anal sacs. Dark brown oil oozed out. Anal sac impaction would be one reason that the dog was biting her tail as she tried to relieve her anal itch. As part of the routine, I squeezed the anal sacs again. This Sheltie had some backside fat and the glands were much deeper. It was through years of experience that one could reach deep under the subcutaneous fat. I showed the intern and Mark the tissue paper that more anal sac oil had been expressed out. This was part of Mark's learning experience. He was new to the world of dog grooming. So, I had to mentor him too whenever I had the time and he would need to have hands-on experience which the internet web pages could never teach.

As for hands-on experience, the intern was asked to put on an Elizabeth collar onto the Sheltie's neck to prevent further biting for the next 30 days. I gave her the theory on how to fix the collar inside the consultation room. She was to "just do it" - the Nike slogan in the waiting room area while I received the second case in the consultation room. She would learn only by doing things, not by being spoon-fed.

There was much to learn as she had no canine handling experience --- the Animal Husbandry and Management Course in Glasgow University's Veterinary Course in which I attended some 40 years ago. With no knowledge of canine handling experience too.

Learning by mistakes would be more educational. I had asked her to put a dog muzzle during a case today. She took the deep pink muzzle, sized L, from the drawer of muzzles. She put it onto the Jack Russell.

I tried not to laugh as I could not see the dog's head vanished and I could only see the neck, four legs and a body of the Jack Russell.

This cloth muzzle too big such that it covered even the ears of the dog. It was upside down. "Silly," was all I commented as I took the sized S muzzle and demonstrated. I presumed too much that she could muzzle the dog. It was not the commercial muzzle with the hole and velcro strap you would see in pet shops. It was of different design and
many people put the muzzle upside down, so it was common even for dog owners to muzzle upside down. A picture of the cloth muzzle is shown here.



Today was busy so I did not supervise her putting on the Elizabeth collar. I happened to peek outside at the waiting room area. "Why do you put on the Elizabeth collar for her?" I shouted at Groomer Mark as he had completed the job so that the client could go home faster. "How would she ever learn to handle a dog if you don't allow her to be hands-on?" Many times I had to restrain Mark as interns needed the experience to discover.

Mark said that he wanted to show her how to do it by fixing up the collar himself. Discovery, create and nuture --- it would be hard to nuture an intern if they do not discover and make mistakes by doing simple new procedures for themselves. Now I have to make sure that Mark does not spoon feed newcomers to the world of small animal practice. Not to muzzle his good intentions but to explain to him that the young ones need hands-on to make mistakes and to learn better.

5. The girl with straight As and a bit of luck?

She had impeccable academic results and had studied in a pedigree premier secondary school and junior college. Apparently I was the only veterinary surgeon to ask her for an interview when she phoned. The others had either busy phone lines or simply took down her name and never called her.

She took out all her certificates and put them on the consultation table as she sat across me for an interview as a veterinary intern. She said she wanted to study veterinary medicine in a few month's time. This was May 2007. "Will you be going to the United Kingdom to study veterinary medicine in September?" I asked since the Australian course had commenced in February.

But she had not been accepted by any Veterinary University in Australia or the United Kingdom. So I was suspicious as to her intentions to be a veterinarian.

A vertical row of grade "As" from top to bottom demanded my attention as a child in tantrums would do so. It is not everyday I get to meet a student who had aced her examinations. I think there were 8 or 9 As. Anyone would be impressed.

But was she really passionate about being a veterinarian? Young adults nowadays do not know what they want to be. There are too many choices. And if you have so many As in your A-level examination and come from the premier schools, almost all top universities and faculties will accept you.

I read her testimonial from her Junior College teacher to see if she really loved animals. A bland recommendation written by a teacher who had to write so many testimonials, probably was not close to her and who definitely would be highly immune to the yearly crop of creme de la creme students. No mention of any involvement in animal care. Definitely she was not an animal activist.

"Have you read James Herriot books?" I tested her as I do for other prospective interns.

"Who is James Herriot?" she asked.

"He writes books such as 'All Creatures Great and Small'?" I asked. How would this personable lady really be passionate about veterinary medicine if she had not read such famous books?

But her academic excellence has had opened doors to more scholarship interviews than she would wish to attend. A scholarship buffet but which academic dish to choose?



She was honest at the interview. From January to May, she had scholarship offers to go to any university she chose, local or overseas, provided she studies engineering. Her top grades in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and General Paper qualified her to study any Science subject including Medicine and Veterinary Medicine.

"Did you find out how many scholarships the Agriculture Department (AD) would be giving?" I asked her.

"I did not ask," she smiled."But I was told there were many candidates for the interview next week."

"You will have very strong competition for the limited number of veterinary scholarships. I doubt if there will be a handful of offers, maybe 2 scholarships unlike engineering scholarships.

"Recently, from my discussion with foreign university recruitment agents, there is a trend of youths especially girls wanting to study veterinary medicine such that the barrier to entry has been raised very high.

"I was told her that Murdoch University in Perth accepts foreigners as prospects for veterinary medicine if they have have 3 As. Many have been shunted to study Biomedical Science with a prospect of upgrading to study in veterinary medicine the second year if they excel in the first year.

As her father had said, "I pay if you study medicine, not veterinary medicine overseas." The path to become a veterinarian via a father's scholarship was obstructed. But was she really passionate about being a veterinarian?

"I do not agree with your father's views," I said. "If we compare the earning power of an average general practitioner veterinarian to a doctor with the first degree, I think the veterinarian may have higher earning power. However, I cannot substantiate my observation."

But if her father wanted to live his dream to be a doctor in this academic star, I would not be surprised. This girl could read his mind too but she did not want to study medicine to bring glory to the father.

"You can become a human doctor, work and then study veterinary medicine in later years, if you are passionate about it," I cited two examples of two lawyers who are now in Murdoch University studying veterinary medicine as mature students. "In the meantime, prepare yourself for the veterinary scholarship interview. Have you been to the AD's website ?" I asked.

"No," she was frank and honest.
"Preparation is the key to maximise the chances of success for any scholarship interview," I was surprised that she had not done research.

"During the engineering scholarship interviews, there were no questions asked about the subject of study," she briefed me, to my surprise. "The interview was on other topics and how you could carry yourself in the interview."

"Do not assume that this is a blanket approach by all interviewers. The AD gives maybe 2 scholarships and so they would probably have more stringent qualifications."

This girl seemed to be interested in veterinary medicine. I can't blame her for her belated interest as it is a common trait amongst the youths nowadays. There is an explosive number of many choices of study in the Universities all over the world.

She is a "dragon-year girl" and I am impressed with her achievements. During the dragon year (Chinese zodiac), there was a very large number of babies born. The bureaucrats were lamenting about the declining birth rate in 1986 (the tiger year) and for some auspicious reasons, the mothers produced a bumper harvest of "dragon babies" in the dragon year of 1988. So, "dragon babies" had to compete intensely for good primary schools. More competition for top secondary schools and secondary schools as there were more students, excluding the brilliant ones from overseas.

I telephoned my contact to see whether I could get some tips on preparing this dragon girl for the veterinary interview.

"How many scholarships will AD give this year?" I asked my contact.

"I don't know," my networker said.

"How about last year?" I asked.
"Maybe 4-5 scholarships."

"How to prepare for the interview?" I asked my contact. "I have somebody who will be going for the interview soon."

"Is this person your son?" my contact asked. "A male applicant is highly valued as the vast majority of the applicants are females."

"No, I doubt that my son could put a foot at the door of the interviewers! It is a girl who has straight As."

Besides academic excellence, applicants for veterinary studies seem to be more good looking and not just computer nerds. Good looks do give you a leg up during any job interviews. And some of the lady veterinarians are very good looking.

I remember this episode --- One pet shop girl was fond of reminding me that the veterinarian at a particular veterinary surgery was a Miss Singapore-Universe.

"I thought she was working at another place," I said. "No, she is at this place." I had not met her but a top achievement in any field is impressive.

Straight As may not be sufficient for this girl. A limited number of offers and the presumed preference for male applicants are factors against her as there would be others with many As. Maybe not straight As. There may be a girl with the backgrounds or testimonials from veterinarians or animal shelters testifying their involvement in veterinary or animal work. These hands-on records proved passion, speaking louder than words.

But this dragon girl had zero involvement in animals except for a pet at home.

"Why are male applicants in demand?" the girl with the straight As was perplexed. "Why discriminate against females?"

She did not ask the second question.

"The AD does regulatory veterinary medicine to ensure that the country receives a healthy, continual and safe food supply from other countries. So the vets have to go to inspect the farms, abattoirs and factories involved in the production of food animals being exported here."

"Why are male veterinarians preferred?"

It was a good question. I could only speculate, "In certain countries, the farms and slaughter houses are located in not so 'safe' areas for the AD lady vet going alone to inspect the animals. There may be nuts hanging around. So a male vet may be more suitable for such types of work. I presume there is a predominant number of female vets now.

"In short, the lady vet may be .... (unprintable word to mean to suffer bodily harm). I was beating around the bush but I had to be blunt as youths of today are much more sophisticated.

"In any case, be prepared for the interview if you really want to be a veterinarian. At the engineering interviews, the interviewers ask questions not related to engineering. They just want to see how you respond to the interviews.

"But do not take for granted that the AD interviews will be a breeze. In your engineering interviews, the course of study is open. It is not specific such as a chemical engineering interview. So the interviewers asked general questions knowing full well you do not have the engineering background from your application forms about your parental employment.

"There is another alternative since you do not get a father's scholarship. Do research on the educational loans available if you are really passionate about veterinary medicine. You may be surprised that you can achieve your dream if you don't get the scholarship.

"But make sure you are really passionate in that you want to be a veterinarian because it costs around S$300,000to study 5 years of veterinary medicine and surgery in Australia and much more in Britain.

"If your father supports you, more than a quarter of a million dollars is wiped out from your father's retirement savings. Most retirees can't afford to lose that amount of money. At least, with the scholarship, your parents get to enjoy at least S$300,000 dollars during their golden years. It is a heavy responsibility and you must be committed in the event you do get a father's scholarship. The scholarship used to bond me to work for 8 years with the Department.

"The bond is now 6 years," she said.
"6 years seem to be more humane," I said.

This girl seemed to be a decisive one. She seemed to be a planner as she will be taking her driving test soon. Many young adults do not see driving licences as important. Now, she must know how to prepare for her scholarship interview. I doubt it would not be handed to her on a silver platter although I might be mistaken. Straight As open doors everywhere.

"All interviewees will say they are passionate about veterinary medicine," I said. "But do you have a portfolio of past work or photographs as evidence?"

I hope she would be well prepared for the interview. As an example, I was under some impression that all her cohort use notebooks during this interview today. After all, she was in a premier junior college.

"Do you have a notebook?" I asked during the interview.
She said, "Yes."

There was a serious miscommunication. By "notebook", I meant a laptop. A portable computer. She did take out a small hardcover black diary during her interview. As she did not say anything, I did not connect that little black diary as her "notebook" till much later in the day.

I hope she would not make such a blunder during the scholarship interview. And that she aced her interview. If she did not get the scholarship, "all bets are off," I referred to her wish to be a veterinary intern for the next few months. She laughed.

I was using this betting term from my 8 years as a thoroughbred horse veterinarian at a Turf Club. I meant there would be no point in her being a veterinary intern if she would not be studying veterinary medicine. I don't want to waste my time mentoring any youth who has no dreams of being a veterinarian. Passion is not as important as top grades in reality.

She has qualified for the interview. I have a feeling she would ace the interview and get the scholarship. So, the odds are high. I would not place any bet myself. Any takers?

Somehow, she seemed to be the type of girl who would get into veterinary medicine with or without the scholarship from the father or the government. Still the girl with the straight As must prepare for the academic battle to win.

The strongest contender will be the male applicant. If only 2 scholarships were offered as during my time some 40 years ago, then it would be very challenging for her as definitely one male would be chosen. Her weakness was a small one --- insignificant hands-on animal working background. But straight As open doors everywhere. A personable girl able to carry on conversations with adults. I have no illusion that straight As will open the door to her dream of being a veterinarian on her own merits, initiative and sweat. What she needs is a bit of luck?

4. Two Swords of Honour

"Your elder son has got the Sword of Honour in the Officer Cadet School (OCS)?" I asked the matronly Malay receptionist at Juliet's office when she said that her son had an army scholarship to study business and finance in Australia.

A Sword of Honour is awarded to only one officer cadet --- the best of the cohort during National Service full time in Singapore.

"Yes," the mother beamed. "My son also got a 'Sword' at Sandhurst Military College."

I presumed she meant it was a Sword of Honour as I am unfamiliar with Sandhurst's military practices for best performing soldier. A single parent deserves to be proud of a son with one sword of honour and a military undergraduate scholarship. Two swords of honour are indeed exceptional.

"He does not want to study in any Australian University," the mother said. "He did research and had chosen a reputable university to study Business and Finance. The army had given him a lump sum to study there on no pay leave. He has to serve the army after graduation."

She had jested that she wanted to work in my Veterinary Surgery today but had never talked about her sons. "But there are dogs in the Surgery and your religion may not permit you to be near dogs?" I asked.

"No," she said. "I will adopt the religious recommendations regarding dogs. I wore gloves when I worked in a non-halal restaurant part-time to support her two sons.

The mother had been depressed when the marriage broke down when the elder son was in Secondary Two. The father had taken a second wife.

But this boy was said to her "We can make it in life". He was already top in the Primary School Leaving Examination. Soon he went to a top Junior College in Singapore. "Must pay $200 per month," the mother said. At autonomous independent junior colleges, the school fees were higher.

"But it is worth all my sacrifices," she recollected having to rush from her present job to the second job at the restaruant as she had to support her two sons. "Didn't you get help from the extended family?" I asked.

"No relatives would help."

She had a second son. He went to polytechnic and would be going to National University of Singapore soon. He must have topped the 10% in the polytechnic to qualify. This second son could have gone straight to the 2nd year in an Australian University, saving one year of study, if only his mother had the money. Singapore's Universities do not grant 1 year exemption for polytechnic students.

The boy with the 2 swords of honour confirmed my belief that very difficult times in the family mould a person to excel or perish.

I am sure his mother had never received any phone calls from the boy's teachers complaining about sleeping in class and poor academic results! This is all too common.

If the boy had no fire in the belly to make a better life for himself, his mum would have had sacrificed for nothing. Now his job is to get "8 As", the mother told me.

"Do they still grade "As" in Australian University?" I asked her.

"I mean, 'HD'" she said. "High Distinction."

I was thinking. There are many Singaporean parents who cannot afford to send their sons overseas. They may not be able to get into a local university to study what they want because of the intense competition for places such as Business and Finance. If the youth does not get 4As or straight As in the A levels, there is no hope of getting interviewed for a scholarship.

Yet I know of one boy who was in Singapore's premier top Junior College. He rejected studying overseas on a veterinary scholarship because his girlfriend was studying in Singapore! It seemed he wanted to be a veterinarian. Being his father must be very challenging.

3. Who is in Charge? Barking in the middle of the night - first night

Sunday.
2 male mini-maltese were purchased from the same pet shop. These 2 male siblings were bred by a home-breeder and sold to the pet shop. Kiddy (left) was purchased yesterday by a young couple but Rascal was bought 3 weeks ago by a young lady. Coincidentally, they met at the Veterinary Surgery on this Sunday for their 3rd vaccination.

CASE 1.
Kiddy (left in the picture) barked in the middle of the night.

Kiddy barked for around 30 minutes on the first night alone in his playpen inside the kitchen.
"Did you keep peeping at him?" I asked the owner.
"Yes," he said. "But Kiddy would not see me as it was after 11 p.m and it was dark."

"Dogs can hear very well although he might not be able to see you. He could hear you, so he barked more."

Noise nuisance could disturb the neighbours. When the owner took him out of the playpen and put him in the living room, Kiddy stopped barking. He did not need to sleep in the bedroom.

The next morning, the whole living room needed to be cleaned as he had peed and pooped there.

POSSIBLE SCENARIOS AND SOLUTIONS:

1. Demand barking or attention-seeking barking.

In this case, Kiddy knew that he would get attention when he barked. The lady who said she wanted to buy him but chose his sibling who looked more handsome said that Kiddy was first to get her attention through his barking.

The solution from most experts would be to ignore him. No peeping at him from behind the kitchen door or from the living room. That was why he continued barking for 30 minutes. He became a noise nuisance. Living in apartments - there is the problem of neighbours being unhappy with this yelping puppy. So, the owner let him stay in the living room.

He could be let out of the playpen into the common bathroom or kitchen. Let him eliminate on the kitchen floor.

For the first night, the owner must let the puppy know who is in charge. Otherwise, this puppy will be a demand barker.

2. Barking after midnight can also mean that the puppy wanted to eliminate outside his playpen as instinctively, most puppies want to keep their sleeping and eating area clean. Many first-time owners are not aware of this means of communication. It is a different tone of barking. The owner will have to wake up for the first few nights and change the soiled newspapers. Do not linger to play.

3. Some owners would bring the puppy into the bedroom. Cover his crate with a towel. If he barks past midnight, let him out to go to the toilet.

CASE 2.

Kiddy's sibling. KS (right of picture).

The puppy was supervised closely. The owner bought the commercial urine spray from another pet shop as the original one did not recommend or sell such items. She sprayed it onto the newspapers. KS went to the papers to eliminate on the first day. Praise and rewarded with food treat --- the puppy will repeat his performance. This may take several training sessions under close supervision.

Subsequently there were "accidents." However, at night, KS slept in her bedroom on a small puppy bed. "Past midnight, he would get up and walk all the way to the bathroom to pee," she told us "Because he did not want to dirty his sleeping area.". Most likely the bedroom is small and cluttered but it is true that all puppies try not to dirty their sleeping area if possible.

POSSIBLE SCENARIOS AND SOLUTIONS

1. Not all pet shop sells the commercial puppy training aid although they sell puppies. In this case of Kiddy, use the 2nd piece of the soiled newspapers. It has the urine smell. Confinement, close supervision and training using positive reinforcement motivation are still necessary.

Perseverance and time spent with the puppy are necessary for early success.