2345. A 3-year-old female X-bred dog has an itchy smelly right armpit

Oct 27, 2015  7 pm

I was still at the office when a fair Chinese lady came into the clinic without an appointment. My assistant had gone home. She took out the previous computerised receipt of Dr Daniel's treatment for her dog's ringworm in Oct 13, 2014. She requested purchase of 2 tubes of anti-fungal cream.

The dog had been scratching her right armpit with the right hind leg and it had become smelly and she had successfully used this brand to clear the ringworm in 2014.

"Both of her armpits were losing hair and itchy," she said. "But now, it is only the right armpit."
"How did you apply the cream?" I asked as two tubes seemed to be too many as I had offered her one tube but she wanted two.

"I would entice her with some treats and speedily smear the cream onto her armpit," she said that the dog disliked being treated by her and would shy away whenever she saw the tube.

"When she ate the treats, she would dash away! That is why I had to quickly palm the ointment in the direction of the right armpit."

"You should give the reward of treats only after the treatment," I advised her to find another person to restrain the dog. "No wonder your dog quickly runs off after eating the treats. It is like paying a person before he starts work. No incentive to work hard since the person has been paid!"

"My dog is co-operative at the groomer to clip her armpit hairs. Very quiet, but she is a devil in my apartment!" the lady in her early 30s laughed. 

"If the cream is not properly applied onto the infected skin, the outcome will be poor and that is why the ringworm is still present," I said. "Email to me two images of the affected armpit."  Many owners are working and are reluctant to bring in the dog for a proper examination and prefers to get repeat medication to lower medical costs. So I understand the economics of the heartlanders.

"I was at home at 6 pm and saw the dog scratching her armpit furiously and so I came to the clinic to buy the medicine," the lady told me when I advised making an appointment. "My assistant had gone home," I explained that the younger workers prefer shorter hours at work nowadays.

I taught the happy bubbly fair complexioned lady how to treat this dog:
1. Put the dog on the table so she cannot run away. An assistant restrains the dog while she clips the infected area or ask the groomer to do it.
2. Wash and rinse the area with anti-fungal shampoo.
3. Dry and apply cream with a cotton bud. Best to wear gloves.
4. Give treats after completion of the treatment so that the dog will behave and look forward to the treatment.

P.S
I was in the office reading an article on Nuffnang, a blog advertising community of one million blogs. I do blog but has not bothered to monetise the blogs. That was why I was still in the clinic when the Chinese lady came in to buy the cream.

Netccenric was founded in 2006. It is most famous for Nuffnang. It also owns the online video advertising unit, Reelity and Churp Churp and other digital agency model business.