Philippine National Railroad (PNR)

Today i visited my former classmate who now owns his own veterinary clinic @ Citiarcade, Alabang. I'm from the northern part of Metro Manila, so the fastest route to get there? Commuter Express PNR :) (stands for Philippine National Railroad). I sort of looked forward to riding the train. I have always passed by it's railroad tracks in the past, and have wondered if it's functional (since in the past it seemed like no train have ever passed the tracks. Turns out the service was resumed just last year).

I arrived at the Tutuban PNR station at around 10:55a.m. and the train was scheduled to leave at 11:05 a.m. The next train to leave will be around the next hour. I was kinda surprised that many commuters abroad this train. And the travel was fast... in an hour around 12:05p.m. I already reached Alabang, at a very very reasonable price of only 20php :) And the train was as modern as the mrt and lrt... but also even cooler. It played songs with artist like  Kesha (Tik Tok) and Incubus (Drive). It was a nice experience :)

Stations from Tutuban to Alabang :)

One of the Control Panels

Spacious! ^^ Note: This was not rush hour

Platforn and Train

Tutuban PNR Station

Visit their website : http://www.pnr.gov.ph/

Dogs 101 continued3 ^^

1) Pointer

• can 'point'

2) Havanese

3) Dalamatian

• Born all white
• Spots all over the body on adult even inside the mouth
• Bred for war, guarding and guiding coaches, clearing people out of the way
• with stocky body and strong muscles
• 1 in 3 Dalmatians have ear issues
• Sheds a lot

4) Pomeranian

• 1 of 3 dogs to survive titanic
• Triangular shaped ears
• Feathered tail
• Bark excessively
• prone to early teeth lost and luxating patellas

5)  Siberian Husky

• "Balto" and co. - delivered serum during Diptheria outbreak
• Howl is heard 10 miles away
• Work in harsh artic condition
• with striking eyes
• insulated paws
• strong claws
• great at digging
• double layer coat can withstand up to -50degress
• can change metabolism to work for hours
• very independent
• prone to hip problems and eye problems

Old English Sheepdog taildock

Yesterday I had the chance to tail dock 4 very cute OES pups. It's my first time in two years of my practice since this breed is not that many in our country. I searched for the tail length and found out it's docked at the length of a rottweiler pup tail. Alongside, taildocking in general is no longer practiced in the other countries such as the U.K. I ask the owner if they will be keeping the pups as a pet, or do they have other reasons for the tail docking since i told them it's not necessary if it will be kept as pets. The owner just wanted to conform with the breed standard, and prevent tail-hair-rump area problems in the future. Since the pups are just 4 days-old, docking them was the perfect time.

Sleepy and Tailless! ^^

just gor my ptr :)

Cool! i didn't expect their service to be super fast ^^ i arrived at the Valenzuela City Hall (new building) at around 2:30 p.m. The receptionist that day was super friendly, upon seeing me even if she was still assisting another guy, smiled then said "How may i help you?" . If that were another I'd just be ignored. I told her i need to pay PTR and she addressed me to go to counter 14 or 15. The line was not that long, but there were several people ahead of me. i thought it'll take me some time... but to my surprise after just staying less than ten minutes in line it was already my turn to pay. and since i lost my receipt last year (luckily i have memorized the number), the nice middle-age lady just typed my previous ptr number, traced it and i was around 2:50p.m.

i hope they continue their hassle free services :) maybe not every department can offer that, but at least there's still some around trying to. so i got home early and have been given more time to sleep :)

Visit their site

Suspected Hip dysplasia in a German Shepherd pup

As early as 3-months, this male German Shepherd pup has already manifested signs of hip dysplasia. Note it's tell-tale signs:

Fig. 1 Posterior View

Fig. 1  The not-so-symmetrical stance , also evident are it's metatarsals are supposed to be posterior, not plantar

Fig. 2 Left Lateral View

Fig. 2 Note that the hip area is much lower than the back on it's normal stand. The pup seems to be having trouble in supporting it's own posterior body.

This poor pup was taken to the clinic because they just bought the dog for a lot of money, and then the seller claimed that this dog was 'perfectly normal'. >< 

Diagnostics were not performed... the buyer returned the dog after check-up

Dogs 101 continued2 ^^

21. Dobermann

• bred to protect a taxpayer

22. Minipin

• for burrowing
• Terrier x Dachshund bloodline
• prone to diabetes

23. Irish Setter

• prone to cancer of the bone as other large breeds
• have large heart and lungs
• 'point-and-chase'
• can run terrains
• prone to intussusception/ bloat as other large breeds
• bloat is thought to be large amount of  air taken in causes stomach to twist
• for the active family

24. Whippet

• @speeds of 35 miles/ hour
• perfect for speed
• extension of the lims
• uses 'double-suspension gallop' (all 4 paws off the ground ) in running
• whip-like speed
• most popular of the sight hounds
• 250deg sight
• with seemingly night vision
• gare-like feet
• not prone to hip dysplasia

25. West Highland Terrier

• not a lap dog
• bred to clear vermins/ mines
• with double-layer white coat
• sheds outer coat (to shed dirt)
• cute but not for the creatures it chase :)
• white so that it is not accidentally shot in hunting
• strong-tail (you can hold them here to pull it if it gets stuck in a hole)
• vertebra of the tail = sacrum thickness
• prone to sunburn on ear tip

26. Great Dane

• "Apollo" of the dog world
• Though to retract ghosts
• one of the tallest dog
• height (proportionally long legs)
• Top of skull parallel to snout
• with broad chest
• couch potato
• with short life span of 7 1/2 year
• bloat is their # 1 disease (usually due to a full stomach then sudden activity)
• stomach not attached to rib cage therefore can twist
• lap dog :)

27. Yorkshire Terrier

• hypoallergenic
• with pharyngeal gag reflex (snort-like goose - trachea)
• intelligent
• bred to catch rats
• can learn very quickly
• always wants to be with you
• prone to teeth problem and gum disease
• with brittle bones

28. Bloodhound

• can smell over 12 day-old trails
• can be heard for miles
• with droopy jaws
• saggy skin/ prone to drooling
• saggy eyes
• ears are pendolous (carry/pick up trails)
• very active
• prone to skin problem and bloat

29. Rhodesian Ridgeback

• will stare death in eye
• immune to insect bites
• navy seal of the dog breeds
• a.k.a African lion dog
• bred to hunt lions in Africa
• with visible back ridge
• thick paddled feet to protect miles of walk
• can withstand heat (very durable)
• with strong framework
• suitable for atheletes
• prone to dermoid disease (hollow tube beneath the skin that needs to be removed)

30. Shih Tzu

• close to the wolf family
• from Tibet
• 'Lion- dog' - act as foot warmer
• every shih tzu can be traced to 14 ancestors
• - silky top coat and fluffy undercoat that keeps on growing
• large- round eyes
• with beard and  mustache
• with curved tail
• with top knot
• prone to kidney and eye problem
• needs about 40- 50 repetitions to train

31. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

32. Springer Spaniel

33. Collie

34. English Bulldog

35. Wirefox Terrier

36. Weimaraner

• pet of an artist in New York

37. Pug

• usually C.S.
• elongated palate ( prone to  breathing problem)
• face wrinkles with the Chinese character 'Prince' written
• curly Q-tail (2 full curls)
• bulging eyes
• easily adopts to owner's lifestyle
• prone to proptosis ( eye bulge)

38.  Soft- coated Wheaten Terrier

39. Maltese

40. Akita

• still primitive in attitude

41. Scottish Terrier

Dogs 101 continued ^^

i had to split the posts.... am so tired from work that i can't stay in the pc for long.

6. Poodle

• 2nd smartest breed
• comes in toy/ miniature/ standard sizes
• hair coat continues to grow (does not shed)
• proportionally long legs ( athletic activities)
• intelligent, easy to train
• prone to bloat and ear infection

7. Rottweiler

• can be aggressive or kind (depends on the training)
• needs a lot of traning
• bred to protect
• with 'iron jaw' @320 psi
• large skull ratio
• weak hips can be a problem
• one color
• very loyal

8. Boston Terriers

• " reverse sneeze" is normal
• with expressive face
• striking color marking
• " the gentlemen" - tux like coat
• gassy dog
• with respiratory issues

9. Basset Hound

• stubborn
• can be with back problems
• bones are dense
• bred to hunt rabbits
• with short legs, big paws and nose close to the ground
• big ears prone to infection; use to gather scent
• loose skin retain scent
• white tip tail easy to spot

10. Sharpei

• Wrinkling of the coat- to protect organs in dog fights
• "sand skin"
• blue black tongue - believed to ward off evil spirits
• naturally aggressive
• prone to eye diseases/ skin diseases/ allergy
• will remember your mistakes

11. St. Bernard

• avalanche rescue dog
• trail blazers (even if buried 20 feet under snow! )
• large paws are for digging
• loose skin under the jaw
• massive size
• sense avalanche for monks
• shed coat heavily (yearly; with oily coat)

12. Golden Retriever

• water - repellant coat
• webbed feet
• prone to hip dysplasia
• prone to lymphosarcoma

13. Vizsla

• loves running
• a pointer/ retriever dog
• called a 'velcro dog'
• with cat-like paws
• all iris
• all brown in color (no variation)
• "artistocrat of the dog world"

14.Pembrooke Welch Corgi

• Oldest herding dog
• with low body
• double coat enables it to herd in all condition
• natural bob/ docked tail to avoid injury

15. German Shepherd

16. Jack Russel Terrier

• can jump 5x its height

17. Beagle

• likes howling
• with especialized vocal cords to call

18. Boxer

• holds prey until its master arrives
• colors fawn/ brindle/ white (said to be deaf)
• bred for holding bears
• highest incidence of cancer

19. Bichon Frise (pronounced 'fri-sey' )

• short fur/ short curly haired dog
• bred for circus/ hunting
• double - coat/ hypoallergenic
• non- shedder/ grows continously

20. Newfoundland

• 'life-guards'
• retrieves at water
• 'nurses' children
• big size (to save)
• large bones and muscle
• enormous lung
• thick oily double coat
• specialized mouth to breath in water
• swims differently from other dogs

Dogs 101 1st episode

i love watching Dogs 101 from the Animal Planet... i never missed an episode from the 1st season :) i took notes while watching each episode as a quick summary, highlighting some important stuffs about each breed. but of course, can't catch them all :) just a quick personal post : (oh yeah they're not arranged alphabetically.... they're by episodes)


 1. French bulldog

• prone to respiratory and reproductive problems because of their anatomy
• great family dog
• "the Boss"

2. Airedale Terrier

• " The King"
• largest of the terriers
• non- shed double layer coat
• intelligent, needs lots of exercise
• with high tolerance in pain

3. Labrador Retriever

• named from the sea
• with webbed paws, otter-like tail, layered coat
• soft-mouth that can carry an egg without cracking it
• great ability to learn work
• prone to hip dysplasia

4. American Foxhound

5. Chihuahua

• native to Mexico
• loves to be the center of attention
• with an enormous brain in proportion to its body
• with radar ears
• presence of molera
• protective of owner
• prone to dislocation of the knee caps
• sensitive to hot and cold environments