Baxter & Cinamon |
My husband contracted MRSA, 3weeks following hip replacement surgery on August 28th. When we took him to the hospital we left some soiled bandages on the couch. When I came home after he was admitted the soiled bandages were chewed up and scattered all over the house. We have two Dalmatians. Baxter is 9 and Cinnamon is 8. I did a google search and looked to see if MRSA could be spread to dogs from people.
In addition to finding some web sites indicating transmission was possible, I found the Bella Moss Foundation site and started talking to Jill Moss. She gave me excellent advise and I took both dogs to the vet, indicating they might be contagious. A week later Cinnamon came back as positive but the other dog was negative. A week later Baxter was sick, but Cinnamon remained health but testing positive for MRSA. Both dogs were given multiple antibiotics. Eventually Cinnamon cleared and Baxter cleared after Cinnamon as given gentramycine intranasally. My home was professionally disinfected and parts were remodeled. My husband is awaiting surgery to replace his hip. As far as I can determine this is the first case of human to dog transmission from soiled bandages.
Margaret McNicholl (Santa Clarita, California)
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Flash |
Flash - March 14, 2000 - November 7, 2006
Flash was born in 2000. He was neutered at age 2 and has had urinary tract problems ever since. He may have even contracted MRSA at this surgery because I remember him taking a lot of antibiotics for a hard to cure bacterial infection (my vet’s words). When we went on vacation in September he seemed fine. The day after we got home, September 25 2006, he could not pee. This never happened before. We took him to the vet and they said he had bladder stones and that he had to have surgery to save his life. Also, the surgery that he had to have was called an urethrostomy. They completely rerouted his urinary tract. I have been going to for 20+ years and trusted the vets completely.
Two days after his surgery, he started bleeding profusely through this new opening after urinating. MY vet was away. We took Flash to another hospital and this vet put him on Rimadyl and the bleeding stopped after one day. She said he probably was just inflamed. A week or so went back and Flash was not able to pee again. Back to his regular vet and they catherized him and said he still had some post-op swelling then again he was ok for a few days. Then, not able to pee again. He began this routine of just lying around and panting all of the time. I asked the vet about the panting and he said that he was just anxious. This went on for several weeks, we took him and had to have him catherized to get him to pee. After a while I noticed that his eyes were turning yellow and he was running a fever. At this point, I asked our vet to sign a release so that we could take him to the Virginia Tech Teaching Animal Hospital. He spoke with them on the phone and they recommended that a sterile urine culture be taken first. We took Flash in the first thing the next morning and they drew urine out of his bladder with a syringe and sent it off for testing.
The next day, Flash wasn't able to pee again. They said to bring him in and they would put him on a liquid drip and catherize him again. That night we went to visit him at the vet hospital was the last time. Flash died in the middle of the night. Two days after he died, the culture came back positive for MRSA.
My Flash is gone after six weeks of uncalled for suffering and after only living for six short years. He was the absolute best dog. He was a beautiful dog. He was a graduate of obedient school and was the most intelligent dog I had ever had. He also very loved. He would kiss and kiss you. He was also the most playful dog I ever had. He was always bringing his toys to you for you to play with him. Everyone loved him who met him and that was because he loved everyone he met. He was so special.
I found out about the Bella Moss Foundation over the internet while I was researching MRSA in pets. Jill was so very nice to me and let me tell her about my Flash and let me cry. MRSA is a horrible way for pets to go and I truly hope that the foundation in time can stop this senseless dying.
Carol Fisher, Charleston WV USA
Carol Fisher (Charleston, WV USA)
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Judge |
Thankfully I was recommended to Jill and the Bella Moss Foundation through Yvonne the puppy trainer that was helping me with my Great Dane, called Judge. Judge has been with my family since he was 8 weeks old. January 1st 2007 he was running chasing a ball and suddenly went lame. The vet told us he had a ruptured and had severed his cruciate ligament in both his hind legs but the left leg was more severe.
They recommended 2 hospitals both had a waiting time of 4 weeks plus. So we decided to take the first appointment. We were advised to go ahead straight away with a TPLO and that Judge would stay in the vet 3 days and then come home and rest and recover. It did not turn out this way. Judge was not ready for me to collect for 1 week as his wound was still bleeding, which I was told, was nothing to worry about. Finally, I collected him and bought him home the kids were very excited to see him and kissed and cuddled him. I noticed within a couple of hours of being home his wound did not seem correct to me and went straight to my local vet to have him assessed. They decided to put staple stitches in to close the wound. A few hours later I was not convinced as the wound was not clear and I drove straight back to where he had the operation.
I was told they would keep him in and do blood tests and put a drain in his leg, as there seemed to be a lump of fluid there. It took 5 days to get the results back when I was told MRSA! I was in shock as had only heard of this in hospitals for humans and knew that if bad could lead to death.
I rang Yvonne who put me straight on to Jill. Jill was a mind of information comforting and calming me down, and telling me what information I needed to know from the vet. Jill also told me what procedures needed to be carried out to get the MRSA under control.
After many weeks of antibiotic beads placed back inside the leg and constant drainage Judge came home. We nursed him and monitored him with sterile gloves until it had been 16 weeks since the operation when we finally could take out all the metal plates and check there was no MRSA there.
It was a long 6 months for Judge to fully recover and thanks to Jill and the Bella Moss Foundation with all their support of emails and telephone calls kept us strong and now Judge is over the worst.
Thanks Tracey and family x London
Tracy & Family (London)
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Mr Beebs |
Mr Beebs had a torn ACL. I had heard that this new procedure called a TPLO would be a permanent solution to our problems. Expensive but nothing was too much for my Mr Beebs.I decided to meet with the surgeon who explained the procedure but never mentioned any complications that might ensue. It sounded wonderful. We went in on 06/06/06. I should have known it would turn out bad. They kept Beebs in there for several days and finally I was able to take him home to recoup and get that back leg working well again. He had to be leashed walked everywhere...and I mean everywhere including inside the house for 8 weeks. About ten days into this I noticed a serum oozing out of his incision. It was hot to the touch and the dog was lethargic and moody. I looked closer and a track opened up in that incision sight and reddish brown smelly serum came flowing out of it. I took him quickly back to the surgeon. He said it was the tissue rubbing against the metal plate and that was normal and nothing to be alarmed about. The next week the oozing got even more foul smelling. One week before I was too leave the dog was prostrate on the ground, unable to stand and had the glazed look of pain in his eyes. I was hysterical. I called the surgeon once again. It was no use his return call never came. I asked a vet tech friend of mine to come over. She took one look and said he is suffering get him to the emergency hospital now.
Mr Beebs was in the week before the surgeon had ordered a culture and sensitively report. I don't think he ever read it because he kept us on a treatment program that was useless in the face of the results. We kept on the anti biotic's he had prescribed although they didn't seem to be doing any good at all. Finally. I called my regular vet who was deeply concerned and took the dog into the hospital where he was sedated and a deep culture taken. What came back changed our world. It was enterobacter cloacae. It was resistant to just about everything .The vet called the lab back and begged them to give me some hope...after all there must be something that can kill it. I had to inject his muscle with a 25 gauge needle which horrified me. It was an inch and a half long and tapered and thick time. What if I did it wrong? I thought. 4 months later and I was now finding it harder and harder to even find a muscle not so calcified that I could penetrate it with a needle. I had to look for other places near his neck, on his rump. I was studying anatomy charts to make sure I knew where it was safest. I couldn't bring him to the vet’s office 3 times a day...I had to do it myself. The drug cost me $800.00 per ten days of use. After about 2 solid weeks of injections ....The wound started closing I was so happy...we were killing it!
But....as soon as the injections stopped (with in 5 days) the track in his incision opened up and globs of thick smelly pus oozed out of his leg. I then was told by my vet to take a needle nose syringe fill it with an antiseptic solution and every 4 hours blast it up into the track and flush the debris from the leg. It was a horrendous job and the stuff was flying everywhere. Because Scar tissue had formed at the site and the plate and screws were the best hiding place a bacteria could ever ask for. I had no idea the nightmare I had stepped into. There was never any hope of saving that leg. I know that now. The plate broke 6 months after it was put in. A week before Christmas 2006, 2 screws broke off into the bone and were never able to be removed. The leg was in shambles and so was I.
Mr Beebs has had 13 surgeries ...none of which did much good at all. The bacteria had colonized in the screw holes and there was no blood supply to the bone so they continued to wreak havoc on the leg. It was eating its way through his leg. My last ditch attempt came back in May of 2007. I drove for 2 days to the University of Georgia to meet the team who were doing beading implants for super bugs and osteomilistus. The surgeon had placed a hybrid fixator on his leg which held the bone together by big bolts that went right through his leg. I had to clean around the bolts and screws every single day 3 times a day to keep more infection from getting into the holes. I had to pad the sharp edges that were pointed enough to rip upholstery and clothing on contact. If it hit his skin it would rip into it. I had bolts of cotton I stuffed in there to protect him. I had cotton swabs full of antiseptic I would swirl around the open holes in his flesh and bones. The drug that they had implanted was so powerful that the only way you can use it is with permission from the CDC (Center for disease control). After ten days the beads were removed and beads made of imipenam cilastastin were implanted. I stopped all the shots and held my breath a year plus has passed and I was $50,000. out in expenses and no closer to salvation. With in five days the incision opened up and began to drain. I knew I had lost. The battle was over. I had done all science could offer and I could not kill the bacteria and save his leg. I finally gave permission to amputate. I saw Mr Beebs walking away into the hospital to have his leg that had only had a torn ligament cut away from him forever. I had brought Mr Beebs in to help him but instead had brought so much suffering into his life.
Today he has 3 legs and I'd like to say it’s been just terrific but that would be a lie. He wobbles and falls and I carry him everywhere. Up and down stairs in the truck. Massage him, give him injections. I have done everything I can and it seems my best isn't good enough. The moral of the story
ASK QUESTIONS TO YOUR VET. The Bella Moss Foundation is a place for pet owners to find support and advice about infections in animals – take this information and challenge your vets.
Lor Fogler USA
Lor Fogler (USA)
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