Caring for an MRSA infected pet at home

Annette Loeffler (MRCVS) answers questions on caring at home for a pet infected with MRSA. You can download this guidance sheet by clicking on the link below

Download annette_loeffler_advice_pets_at_home.pdf

Comments

[Carmen Saphos]

I have a 3 year old german shepherd and he has had infected dermititis now for the second time. He originally went on an antibiotic that was given 4x a day...very difficult. We stopped it early as the infection resolved. I have been having skin breakouts as well ..treated for msra but have never been swabbed. I am currently on keflex for another infection and now I see it again ..in my dog's private area. My dog has also had loose stools for weeks, was tested for parasites which was negative. Can MRSA cause loose stools? Also, my vet is going to do blood work to see if my dog's pancreas is functioning properly...can this be related to a MRSA infection? Thank you for your help. C. Saphos

[susan shultz]

My three year old golden lab/great dane miz has been on four different antibiotics over the last four months for his resistant staph infection. It was initially on his tummy and chest and paws, now still in his paws. They are swollen and bleeding and we just can't seem to kick this infection. Has anyone used the New Zealand honey. I am thinking of trying it. Thanks.

[cathy mc glone]

Hi, I got back the results from the vet she says its not MRSA,She said it is a skin infection cant rem the name of it she put her on Clindacyl 75 Mg two tabs twice daily, I have to bring her back in two weeks this is her forth day on the tabs she dose not seem any better yet she just sleeps all the time her leg seems to be sore wonder should she be on pain killers it still weeps a bit she licks it a lot would it do her any harm.The Vet did say it prob would take maybe four to six weeks for it to clear so maybe is it to soon for me to see an improvement in her.Thanks a lot for your last email the website infirmation helped a lot. Thanks again...

[cathy mc glone]

i have a wire fox terrier,she is nine months old,she had a spay operation on the 11th feb her wond healed well then about six weeks later she has lump vet said it was her lymnote gland her hind leg broke out in sors weeping she has been on 3 differant antibiotics and was no better so i took her to another vet they have sent away swops from the wonds an an did blood culturs i am still waiting for the results should be back next week.i am worried about her she is not well,now i have her in the house all the time she is a real pet,i am worried would we be at risk,or what should i do,the vet said she might have mrsa,what do you think i should do im so worried.

[Miriam]

Hi,
My golden retriever had an spay operation on 3 May and 4 weeks later she was diagnosed with MRSA. She has taken already 3 different antibiotics and yesterday was prescribed Antirobe 150mg twice a day plus cleaning the wound with Hibiscrub twice a day as well.
She is more and less her normal self. She lost 3 1/5 since the operation. She has 2 stiches still open and discharging.I changed vets as after 2 1/2 from the operation.The question is how I care for her and for my husband and myself. Can we get it. Is Canela's (my dog) treatment the right one?

[Samantha]

I was diagnosed with cellulitis about 2 1/2 weeks ago. This week I found out that I have MRSA. I have been on Bactrium the entire time.
My English Bulldog was having some problems at the same time. She was passing bloody pus. It was not time for her heat. Then she started urinating in the house (she is 5 years old and house broken). The vet put her on Keflex and I am to bring her back in a week. The blood has stopped, but she is still having some kind of drainage. Could I have given her MRSA?

[Tom]

I just got a call from my vet telling me that my 11 year old cocker has mrsa on his neck. he was at the vet 4 days ago with a infection on his neck. It was swabbed and the result was mrsa.
I have cleaned my home with bleach water and sprayed Lysol on my carpets. Will Lysol work?
Is there anything more I can do to insure I have my home safe for me? I know to use gloves when it treat the dogs wound. the vet is searching for the right treatment at this time

Thank you

[ebtahi98]

Hi this is a hard one -- I got into an accident in june a major car accident so after 3 mos of coma surgeries and rehab im home for 2 mos(still have a broken leg broken) then im back in the hosp for 2 weeks and low and behold I got mrsa. ( I dont know how Im well versed on sterile techs and so on)Im home now and about 2 mos ago I noticed that my dog is constaintally licking his rear paws. Hes a 3 yr old shepard and in perfect health ,but he had a blister and an open wound on his rear paws .. I took one of those sattalite dish looking things and put it around his neck so he stops licking it and it got better but its still there ,, Im worried that I dont want him catching mrsa from me and so on.. I need to watch his paws and wrap them and see what happens for a few days - it just not sitting well with me ... Any Info is more then welcomed ebtahi98@yahoo.com

[Alison]

since june last year 2007, my husband and daughter have had several abcess like infections on their face, which were treated with antibiotics however no tests were done and the doctors weren't interested. since january 2008 i have had 3 of these abcessses on my leg and lower back of which the second i had removed and sent to microbiology, the tests confirmed i had staph aureus and the third has also proved the same. we have now all had 2 lots of swabs taken to find the carrier. first set came back negative and are awaiting second set of results. we have a number of cats and dogs and an african grey parrot all of which are in good health, just curious if they could be the cause and if possible what do we do? having read the other comments we are aware that we can pass it onto an unwell pet. we are just desperate for an answer

[sonya]

how can a dog get mrsa from a human? my dogs dont and never had open wounds so is there any other way to get? i have been battling mrsa for a while now i had surgery been on all kinds of med including picc line for about a month great mrsa free for only two months now it came back again what do i do now its controling my life really bad thanks sonya

[Megan]

Is there any way to test to accurately diagnois that the pet does not have MRSA, or shedding it? Onc he has an infection, can it ever be completely cured, with no future risk?

[Megs]

Hi, my name is Megs. I am a Vet Tech in Mesa, Az. We have currently had a pet surrendered to our hospital. At first we had thought it had been bitten by a brown recluse spider. Afetr sending in a biopsy, it turns out the sweet thing has MRSA. My vets are a little at a loss. We were treating with Pred, but stopped as soon as we could after recieveing the results, and some other antibiotics. He's currently on Doxycycline. His back is mostly healed up, after many treatment of bandages with honey on it. And he's started to grow some fur back.

I really am thinking about adopting him. He's less than a year, and I'm afraid without someplace to go soon, the doctors may start to look at "other" options. Can you tell I love the little fella? My fear with the MRSA, is that I have excema - thus brings on my concerns of getting MRSA. Also, I have a 14 year old senior cocker spaniel, who is prone to ear infection (so has open areas ripe for bacteria).We've been having trouble finding out about MRSA, and I just stubbled onto this site. Prior to Angus, I new nothing about MRSA, so I'm still learning.

Thanks
Megs & Angus

[Erin]

I have a 3 year old, female black labrador retriever. Her name is Grace. She has had a bad ear infection, in both ears, for almost 3 months now. I have taken her to the vet many times. They have put her on 3 different kinds of antibiotics, none doing anygood, and her only getting worse.

Since then, my husband, daughter and one of my sons has contracted MRSA Staph infections numerous times. We have spent so much time and money in and out of ER's and doctor's offices.

I am concerned that Grace also has MRSA Staph. And considering she has been dealing with this bad infection in her ears for some time, am concerned that it might be in her blood stream. She has not exhibited any symptoms of fever, vomiting, etc. Just the acute itching, foul smell, etc coming from her ears.

We have been cleaning her ears out regularly, making sure to keep them dry (since these types of breeds have deep ear canals which don't receive appropraite fresh air). We use apple cider vinegar, aloe vera gel and tea tree oil (which has been tested to kill MRSA stpah). I just found that oil of oregano is safe to give dogs, to use as an alternative to traditional antibiotics. And also read about cinnamon also being a good alternative to antibiotics.

so, I wanted to share that information with all of you. I will be starting Grace on the Oil of Oregano Pills, as well as the Cinnamon immediately. And will continue the topical treatment of her ears with ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) as well as alo vera gel and tea tree oil.

I pray she gets over this soon. If anyone would like to contact me you can find me at www.myspace.com/busymammaof3 or at www.erins-custom-creations.com.

Sincerely,
Erin

[Bobbi]

A few years ago my male cat had a small wound on his neck that developed into a staphylococcus infection. It eventually became huge and he had to go to the University Veterinarian hospital to have it cleaned up and for the next 3 years we fought the infection, finally with success. I am now wondering if it was MRSA and have emailed my veterinarian to see what his records show. IF it was MRSA, what are the chances that he could now be a carrier of it and pass it on to me in the form of a urinary tract infection?

[Michelle Priest]

I have a 10 month old german shephard rottweiler cross, Zak, who has just been diagnosed with mrsa and will be starting specific antibiotics tomorrow after his vet appointment. He recently had surgery for a fractured leg, the area around the stitches became infected and did not clear up after been treated with standard antibiotics. Could you let me know the risk of my other two dogs catching this and also the possibility of myself and family members catching it? We are all in close contact constantly. Apart from careful hand washing are there other precautions that we should be taking? I will also be taking my other dogs to be checked. Do you think it will be necessary for a swab to be taken from them?

[Paulette]

My dog was diagnosed with MRSA after 6 years of going back and forth to the vet with skin break-outs. They treated him over and over with all different antibiotics that improved it but it never went completely away and then eventually would return. I saw that some of the infected areas did indeed look like ringworm. I cannot understand how a vet could continue to treat something that they did not even do cultures on. Especially when I kept returning with the exact same problem. I finally took him to a dermotologist for animals. That is all his practice does. He did cultures on every one of the affected areas and determined that it was MRSA. He put my dog on an antibiotic last August and I thought we had really beaten the MRSA, but now here it is May and the infection has returned to just his lower lip and above one eye. I had surgery in September 2007 and they tested me and I tested positive for MRSA as a carrier. They treated it with the nasal antibiotics prior to being admitted for my operation. My husband was admitted to the hospital with a MRSA infection and stayed for 3 days on interveinious antibiotics. My grandchild was diagnosed with it and treated. My daughter has it but denies it. She breaks out in these horrible large boils all over her body, including her face. Now I have another appointment with the skin doctor for my dog on Wednesday. I guess he will have to go through the treatment again. But my question is; what are these very powerful antibiotics doing to his organs and what health he has left? I just lost a dog to cancer and cannot bear to loose another one.This crap is the nastiest stuff I have ever seen and the medical field treats it like it is a COMMON COLD. All of you VETS, WAKE UP. Test all skin problems for possible MRSA. Don't make any more of us go through this.

Not very happy right now, Paulette

[Nan Stegall]

I recently had incisional hernia surgery. About 2 weeks post surgery, part of the incision developed MRSA. I'm wondering what to do. I am being treated with a PICC line and Vancomycin but I have 8 dogs, and I am a Registered Veterinary Technician getting ready to go back to work. My Infectious Disease doctor has said that it is okay to go back to work, just to keep the area covered and wash hands alot (which we do anyway). I'm getting more scared about this MRSA, the more I read about it.

[jill moss]

please do get in touch with me for advise as I cant respond here on the website the space is too limited
info@thebellamossfoundation.com
07860 879079

[Alan]

I have 4 1/2year old Bulldog he has been diagnosed with MRSA after a skin biopsy. He has since last July been treated with ALL of the known (usual antibiotics)and a few unknown to me at the time. he is presently on a regimen of chloramphenicol and requires a blood test every two weeks(to ensure that the medicine,which is very powerful)is not damaging his kidneys. A lot of Vets are not sure how to treat it. Whilst your vet is deciding what to do. TAKE ACTION. YOUR PET MAY BE IN REAL DIRE STRAITS. Get a biopsy and remember all of the usual antibiotics dont work.

[Maren Esch]

I recently came across the Bella Moss Foundation while reading the Whole Dog Journal. Wondering if there is any connection to ringworm. My Cattle Dog has a circular rough patch on the side of his nose, after playing with a dog who has reoccurring open lesions on his face (and struggling with lethargy) and was recently diagnosed with and treated (ivermectin) for Lice. Can ringworm be misdiagnosed as MRSA? And how concerned should I be for my ACD?

We are now treating him with colloidal silver (topically & orally), as well as coconut oil. And debating to also add Oil of Oregano plus pro biotics. Could this overwhelm his system?

As a Vet Tech i'm in shock at the lack of info out there about this infection. Saddened by the thought of dogs being misdiagnosed and suffering.

Thank you so much for this website. And what an amazing way to Honor the memory of Bella.

[jill moss]

I have responded to all comments personally and sent information sheets
If you do not have a reply from me please email
info@thebellamossfoundation.com

[Bonnie Barbieri]

I have an English Mastiff and a Newfoundland. I have just been diagnosed with MRSA. My newfie has a bacterial infection in her ears (black smelly goop) and the vet gave us a cleaner and some drops. Could she have staph? I have a med to put inside my nostrils(?). Is it safe for me to be around people? I'm quite concerned.

[Lisa]

my dad recently contracted mrsa and although there are many helpful sites about this in humans there are non about pets that i can find....my dog is a 10 yr old cross terrier and she has had a wart on her head for a long time she then scratched it and it has become an open wound i am very worried if my dog can catch mrsa from my dad...please can anyone help i am loosing sleep about this worrying so much please help!!!

[Gina Richardson]

My husband and I adopted a Terrier after Katrina who was injured by another animal. Her cheek was actually taken off resulting in nerve damage and a large open wound that could not be closed. She captured our heart so for the past 2 years we have doctored her face and it is almost closed but she has developed MRSA. The wound is on a place that we cannot keep a bandage on so it it open. If we had not adopted her, she was going to be put to sleep. We are very lucky to have her and would do anything to get her well. She will always have nerve damage in her face but it adds to her character. Oh by the way, her name is Skrypi Lou (Scrappy Lou) but a diva deserves a diva name. Any suggestions on our home care will be appreciated.

[Jo De Soto]

My fox terrier is diabetic, takes two insulin shots a day. He now also has staph infection. He was on Clavamox for 30 days, the pustules cleared up doing that process. 3 days after completing the 30 day treatment he broke out again. The Vet now has put him on Cephlexin twice daily. A culture was sent to a lab they said my pet has staph infection would they be able to determine if it is MRSA and wouldn't they tell me if it could be transferred to humans or other animals?

[anonymous]

I am wondering what the symptoms of mrsa in a dog would be? Would it cause a seizure?

[l. deforge]

my boyfriend has recently given me mrsa.(thanx a**hole) but, what really concerns me is my dog. since i've caught it, obviously we're not being careful enough. we wash our hands constantly, sanitize things daily, don't share personal items, etc. is there anything more we can do to ensure my dog doesn't get it?!

[Jill Moss President of The Bella Moss Foundation]

Amanda I have replied to you via your personal email and please note that as soon as a question arrives all responses will be peronal

[Carrie]

if thys shyt was found in 1961 then y r they jus now tellin people about it????

[Amanda]

I have a 2 year old pitbull named athena she has always been a very healthy dog up untill just about 2 months ago I moved from Fla to NC and about a week after moving into my new home i noticed small pimple like bumps on the top of ther head and they soon progressed into "blood blisters" and burst on there own she now has many of them in her "arm pits" on both her back and front legs as well as her neck and most of her tummy . i have treated her with Frontline and also Happy Jack mange medication i purchased at a local feed store . I also switched her food to Nutro just in case it was a food allergie . i am completly stummped could this be MRSA ?? If anyone has any idea what this may be please e-mail me i would be glad to send a pic if needed

Thank you so much
Amanda
North Carolina

[Cara Fletcher]

I have two pets at home and try to be informed for everything concerning their health so I'll download this to see it.

[Angela Akehurst]

I have got MRSA my toe is rotting and i may lose it the bug is also in other areas i have been told i am very sick with it. I have 2 cats which are unwell with sneezing which they have had for months and the vet does not know the cause could this be MRSA. I also have an African grey parrot which has a bactiral infection which affects her breathing she is very poorly could this be MRSA?. I also have 2 pug dogs 1 with constant breathing trouble due to larunce collapse can i make her worse with my MRSA before I knew i had MRSA my dogs would not leave my bad toe alone sometimes licking it. I am very concerned they could catch MRSA CAN THEY????

[Lisa]

I have a dog that we have adopted from the pound.....about two weeks after we got her we noticed both of our children have had spider bite holes on thetre legs when we took them to the doctor we descovered that they had MRSA could they have gotten it from the dog?

[Brian & Lisa]

I was diagnosed with MRSA as well as my boyfriend. We have both been on medicine, Clindamedicine. Now, my Weimeriner seems to be tired all the time and her eyes are red. I had read an article that someone had written about their Weimeriner who had contracted MRSA and almost lost the her sight in one of her eyes. Apparently, both the owners had been diagnosed with MRSA. I was wondering if this might be why my Weimeriner eyes are red and appear to be bothing her?

[amber therrell]

My husband and I have both been diagnosed iith mrsa he has been hosbitalized twice with infection.We just can not get rid of it an to make matters worse our jack russel has been scratching one area on her back for about a month now. She has made it raw, so we took her to the vet he said it was a staph infection could these be related? She is a house dog an sleeps with us every night.We also have a lab pup about 6 months old that has broke out with big pockets of pus under his chin that won't go away at first we thought he had gotten into ant's but now I'm not so sure what do you think?

[Lori]

I was diagnosed with MSRA on 11/29/05 after suffering from infection after infection since emergency surgery on 9/20/05. I am currently on:
Cubicin 500mg/ns 100ML Add-a-vial
Once a day
Rifampin 300mg One tablet twice daily

I have a 6 year old tabby cat that is attached to me 24/7. She lays on me, sleeps with me and is near me constantly. I just took her in to the vet as she has been scratching and licking for no apparent reason. He discovered a bacterial infection in one of her ears and it is being treated with Synotic/Baytril 3 drops twice a day in infected ear. She was also given a prednisone shot to calm down the licking and itching but has developed hair loss due to the fact, along the base of her spine, close to the end of her tail.

I am now wondering if there is any possible connection between myself, my cat and MRSA.

Is this something I should notify my vet about? I had not mentioned my MRSA when I took my cat to see him.

I would appreciate any response.

Thank you
Lori
Southern California