Pets with MRSA superbug infection: MRSA in dogs cats animals

Winter-Spring 2007 Update

Download winterspring_07_update.pdf

Allowing Animals Dying of MRSA a Proper Cremation

The Bella Moss Foundation has voiced serious concerns about new regulations from the Environmental Agency that are causing uncertainty and concern within the veterinary profession as well as to pet owners’ groups and charities.

The regulations, which concern the classification and disposal of hazardous waste, came into effect in July 2005 but have yet to be enforced fully because of a lack of clarity on how they should be interpreted.

 

August Editorial

The Bella Moss Foundation had laid out the changes it wants to see brought in by the Government in modernising the Veterinary Surgeons Act. Modernisation is long overdue, and in suggesting that the 1966 Act is inadequate to deal with the complexities of the modern veterinary world The Foundation is not to make any criticism of the profession itself. This is a purely Governmental matter, and whilst The Foundation agree with Defra that the veterinary professional should take the lead in modernisation, we also believe that the Government should take responsibility for its own role; that of putting a new Act before Parliament.

Modernising the old Act is a complex procedure. The changes we would like to see are:

Spring 2006 Update

New Vice Patron
We are exceptionally pleased to announce that Peter Purves has agreed to become Honorary Vice patron of The Bella Moss Foundation and has endorsed this statement on our behalf: “MRSA is going to become a serious problem for companion animals if we don’t take action now, and we need as much information about it as we can get. The Bella Moss Foundation is taking the lead in bringing support and awareness to pet owners and vets on this emerging problem and I am pleased to be associated with their work.”

He first sampled fame in 44 episodes of Doctor Who before his 10 years in the brilliant children's TV programme Blue Peter. Peter has since presented numerous TV series including Kickstart, Superdogs, Stopwatch, and Babble as well as remaining very active in the theatre and having many outside interests. Among dog lovers Peter is well known for his association with Crufts, which he has presented for the BBC for 28 years, and he will present some of the major dog events in the UK throughout 2006 including All About Dogs (Brentwood, May); The Royal Bath and West of England Show (Shepton Mallet, June); The Wag and Bone Show (Windsor, Sept); Discover Dogs (Earl's Court, Nov); and two events for Guide Dogs for the Blind (one in July at Warwick, and a Dogathon in Bristol at the end of May in conjunction with Blue Peter). 

All of those involved in the work of The Bella Moss Foundation are extremely grateful for Peter’s support.   Peter Purves

The Blue Cross
The Bella Moss Foundation is being joined by Anette Loeffler, a vet undertaking her PhD at the Royal veterinary College (and associate of professor David Lloyd), to deliver a series of teaching sessions to trainee staff at The Blue Cross Animal Welfare Charity. Anette will concentrate on the clinical aspects of identifying MRSA infections and their treatment, and we will speak on the need for vets and pet owners to communicate effectively in order to get the best levels of care for animals.

The first of these takes place in London with more around the country to follow. we expect that The Blue Cross will only be the first of a number of organisations interested in hearing about the issue from Anette and ourselves, and we are grateful to Dick Voight at The Blue Cross for putting us in touch with the right people.

The Bella Moss Foundation Goes International
Over the last nine months or so we have had increasing contact from pet owners in the US worried about how MRSA can affect animals but unable to find helpful information. One of the people we have developed a close relationship with is KIM BLOOMER, and Kim has now been appointed our official US Representative.

Kim is a natural pet care educator, host of the online radio show Animal Talk Naturally, proficient blogger on natural pet health online, pet news editor for a print magazine in Montana and co-author of the book Whole Health for the Happy Dog (April 2006 release).

She has and continues to do extensive research into natural health care for dogs and cats and is currently enrolled in the Clayton College of Natural Health studying for a Bachelor of Science in Holistic Nutrition/Doctor of Naturopathy. Kim will carry The Foundation’s message to vets and pet owners in the United States where, it seems, there is even less awareness than there is over here.

Kim Bloomer with one of her tail-waggin friends

Crufts 2006
It really didn’t seem a year since we were last at Crufts, but here it was again and there we were. Like last year we really didn’t see any dogs, but we saw plenty of reporters and company reps as well as many of the friends we had stayed in touch with since last year. Of these, Chris Laurence of The Dogs Trust was again a source of great support and advice, and he introduced us to the founder of The Dogs Trust, Clarissa Baldwin. Clarissa is a tremendous role model and we hope she will be made a proper Dame sooner rather than later!  

Jill with Clarissa Baldwin (Founder and President) and Chris Laurence (Veterinary Director) Dogs Trust

We also met with Nick Mays, Chief Reporter, and Vince Hogan, Editor, of Our Dogs. Vince and Nick have both been extremely supportive of our work and included large items about The foundation in both the Crufts edition of the paper and the 2006 Annual; many thanks to everyone at Our Dogs. Our Dogs were also kind enough to allow us to use their stand to receive a donation from the Samoyed owners who had raised the money through a raffle on the first day of Crufts. The prize was a cuddly dog won by Samantha Critchley of Chester who immediately named it Bella, and Charlotte Craig presented the cheque, for £117 pounds.

Charlotte is another of people we met last year at Crufts and who has worked hard to raise money and awareness for The Foundation. This was the second donation Charlotte has organised and we can only give her and all the owners who put gave money a huge ‘Thank You’.

Jill and Mark receiving the cheques from Charlotte Craig. From L to R …owner of Our Dogs, Jill, Vince Hogan, Editor, Our Dogs, Charlotte and Mark

Of Course, we couldn’t have done anything at Crufts without the help of Phil Buckley External Affairs Manager of The Kennel Club who arranged all the access for us. Phil has been another great supporter of The Foundation, and has suggested that next year we get sponsorship for a stand. These cost around £1500 to charities so we need to start making arrangements right away. If anyone knows of a company or individual willing to sponsor a stand, do let us know and many thanks to Phil for his support and help.

This year at Crufts saw our first volunteer join us at an event. Cheryl Bursten, whose companion, Rupert, died from the effects of MRSA in 2004, joined us on the Saturday to take our message to the owners exhibiting their dogs. It was great to meet Cheryl for the first time although we have been in touch with her regularly since she first contacted us, and she did a great job speaking informally to the people showing their dogs. Thanks, Cheryl, we know exactly how you feel.  

Jill and Cheryl

Lastly we want to say a big ‘Thank You’ to Quistel. and in particular Robert Klass, have been incredibly supportive, and covered the cost of printing 4000 brochures for Crufts that they distributed with their own literature. In the end they gave away around 3000 copies, and people who found out about us through their stand have already contacted us. Thanks to Robert and the rest of his great team. It was a good experience to be at Crufts again, and it was amusing how many people asked Jill if she was the ‘Bella Moss’ they had heard about  

Your Dog Editor Sarah Wright with Jill Dr Harley Farmer of NewGenn with Jill    Cheryl, Robert Killick (Our Dogs Columnist), Jill, Anne and Nick Mays (Our Dogs)

1st International Conference on MRSA in Animals
Since becoming the only lay member on Defra’a antimicrobial resistance Darc sub group Jill has made contacts and now we are busy making preparations for a conference in June at Liverpool University, which we are co-hosting with the University of Liverpool.  It has been a hard task asking companies for money but sponsors have come forward for various aspects of the event and we hope that Dr Phil Hammond will be able to be our after-dinner speaker http://pcwww.liv.ac.uk/vetvirology/mrsaconference.htm

A flower in Bella’s memory
Last year we were looking to name a new flower after Bella, and we can now say that at Crowther’s Nursery in Romford a white clematis named Bella will soon be available to buy.  We are very pleased that Bella has been immortalised in this way and we hope that many will buy the Bella clematis as gifts for family and friends. To buy this gift for your friends and family please contact Jill at jill@pets-mrsa.com details will soon be available on the website.

More MRSA Deaths in dogs
Sadly this month we have heard of three more dogs that have died from the effects of MRSA. We are sorry for the loss of Max, aged 7 (Golden Retriever), Ben, 7 (Collie), and Foxy, 4 (Staffordshire Bull Terrier) whose lives were cut short by hospital acquired infections.  We are gratified that the vets in these cases have acknowledged the likelihood of the infection being acquired in the practice rather than simply denying the possibility and blaming the owners.

We also discovered the case of a dog that seems to have contracted MRSA in the kennels where it was boarded and developed a skin infection apparently from scratching itself. We can’t be absolutely certain how the infection occurred, but it shows the importance of making sure that our companion pets are as healthy as possible if they have to go into unfamiliar surroundings.

Jazz now fully recovered from a staph A infection contracted whilst being boarded in kennels.

Finally: Watch out for new pages on www.thebellamossfoundation.com together with more press articles, press releases and testimonials from owners.

Autumn/Winter Update

Autumn/Winter Update

A year on: The memorial for Bella although a fitting tribute to her life, for me a personally was a very difficult time.  I miss Bella as if I have lost an arm or a leg.  I am angry, determined to make sure that animals in this country are protected from unnecessary death and suffering as a result of dirty hygiene in veterinary practices. So the update for July, August and September did not appear for two reasons, one that I was grieving and secondly the charity work has now become almost full time for me and my other trustee Mark Dosher. On August 21st, almost a year to the day after losing my beloved companion and friend Bella Louise Moss I planted a white cherry blossom tree in her garden. 

Those who had helped us in our cause, or had been helped to deal with MRSA infections in their own pets came to honour Bella’s memory and show their support. Although it was a sombre event, and particularly poignant to me, it was also an opportunity to celebrate the recovery that other pets had made and for those who had been involved in the work of the Foundation over the last year to meet. I’d like to give a big THANK YOU to Richard Allport for being able to come to the Memorial and for the time he spent talking to everyone, to Our Dogs, Your Dog and Dogs Today for their coverage of the event, and to the National and Local press for their support of the event and the issues of MRSA in pets (particular the Daily Mail and The Sunday Times for their detailed articles).

It was also very gratifying to see so many contributors to the Forum at the Memorial; the forum is there for everyone to raise issues on animal welfare, so please keep contributing.  Full coverage of the Memorial can be found on the websites.

Me (centre) with other pet owners at the Memorial for Bella in August

I am delighted to say that we now have an official Representative to the United States. Kim Bloomer of Aspen Bloom natural health care for animals) who has been in very close contact with us over the last year or so, has accepted the role of Official Representative of The Bella Moss Foundation.  Kim will work to raise the issue to pet owners and vets in the US. Kim is committed to animal welfare and is involved in numerous projects aimed at improving the lives of pets in America. Those who know tell us that the problem with MRSA is much worse in the United States than here, and we expect Kim to become a powerful voice on our behalf.

One of Kim’s first events for The Bella Moss Foundation was an Internet conference on MRSA and animals to which I was able to contribute. The event was recorded, and a link to the recording is on the websites. We also have plans to collaborate on online radio events in the future. This was followed by a fundraising event organised by Kim with the author, Nani Aki Linder, who donated all of the royalties from a day’s sale of her book Trial By Fire: A True Story Of Hope. This was an incredibly generous offer from Nani and I am extremely grateful for her interest and support.

Speaking of gratitude, I want to say Thank You to Chris Lawrence of the Dogs’ Trust. Over the last year, but particularly the last six months or so, he has been a tremendous support and source of good advice, and without him things would have been so much more difficult. I was able to meet with the President of the British Veterinary Association, Dr Freda Scott-Park. This was a great opportunity to share thoughts and ideas about the need to act together in improving veterinary awareness and practice, and we had a thorough exchange of views.

What was particularly exciting was the discovery that we actually agree on a many more things than we might have at first thought. It was a good meeting and I look forward to working with Dr Scott Park in the future. Thanks to all of the pet owners who took the time to contribute testimonials to the websites. It’s such a relief to know of so many pets that have recovered from MRSA infections.

However, we have now heard of a third dog to die from the effects of an MRSA infection. Last December, Rupert died from the effects of infection following surgery to remove a cyst. His story can be found in the Testimonials, but Rupert’s image will be a centrepiece of the displays at the Conference on MRSA and Pets that we are organising with the University of Liverpool.

This Conference, which will be the first International conference on MRSA and animals, will be held in Liverpool next June. It will have some of the most respected and prominent figures from the veterinary world speaking and some of the most up-to-date research and clinical approaches will be described and discussed. Aimed at practicing vets and researchers, the conference will cover new research and clinical issues and will make a significant contribution to the veterinary world’s approach to the problem.

As a further part of our educational work, we have been in contact with a number of veterinary training schools to develop educational input to students on the experience that pet owners have of vets and vet nurses. We want to broaden the understanding of veterinary professional in order to reduce the likelihood of problems arising from misunderstanding and confusion. As part of the process of making our information as accurate as possible, we now submit all of our fact sheets and awareness posters to the RVC for approval, so whilst there may be typos and small inaccuracies in some places on the website, documents intended for downloading and printing (our PDFs) have now all been approved by Royal Veterinary College staff.

In September I accepted an invitation to attend a rally of the Samoyed Rescue Society held in the midlands. This was a great event, but again for me  personally a very difficult day.  Seeing so many Samoyed dogs tore at my heart.  The day gave me a chance to spread the word and raise awareness amongst many pet owners and I later learnt of two 10-year-old Samoyed’s brother and sister who had become homeless after ten years of living with a family who had gone bankrupt.

I am glad to say that after three months of living in kennels. Mishka and Simba have now been re-homed with a lovely couple and are as we speak being spoiled in a big house in the in the Wirral.   I want to thank everyone that I contacted who tried to help in this project.

Jill with Samoyeds

I’ve been able to attend other events around the country; particularly the Wag and Bone show at Windsor Great Park (and a massive thanks to Richard Allport for sharing his stand with us) and Discover Dogs at Earls Court in November.

Quistel, a company that produces cleansing and anti-microbial products, has been a tremendous support to us, and I am very grateful to Robert Klass for all the help he has given us on behalf of Quistel in raising awareness on MRSA in pets and animals.  The public response has been overwhelming, so many people I have met at dog shows throughout the country have told me they have read and followed the story of Bella for the past year through the national and animal welfare press and through our work have become greater informed on the issues that we campaign for.

From L-R; Jill at Discover Dogs with Quistel staff Tracey, Robert and Tony

I have been invited to join MRSA Support UK to deliver a petition to 10 Downing Street, and I hope to make a lot more contacts as a result of that. More academic papers have gone up on PETS-MRSA.com for those that are interested. Now that we are heavily involved in presenting a Conference next year, as well as all our other work, we will probably now limit our updates to every quarter. Important news items will be publicised separately and we will continue with our occasional Editorials, so keep visiting the websites.

Jill Moss President and Founder
The Bella Moss Foundation.

July Update

No update in June simply because things became very hectic with the Charity, but here is a brief recap of what we’ve up to since May.

 

May Update

May brings more cases of MRSA infections in companion animals, including a case in New Hampshire that had gone on for over a year. That was particularly troubling as the vet who had originally performed the surgery refused any contact with the owner once the MRSA was identified, and it took a second vet to investigate and discover a three-and-a-half inch drain that had been left in the un-healing wound.

April Update

APRIL UPDATE

Visit to Idexx Laboratory  - Wetherby

In March we were invited by Mick Rich and Larry Roberts to visit IDEXX laboratories in Wetherby. IDEXX Laboratories have carried out extensive research into the subject of MRSA in companion animals. We were able to tour the labs and see how a variety of bacterial organisms are cultured and identified. Mick and Larry spent a great deal of time explaining the types of MRSA that are prevalent in companion animals, and were able to describe the process by which each strain is identified. Since that visit, Larry and Mick have agreed to put together a piece for the website on useful things to know about MRSA strains and the complexity surrounding its transmission.

Anyone looking at the homepage of the Bella Moss foundation website (www.thebellamossfoundation.com) will see a brief item about the press launch that went ahead at the end of March. This provided a tremendous opportunity to meet Professor David Lloyd of the RVC and his wife, Eve. We were able to discover how closely we think regarding MRSA as an issue and will be meeting him and his team in the near future to discuss research and other clinical issues.

Whilst you are at the Foundation website check out the new testimonial page, which is from pet owners who express their thanks to us for out help with getting their pets over MRSA. We are pleased to inform you all that every case we have come into contact with (all dogs) are now doing well. Sadly one announcement on the forum from a pet owner we do not know has reported his dog has died due to MRSA and for that we are truly sorry.

New this week

Our Dogs - article on MRSA and BVA
Vet Times - Article on BVA and MRSA fears
Life Style - Article about Bella and the circumstances of her death
Animal Welfare Web Sites - a list of helpful sites
Health & Safety - respond re Vet complaint

March Update

March Update

We have been informed that the article 'Whiter Than White' that appeared on the front page of the Vet Times on Feb 14 contained serious inaccuracies. In particular, the statement ‘In retrospect, it would have been interesting to know if this dog was indeed carrying MRSA in its nasopharynx and if the owners had previous hospital contact’  was wrongly attributed to the BSAVA as a comment on Bella. The comment actually first appeared in the Journal of Small Animal Practice and referred to a different case in which the animal recovered.

We unreservedly apologise to the BSAVA for repeating this inacurate attribution and have removed the original article, and our response, from this website. We shall also seek a correction in the soonest possible edition of the Vet Times.

It is the policy of PETS-MRSA.com to maintain the highest accuracy possible in what we report.

New Charity
I am in the process of registering a new animal welfare charity. Called The Bella Moss Foundation, it will work towards improving infection control in veterinary practices, support and publicise research into MRSA and other serious infections affecting companion animals, offer information to pet owners on post-operative infections, help pet owners in selecting a vet and, ultimately, develop a veterinary clinic caring for companion animals suffering from serious infections.

The Bella Moss Foundation will concentrate on fundraising, publications and the clinic, whilst PETS-MRSA.COM will focus on the issues of clinical standards and regulation of vets. I already have some serious sponsorship and press interest. One of the projects already under consideration is the sponsorship of a conference (to take place later this year) that will discuss and promote advances in the fight against MRSA and other serious infections, and we are in discussions with an events organisation company, so watch this space.