The SFGate, online home of the San Francisco Chronicle, reports a rise in the number of infections caused by staph germs that are resistant to common antibiotics. This has been reported for a number of years in humans, often following a hospital stay, but it is new news in the pet world.
Seems there are no common precipitating factors that predispose your dog or cat to getting the superbug, but previous antibiotic use is common. The initial red spot on the dog’s skin may be initially mis-diagnosed as a spider bite, but spreads quickly, causing severe pain and loss of fur.
Encourage your doctor to culture any suspected spider bites to make sure that MRSI (the superbug’s name) is not present. If MRSI is present, be prepared to shell out the bucks for non-conventional treatment. The culture will indicate what drugs the bug will react to, but it may take several weeks of treatment before it is entirely gone.
Read the whole article here.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!