Dog recovers after contracting MRSA (From This Is Wiltshire)

Dog recovers after contracting MRSA

6:07am Monday 3rd July 2006

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DOG loving Terry Salisbury couldn't believe his ears when he was told his ten-year-old pet has contracted the MRSA superbug.

"It came like a bolt out of the blue. I thought MRSA was something humans caught in hospitals. I'd never heard of it in pets before," he told the Journal.

But he has since learned that a growing number of animals are being hit by the superbug and last week the issue of MRSA in animals was the subject of a three-day international conference, attended by some of the veterinary profession's leading figures.

Mr Salisbury, who lives at Woodcutts, near Sixpenny Handley, says his dog, Tarka, a Weimaraner, contracted MRSA after undergoing surgery for a serious condition and almost died from it.

Tarka's problems began when she started bloating up as a result of gastric torsion, a life-threatening distension of the stomach with gas, which is often associated with sheep.

The dog underwent emergency surgery, which was followed by the removal of the stomach staples about a week later. But after returning to the family home in Chase Crescent, Woodcutts, Mr Salisbury noticed she was behaving strangely.

"She was very lethargic and was off her food," said Mr Salisbury. "We took her back and they said it must be a reaction to the surgery."

But later Mr Salisbury received a message saying the dog had MRSA.

"It was a terrible shock. We thought that it only affected humans," he said.

"We took Tarka home and looked after her ourselves and thanks to a combination of drugs and changing dressings twice a day, she thankfully survived.

"I now want people to be aware that animals can get this bug. It needs to be highlighted."

Mr Salisbury, a 55-year-old carpenter, is now in touch with The Bella Moss Foundation, which was set up to offer support and advice to people whose pets have contracted MRSA.

The organisation was founded by Jill Moss, from London, whose dog died from the bug in July 2004.

She said "Since losing my beloved Bella, I have fought tirelessly to raise the issue of MRSA in the public domain and also within the veterinary profession"

It was her campaign that helped lead to the conference at Liverpool University last week.

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