My vet thinks my cats have MRSA

[cindym]

All the stores in our area now has antibacterial wipes next to the grocery carts and I USE THEM.........then when I get to my car I use Purell before touching the steering wheel.............Think we need to open up a mental hospital for all of us "HYSTERICAL NUTS?"

[Bobbie]

Think allergies & immune problems have a lot to do with genetics. My dad had all kinds of allergies & also asthma -- brought up with 5 sisters & little money. I inherited the allergies & have also had asthma.

My older son lives in the UK. He has been healthy with a few exceptions -- got bronchitis several times as a child. His 3 kids are always sick but have never taken an antibiotic. (Oldest is 6.) My grandson, however, had so many ear infections that he lost the hearing in one ear which affected his speech altho. this seems to be OK now.

Although my son is a microbiologist, no one in the family washes their hands unless they are going to prepare food or after using the bathroom & sometimes I wonder about that. We'd get off the "tube" & the kids would eat dinner without washing their hands & would eat stuff on the floor after dinner when they were little. They had two cats at the time. Horrified me, but I kept my mouth shut. Last year, I asked my son if they would take some precautions while we were visiting because of my health problems. That lasted about a day. Funny thing was they all got sick -- everyone but me & the baby who was nursing. (I took lots of Echinacea.) The house is immaculate, however, with everything picked up constantly -- difficult with 3 small children & running a B&B -- & everyone in the family looks "spiffy."

My younger son has many health problems -- including C. diff. twice. He is a heavy smoker & probably started when he was about l3. (I didn't know it for years.) . I had a high risk pregnancy with him, however, & leaked amniotic fluid for 3 months. He had gastroenteritis when he was 3 months old & almost died. He has allergies & sometimes asthma & had croup until he was 10 or 11. (Old for croup -- sdefect in his trachea.)

Bottom line: Although both my sons were brought up in a "hand washing " house, it didn't seem to be inherited. Son #2 inherited the allergies; smoking doesn't help.

Before I had C. diff. I seldom "picked up anything" even from my kids when they were little but did have bronchitis every couple of years. In my late 40's I started getting sinus infections. (I also worked in a "sick building.") This is what eventually led to my long bout with C. diff. Since having C. diff. I've had pneumonia 4X.

I wash my hands when necessary. Often forget to wash the handle of the grocery cart. Try to seat away from "sickies" at church but usually wind up having a "sicky" sit next to me & then have to shake his/her hand. (Then I get out an alcohol wipe & sneakily wash my hands. If I can, I move away from the "sicky.")

By the way, Roy, it drives me nuts that few in the UK (same in some other countries in Europe) use washclothes. How can a country that once owned much of the world not use washclothes??? I usually bring my own but forgot last year & found one at a chemist's. I was so happy!

You can just do so much without driving yourself crazy. Germaphobia, however, is common amoung us C. differs. which is one reason we call it "the gift that keeps on giving."

Nature or nuture?? Think it's both.

[feelinghopeful]

You've given me an idea. Whenever I go into a grocery store I'm going to wipe the cart down with MY OWN gel, since they don't do that here. I've been reading so much about MRSA in meats (especially pork) that I see the butcher very differently now. He hands me my bag of meat and I hesitate to take it. I wonder if anyone has done any research on the incidence of colonization in meat handlers. Would be a good study.

Did you hear about Michael Jackson having picked up MRSA having cosmetic surgery? He's got big problems. My friend works for a cosmetic surgeon and in case anybody didn't know, people with wounds go to cosmetic surgeons all the time. They actually see quite a bit of MRSA so if you're so inclined and think you're perfectly safe walking into a beautifully decorated, sparkling office to get some botox, think again.

Maybe you're right about that hospital, Cindy - ha!

[klt03301]

Hi Everyone,

Took my cat in today and the vet decided to try aspiration (again) of the area rather than culture, as it seems to be going down. She called and said she could see no bacteria, however did see lots of protein and inflammation. The first vet who did the first aspiration said she did see bacteria under the slide (2nd vet checked with her today) , so who knows? They had him on 2 ABs so apparently something has been working. I was told by the first vet that she didn't get any fluid from the first aspiration b/c the area was too hard, so I'm a bit confused.

Their theory now is the cellulitis was caused by a vaccine reaction. The vet said in her 20 years of practice she's never seen a vaccine reaction this severe. We've known he has vaccine reactions, but never developed anything like this (huge hard lump from knee to flank that just started out as a small red spot) and he's been given steroid shots 10 minutes prior to the vaccine. Don't know why it didn't work this time? The vet says no more vaccines for him, period. Still don't know what caused the large abcess on the neck. If any of the cats get another one, it will be CULTURED.


Pippi is doing much better and gets his stitches/staples out next week. Thank you to everyone who expressed their concern and understood how important our pets are to us! It meant a lot to me!!

You guys had me laughing towards the end of these posts. I have to confess that I keep clorox wipes with clorox cleaner in my car and I'm guilty of wiping down the steering wheel, stick shift, handles, etc. after I leave the grocery store since reading that article. Some stores do give out the same type of paper you place on the public toilet that you can place in the top of the carts, but my local stores don't. I did read about Michael Jackson's MRSA...he's got a pic line with IV ABs for weeks. My jowls will just have to stay with me b/c I am never going to have any type of cosmetic surgery! Poor Michael probably needed it to breathe!

Thanks again, everyone! I really do appreciate it :-)

Karen

[feelinghopeful]

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?ar ... egoryId=64

[feelinghopeful]

Just wonderful, read interview on the bottom, too.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/dailydos ... .bacteria/

Another bright and cheery one.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/mma/2009 ... tion_N.htm

I really do think its time to truly get neurotic. I can't believe I wore pants all day that I didn't wash after I bought them. Clearly, I'm not neurotic enough yet.

[klt03301]

feelinghopeful...thank you so much for those hyperlinks. I didn't know that hydrogen peroxide could be used against MRSA!

Also, that second hyperlink...that's so scary. Dr. Gupta says in a few years these gram negatives will be a big problem. I really hope they come up w/some new antibiotics or something that will kill these things.


My PCP always washes her hands when she comes into the room b/c as she says, she "knows I'm very concerned about germs" and I never shake her hand or anyone else's. When I first met her she tried to shake my hand and I had to exlain why I did not. She also cleaned her stethoscope w/alcohol, though that's not effective against C-Diff. I'm wondering if she just cleans her hands for me, or does she clean them for every patient? They should all be cleaning their hands with each patient!