methicillin resistant staph in his nose

[thumps_]

Just thought I'd add my experiences of C&S for bacterial infections in rabbits...

IME most rabbit C&S tests show sensitivity to baytril, when in reality we know that illnesses such as abscesses and snuffles are very rarely cured by baytril.

So if you have a C&S done which shows baytril to be effective, you'd be well advised to use another antibiotic as well.

The bacteriocidal effect of Baytril depends on the drug level where the infecting bacteria are. It is a very good antibiotic for bacterial skin infections & is effective against a wide variety of bacteria.

Abscesses & snuffles present a particular problem of getting sufficient concentrations of antibiotic to the place where the bacteria are. These situations are well known to the prescriber, who specializes in rabbit illness.

I understand that vets are supposed to use an antibiotic licensed for use in the species 1st. & only proceed to others when the licensed drug fails to work. Some vets adhere to the regulations strictly, whereas others follow their experience. The regulations are in place to prevent the widespread use of human antibiotics in animals & the emergence of bacterial strains resistant to human antibiotics.

It is more than useful to know that we are dealing with MRSA in this situation because it is resistant to so many human antibiotics.

I agree that c&s can be misleading at times, as can any test.

 

[purplebumble]

Thank you all for the best wishes for bertie. also very interested in the advice given....
unfortunately ive been incapacitated with migraine like headache combined with facial neuralgia and neck pain...i had bells palsy any years ago now and its caused nerve damage...i had nerve blocks the works...but now i have to cope:roll:

i rang claire gems vet and she stuck up for my vet so i knew she was doig right stuff..i didnt think she wasnt as ellens pretty savvy abd has been great in the past with berties eye ulcer etc.
but i did arrange a second opinon then cancelled...all becasue ellen got in touch with john chitty who wated me to get bertie to andover for an xray to check his sinuses and then arrange to have them drianed if thats what iscausing the infection to stay put..but mrsa nothing can be done 100%.

i declined..andover is over an hour and a half away by car..and i do not drive so itd be animal transport at £20 to £25 an hour like i used with berties eye ulcer.
its not like im rolling in money..more like drowning in debts but id still be willing to pay for the transport. BUt i am worried about bertie travelling all that way in his state..and then dying under GA is even more likely cos of the snuffles.

my vet wanted me to go but agreed to do the xrays herself..but is owrried they might not be done quite as john chity wants and itd have to be redone before any treatment.

i begged for an alternative and yesterday went to collect berties fornights worth of baytril...more eye drops and more metacam.
if he improves in 2 weeks great..but if not..im going to have to go the andover route...and i really am worried about him..if stress brought this on then imagine what it could do now

 

[thumps_]

You've got a vet who really understands the snuffles problem, purplebumble.
1st. we need to know whether the sinuses are blocked.
If they are blocked, & the vet proposes to drain them, in your shoes, I would want to know how the vet is going to make sure they continue to drain.

[There was a lovely white bun called Thumper (not mine) towards the end of last year -?Oct. Nov?
He had an operation to drain blocked sinuses into his tear duct in the past.
The thread posted was about the sad decision to pts. because of other issues. I'm sorry I can't remember the user name]

 

[purplebumble]

i know....john chitty is an exotics expert and works at marwell zoo too.

BUT i am giving bertie the 2 week course of bayril,metacam and tiacil eye drops.

im going to ring john chitty tomorrow to see if he can sort things out to have bertie aftercare with ellen...and maybe if poss avoid the xrays if his nose clears up in response to baytril.

i am trying to make myself fell better..i dont know if im out of order for not going ahead with the treatment.

 

[thumps_]

You are certainly not out of order Purplebumble.

There are many questions to ask, such as whether MRSA can be brought under control, & whether the surgery will have any material effect. It is a very difficult bug to eliminate at the best of times, & snuffles is a very tricky illness to treat with much less aggressive bacteria.
Only you know how Bertie responds to medical procedures, etc psychologically.

Sadly as I know all too well, for those of us on a low fixed income, financial constraints are very real. We'd never be able to pay off a high debt.

Thinking of you as you face difficult decisions.

 

[jewaller]

pasturella

bertie was very ill again yesterday..not eating etc and i took him to see ellen and she also gave me the results of the swabs.

i was horrfied...not only was it was pastuerela but also methicillin resistant staph:shock: she assured me it wasnt actually MRSA tho.

im shocked and stunned..she says its very contagious to other buns but then some would get it..some wouldnt...same as pastuerella.

theone thing to knock it dead would be gentamyacin...but not only is it not safe for dogs and cats..theres no history of its use on rabbits. it causes kidney malfucntions and failure in dogs n cats so would prob be even worse with buns i gues.

im stunned..i tried surfing the net but it keeps coming up as mrsa and she said it wasnt mrsa......but a staph that occurs naturaly in all buns but only becomes a problem when they become very ill etc.

personally i think the stress of bif beating him up daily then the stress of her going into hopsital for a few days and him ining has been the bugbear..on top of his eye ulcer hes had ongoing treatment for until a few months back.

would that be enough to bring his imune system down.

shes told me to use up the lat few days of baytril and then taper off the metacam and keep to what shes trying..gentamyacin eye drops..she said in buns itd trickle into nose eventually hopefully .

she then wants to assess bertie to see what else maybe behind all this to begin with or see how at least hes responding.

everywhere online says immune compromised folks can get it. not to let your animal lick you etc..how can you stop kissing and cuddling your pet and getting a i love you wash off your bunny. berties a very cuddly hands on bunny.

but last night for the first night in weeks he slept up the other end of the lounge and didnt get in the beanbag next to me on the floor and demand cuddles and hugs. he didnt follow me aorund and to the toilet today either..so far so good. hes been norty tho..i got his baytril and eye drops done but he wouldnt play ball with the metaclop or metacam..and ive got to bathe his eys again and give him some more cirtical care.

she said his tummy was empty and not much poops there either but oculdnt find anything actually wrong with him so the good ole regime of metaclop..metacam and syringe feeding. hes eaten sone pelelts last night and overngint and he has pooed. so fingers crossed.

but the staph infections worried me sick. anyone possibly able to help me understand more or had experience?

this is a old thread,,i can only hope this has a happy ending::if a nasal culture was done proper antibiotics should have been administered,,treating the eyes with gentimyicin is treating only part of the problem--all rabbits have this parasite,but a good diet,keeps up the immune system soas the rabbit doesnot acquire this problem//,,the rabbit requires a good exam,facial,gitract radiographs,//,with an impaired diet( lacking in hay/water),-gi stasis cannot be far behind--i find this distressing,,james waller

 

[Maizey]

Hi,im so sorry to hear about Bertie,my continental giants all have MRSA.I have lost four of them due to paw,ear and stomach abscesses,maybe you can have a look back through my threads.My buns names were Maizey,Barlie,Bugsy and Willow.I have two left.Honey had to have a toe amputated and she is still alive and Blue has snuffles,which is at a controlable level at the moment with engamycin injections every three days and biosolvin powder to break up the mucus.Blue seems to hold the infection in his upper respitory tract.I wish you all the luck in the world with Bertie,I do believe that to keep this under control that life long medication of some sort is needed.

 

[Gem]

this is a old thread,the rabbit requires a good exam,facial,gitract radiographs,//,with an impaired diet( lacking in hay/water),-gi stasis cannot be far behind--i find this distressing,,james waller

:evil:

I think you'll find this is an ongoing thread, Bertie is very ill and PB has a very good vet.

Some rabbits despite a good diet have issues with their immunes systems and are unable to keep themselves healthy.

People sharing their advice & experience is what this forum is about and all the girls that have posted on here are being incredibly helpful

 

[purplebumble]

thank you all for the help and support for bertie xx

jewaller..i think you very much misunderstand!!!

berties tummy probs are related to stress and pain..NOT a poor diet or bad housekeeping!!

i am about 3/4 hr late giving him his meds...i better go and come back:wave:

im going to ring john chitty myself and talk to him and discuss properly...then talk to ellen. BUT in the meantime i am giving him the two week course of baytril metacam and tiacil eye drops.
he sneezes when hes excited or eating. hes not sneezing as much but still quite a bit. but luckily no thick discharge...just a bit of a wet nose which hes always had .

 

[purplebumble]

gods i gave him his meds and have been bertie hugging all this time:shock:

i love the old duffer..even of he did chase me and nip me five times yesterday

his paws arent wet or sticky or stained..well with the odd pee spot but nothing else. i always believed the rabbit with pasturella would have terible constant discharge being yellow and purelent.....their face would be encrusted as would their paws. no one ever mentions that the wet nosed bun oyuve had for over 3 years actually has pasturella.
so be aware.