periannath Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I have a girl here diagnosed with tetanus. She had a wound a couple of weeks ago which was dressed and treated with antibiotics and healed well. A couple of weeks later and started showing all the classic signs of tetanus.Stiff gait ,third eyelid showing,weird ears ect.She has been treated with anti toxin,massive doses of antibiotics & fluids. We are on a property which was a horse stud for many years so if anyone is going to have the bug around it would be us.I have quizzed a couple of vets about vac. previously and they have always assured me it is unnecessary.Even now I have a case the treating vet is not convinced I should vac. the other dogs.While I don't like unnecessary vacs I am inclined to think I should do the lot. I should probably add that my girl is the 3rd tetanus case in dogs I have heard of in the last couple of months.The two other dogs have died due to the disease being unrecognised until too late.All have been country dogs so just want everyone to be aware of it and hoping for suggestions that may help my girl recover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I have no advice for you, when i lived in africa we vacvinated for tetanus as well as rabies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOLAFOLATA Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 (edited) I have a girl here diagnosed with tetanus. She had a wound a couple of weeks ago which was dressed and treated with antibiotics and healed well. A couple of weeks later and started showing all the classic signs of tetanus.Stiff gait ,third eyelid showing,weird ears ect.She has been treated with anti toxin,massive doses of antibiotics & fluids. We are on a property which was a horse stud for many years so if anyone is going to have the bug around it would be us.I have quizzed a couple of vets about vac. previously and they have always assured me it is unnecessary.Even now I have a case the treating vet is not convinced I should vac. the other dogs.While I don't like unnecessary vacs I am inclined to think I should do the lot. I should probably add that my girl is the 3rd tetanus case in dogs I have heard of in the last couple of months.The two other dogs have died due to the disease being unrecognised until too late.All have been country dogs so just want everyone to be aware of it and hoping for suggestions that may help my girl recover. Hi, Our bullmastiff x boy contracted this shocking disease about 18 months ago. He got a large thorn in his paw at the showground which I just pulled out and thought nothing more of it. After 2 weeks (incubation period is 14-21 days), I noticed he just wasn't looking right. His ears were pulling upwards and appeared to have slight grin. Took to vet who gave antibiotics and only mentioned tetanus but dismissed it as unlikely as very rare for dogs to contract. I went home and googled to see our boy also had all classic symptoms. Contacted vet again next day who was not prepared to treat for tetanus unless on my say so and as they did not have antitoxin advised to monitor for next few days as still thought Tetanus unlikely. That was Thursday. By the Saturday poor darling was stiff as board with laboured breathing. We rushed him to a Canberra vet who pumped 14 vials of anti toxin in with high dose antibiotics and on drip. We were fortunate he survived with no visible after effects. I believe there may have been some damage to brain as he seems to have a distinct personality change. I hope your girl pulls through but you will be in for a long haul with recovery as I had to hand feed our guy for several weeks with rolled up balls of soft food that I would have to throw down throat as he couldn't chew (that's why they call it lockjaw). Boy that was saliva central it's very messy He also needed to be assisted with toileting etc initially then progressing slowly to short walks. It sounds like you may have caught it early enough so best of luck hope she pulls through. Cheers, Lola Edited June 22, 2011 by LOLAFOLATA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
periannath Posted June 22, 2011 Author Share Posted June 22, 2011 (edited) Thank you for the well wishes. It sounds as though your boy was very lucky to survive.Poor lad. Glad he came through it and I understand this isn't going to be a quick fix.It seems a common thing for vets to dismiss tetanus as a possibility My vet also thought tetanus was unlikely and suggested an abscess but thank goodness didn't dismiss my fears and looked at her again and it was her ears that really got him to consider tetanus.She had the third eye lid across at home but of course wouldn't show the vet that.Hopefully we have caught my girl early enough but know she can still go down hill from here so I am very concerned.I have just got onto yeastsales(biolac) and they have an immune system booster so I have ordered some in the hope it will help. Thank you for the information re RSA. I'll be vac. against tetanus from here on.I hate to see a dog suffer from a disease that could have been avoided. Edited June 22, 2011 by periannath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoL Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 we had a pup contract tetanus and NONE of the local vets in this area were equipped to deal with it, one even misdiagnosed as an eye complaint, another distemper! Luckily I found a fantastic vet who went above and beyond teh call of duty, specially ordering antitoxin, giving me vials of penicillin and setting up a drip in him at his home after hours. We caught it early but it still took him 6 weeks to recover fully with no visible side effects. It was a lot of work and it was agonising to watch him go through it and if we were in a high risk environment of tetanus then yes, I wouldn't take the chance - I would definitely vaccinate teh dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Periannath dont know where abouts in oz you are? Look for a south african vet near you as they will have treated this often in africa and could give you tons of advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
periannath Posted June 22, 2011 Author Share Posted June 22, 2011 Sounds like a great idea to talk to a south african vet.I'm sure my vet would appreciate any suggestions they could get.I'm south west slopes NSW and vets are fairly thin on the ground anyway but I will certainly put some feelers out.If anyone knows one around here or in Sydney,Canberra please let me know. It's scary how many vets don't keep antitoxin on hand.At least we were able to get that into her straight away.She seems a little better this afternoon,her breathing is easier and there isn't as much saliva but I know we are not out of danger yet...... I am beginning to wonder where isn't a risk for tetanus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vetrg Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Small animal vets won't keep tetanus antitoxin as it would go out of date. Horse vets will have some. Dogs are relatively resistant to tetanus however, the risk of tetanus depends in part on soil type and how long it can survive. Some soil types (and my vague recollection is that clay soils are the worst) have a MUCH higher tetanus contamination rate than others. All the dogs I have treated have done well (n=2) compared to horses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9angel Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 My boy Whitey had tetanus a couple of months ago. It was horrible. (He also has IMT and Lupus). Weve had alot of problems with his back feet these past few months (infections) and that's how he ended up with the tetanus. I was scared he wouldn't pull through, but he did. He had the 2 lots of the tetanus antitoxin and antibiotics. The lock jaw was really bad and come dinner time, we had food up the walls, all over the floor as he struggled to eat. Wishing your girl a speedy recovery. I would definately be looking at getting your other dogs vaccinated against it, esp if have lost 2 already and have another with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 I have treated one case, but we did just do a review of the treatment options in my Masters course. The conclusion was basically that there is no single definitive method of treatment, however important factors were: * antibiotic therapy - the specific drug varies but will be one with good action against anaerobic bacteria (penicillin or metronidazole) * antitoxin - there is no consensus on the correct dose, it's use is somewhat controversial in the sense that there is no clear evidence that it works by the time a clinical diagnosis is made but nearly everyone would still administer it. It works by neutralising free toxin, so by the time generalised signs have occurred there may not be much toxin circulating. The dose is variable but generally speaking is lower than previously thought. * sedation - to limit stimulation as the muscle spasms are painful * muscle relaxants - as for sedation Other supportive therapy may be indicated like IV fluids, feeding tubes etc. In generalised cases, problems encountered are not usually related specifically to tetanus, but to secondary complications like aspiration pneumonia etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
periannath Posted June 22, 2011 Author Share Posted June 22, 2011 Thank you Rappie for the information.It seems that the dogs here that have been affected have had massive doses of anti toxin and that was the plan for my girl as well.I guess if the dog is really ill vets take the chance on the anti toxin having some positive effect? It sounds as though we are following the best treatment protocol for my girl and we can't do anymore for her for the time being.She is in a warm dark room with a massive amount of cushy bedding. Sounds as though poor Whitey had an awful experience with tetanus as well.Poor fellow .This is my first case of tetanus.I just wish I had gone with my gut feeling to vac. when I was asking vets about it earlier.Hindsight is not particularly helpful though. We have varied soil types here one of them is clay.Decision has been made to vac. all the dogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 I myself have been vaccinated for tetanus my whole life since i lived in africa, if u cut yourself outside the doctors do it as a precaution if u have not had it done in the last 5 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 I have seen a few dogs with it over the years. Most have recovered well after being diagnosed reasonably quickly. One the owner chose to euth. Some properties that are out on the Nullabour lose sheep and horses to it, so always vaccinated their dogs against it. They never lost a dog from it, or had one affected. I would vaccinate your other dogs as it is obviously on your property and it only take a small wound that you may not even notice to cause an issue. It can be very distressing for the dog and as previously mentioned the recommended treatment can and does vary, so I would avoid it at all costs. Hope your girl is back on the mend very soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
periannath Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 Yes ,all the others will be done.It will be quite an exercise.There is no way I am going to risk this again.Bonnie is up and down.She seemed to be doing well and then last night looked suddenly worse.Her temp spiked a bit and she wasn't happy.Her eyes were shocking again as well. She looks better again today so it's wait and see . Does anyone know how long it will be before the risk of her suddenly going into a decline are over?We are a week into tratment now. I was also told today that humans don't get tetanus shots once you are over 55.Anybody know why this would be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubiton Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Dont know about humans but because our dog goes to horse events and therefore has exposure (or the chance of) to manure she has had a tetanus vaccination and booster since we've had her (that was 10 years ago or so they recomended she have it just in case). They started with two shots a month apart and then it was several years between boosters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonny_beagle Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 Yes ,all the others will be done.It will be quite an exercise.There is no way I am going to risk this again.Bonnie is up and down.She seemed to be doing well and then last night looked suddenly worse.Her temp spiked a bit and she wasn't happy.Her eyes were shocking again as well. She looks better again today so it's wait and see . Does anyone know how long it will be before the risk of her suddenly going into a decline are over?We are a week into tratment now. I was also told today that humans don't get tetanus shots once you are over 55.Anybody know why this would be? According to the 8th Aust Immunisation Handbook vaccination is not age based. Primary course is 3 injections with boosters at 10 and 20 years, but for anyone with a puncture wound where it is more than 10 years since vaccination, a booster is recommended. It's less than 10 years if the primary course was not complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 In RSA u get the shot if u are over 55 or not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
periannath Posted June 26, 2011 Author Share Posted June 26, 2011 A friends husband in WA had a puncture wound and she sent him off to the doctor for a tetanus shot and he came home without it as he wes over 55,I thought it was strange...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 That is strange! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Very strange! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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