Puppy Nearly Dies From Flesh-Eating Bacteria
- 11 years ago
A Shar Pei puppy named Mugsy from Saugus, Massachusetts, battled and suffered from fatal flesh-eating bacteria for more than a month.
Just like with humans, it's scary to know that at anytime, something serious can happen to our beloved pets.
A Shar Pei puppy named Mugsy from Saugus, Massachusetts, suffered a battle with fatal flesh-eating bacteria for more than a month.
The owner Chuck Rees said Mugsy suddenly looked sick and appeared to have bee stings. A local vet referred him to the MSPCA-Angell Animal Medical Center where Dr. Roxanna Khorzad found Mugsy tested positive for necrotizing fasciitis, a rare bacteria known for eating away rapidly at skin, muscle, and bone.
With a 20% chance of survival, Mugsy received high amounts of antibiotics and pain medicine. After a week surgery was performed to remove some of the dead skin and Mugsy was sent home. However, just two weeks later, Mugsy quit eating and relapsed.
A severe intestinal blockage caused by the advancing infection forced Rees to choose a high-risk surgery. Rees explained, “We had come so far at that point and I wanted to do whatever I could to try and save Mugsy.”
Though the 2-hour surgery resulted in Mugsy losing 40 percent of his intestines, tests confirmed the bacteria were gone.
The vets have no idea how Mugsy picked up the bug.
Just like with humans, it's scary to know that at anytime, something serious can happen to our beloved pets.
A Shar Pei puppy named Mugsy from Saugus, Massachusetts, suffered a battle with fatal flesh-eating bacteria for more than a month.
The owner Chuck Rees said Mugsy suddenly looked sick and appeared to have bee stings. A local vet referred him to the MSPCA-Angell Animal Medical Center where Dr. Roxanna Khorzad found Mugsy tested positive for necrotizing fasciitis, a rare bacteria known for eating away rapidly at skin, muscle, and bone.
With a 20% chance of survival, Mugsy received high amounts of antibiotics and pain medicine. After a week surgery was performed to remove some of the dead skin and Mugsy was sent home. However, just two weeks later, Mugsy quit eating and relapsed.
A severe intestinal blockage caused by the advancing infection forced Rees to choose a high-risk surgery. Rees explained, “We had come so far at that point and I wanted to do whatever I could to try and save Mugsy.”
Though the 2-hour surgery resulted in Mugsy losing 40 percent of his intestines, tests confirmed the bacteria were gone.
The vets have no idea how Mugsy picked up the bug.