If you have a dog, you would be a good idea to read this article in the San Francisco Chronicle: Superbug bits Dog.
The article is written by a journalist with personal experience of dealing with the hard facts about identifying and treating a dog infected with a drug resistant staph. The source of much of her information comes from an interview with Laura Stokking PhD., DVM, DACVD, a dermatalogy specialist. A complete transcript of this interview can found at Pet Connection
In a nutshell, it seems that many of the cases are first diagnosed and treated as spider bites. They do not respond to the medication and quickly evolve into a serious medical condition. The bottom line: Encourage your vet to culture the infection before prescribing antibiotics.
It seems that vet like medical doctors have been giving our pets too many unnecessary antibiotics. I hear this story all the time. A new puppy owner takes her puppy to the vet for its first check-up. If the vet sees anything from a small scrap to a tiny bump – a round of antibiotics is the answer.
Invariably within a week or so I get a message that the puppy is off food or not acting right. So back to the doc they go again. More antibiotics. No diagnosis. Just antibiotics.
Again I encourage you to read that article. I support the concept that antibiotics are wonderful for the right problem. Culture and sensitivities should be done to determine the correct drug of chose. This means that the vet takes a swab of the infected area. The “cells” on the swab are then wiped across an agar plate which is a “growing medium” for bacteria, etc. The plate is then allowed to grow . The growths on the plate are then identified and “disks” of different kinds of antibiotics are placed on the plate to see which one will kill the growth.
Only with that kind of information can the right antibiotic be prescribed! Please encourage your vet (and your medical physician) to obtain this information.
FYI: MRSA has also been identified in horses.