Jake has had a skin rash (it’s not really a rash as much as black patches on his skin) on and off for two years.  Usually we take some meds and it clears up but lately the patches have been opting to stick around.  So we got him swabbed to see what was going on, and when they test what it is, they also test what antibiotic will work on it.

I got a call and our vet said ‘I have bad news and more bad news’.  Typical.

Jake has MRSP (it’s the animal form of MRSA, although as I understand it, animals can also get MRSA but MRSP is mostly just transmitted between animals whereas MRSA is transmittable by animal and human.). Just like some humans carry MRSA and other humans get MRSA infections, so to can animals be carriers and others get infected. So he has it, and that is bad news #1. And bad news #2 is that only one antibiotic showed up on the panel to help and it’s a drug that has been known to cause bone marrow cancer in some humans that handle it.

Wait. What?

The vet actually said these words:  ‘Only a small % of people who handle it get bone marrow cancer from it, but Tracey, knowing you and your dogs, you would definitely get it.’  So aside from medicine that might help Jake and that could kill me, we have no treatment options.  There is a cream that we will try (Jake has to have the spots shaved to help it work better).  So he’s going to look extra ‘special’ with his new hair cut, a lame eye, a diaper and a wheelchair. He does nothing halfway!

If anyone else has faced something similar, please reach out and share your experience!  Until then, I have started calling Jake, MRSA Joe. Only because MRSP requires explanation.

Who you calling MRSA Joe?