PrintCowboy: Tetanus
Cowboy, a 4 month male malamute, lives every moment to the fullest. He chews cactus, eats bear poop and pounces around full of surprise. (You wouldn't think that chewing on cactus would be so safe or amusing.) Approximately one week after chewing on a cactus Cowboy's owner noticed that Cowboy's ears were pulled back and his eyes looked abnormal. A few days later, Cowboy started to drool, walked into things, his tongue hung out of his mouth, his back leg started to shake and Cowboy started to gag.
Cowboy was examined by his regular doctor who was concerned that it was an infection and treated him with antibiotics and pain medication. His blood work was normal.
Cowboy came to VCA AEVH the next day on emergency as his symptoms worsened. The doctor noticed Cowboy had a swollen nose and was generally weak. Cowboy was depressed considering he was a puppy and he could barely pick up food and had a lot of trouble swallowing. Cowboy was admitted to the intensive care unit for support. Since Cowboy had trouble swallowing he was put on fluids and medication to keep his comfortable. Our neurologist took over his care and performed a neurological examination. After, a series of simple noninvasive tests, Cowboy was diagnosed with localized Tetanus. Although tetanus is rare in dog and cats, our neurologist had seen a handful of cases in her 20 years of practice.
Tetanus is a bacterial infection that is contracted through an open wound. Tetanus can be local or generalized. Signs of tetanus occur between 5 to 10 days after receiving a penetrating wound. Infections that are closer to the central nervous system, with a more anaerobic (no oxygen) environment, tend to have signs occur much faster. Signs include: stiffness of muscles closet to the infection, fever, sunken eyes, erect ears drawn to the center of the head, and the lips are drawn back, salivation, difficulty swallowing, racing heart rate as well as respiratory rate.
Horses are the most common to get tetanus. Since horses get tetanus so often an antitoxin is readily available. This antitoxin can be used in dogs too but dogs may have life threatening reactions to horse tetanus antitoxin. The owner and our neurologist went over the possibilities of complications to the antitoxin and we proceeded with the infusion. Cowboy was given the antitoxin to prevent any additional binding of toxins which would take 72 hours to bind any free toxins remaining in the body. Cowboy did not have any reactions to his antitoxin.
Happily, Cowboy pranced out of the hospital, after being here for 4 days, with his owner to spend many days with his sister at home. Cowboy will come back for a check up in one month and by that time all his signs should be gone.
