Help! Wound Care Advice Needed!

[Guest mleekramer]

I've stopped crying long enough to type this plea for help. Our Grey, PopTart, has been diagnosed with Alabama Rot. I know, I know many say it can't be that or she'd be dead. In some research I've done, if you catch it in time to avoid kidney involvement, and ward off infection from the wounds, they will survive. We are testing for Leptospirosis just to see, but she is a classic Alabama rot presentation. Here is the story....

Last week Tues. in the evening she had a chase with a cat in our yard and stopped at the fence and gave a yelp. Later that evening she was limping a little. The next AM she has a swollen wrist and would not bear any weight. We immediately went to the vet and they did an x-ray which showed no break. They thought maybe she did some damage to a tendon or ligament. We went home on anti-inflammatories and Tramadol with strict bedrest. That evening her toes were all swollen. As an RN myself, I know fluids can settle before healing begins. By the next afternoon her whole leg was swollen to her shoulder and her skin was very red. Off the the vet again. They gave her an Injection of antibiotic and sent us home with a daily dose and drew labs. At that time they mentioned Alabama Rot, but were hoping for a cellulitis or vasculitis. Two hours later, after making a potty outside, she came in and while she was drinking there was blood dripping off her leg. Upon exam she had blisters that were oozing. I called the Grey adoption group for advice of where to take her as my vet was now closed for the night. I got her in the ER. By the time I got there she has a wound 4" long and 2" wide. They admitted her to the ICU to watch her awaiting labs from my vet and give her IV pain meds, do an ultrasound, etc. She was drinking so the did not need to start fluids. They also mentioned Alabama Rot due to the swiftness that this all happened. PopTart stayed there two days. They did hydrotherapy on the leg and the skin just kept sloughing off. All her labwork shows no kidney involvement and so far her skin is nice and pink. She has been home since Sat PM. She seems fairly comfortable, considering, and she is able to bear weight now. The ICU MD gave us some supplies and thought daily dressing changes would suffice. Upon returning home, I investigated the cost of the supplies and was flabbergasted! I was told by both the MD's that hydrogel pads would be the best on the wounds, then to wrap with soft cast wrap, then wrap with a stretch gauze and over that vet wrap. Our poor pup is missing a lot of skin from her leg and we're needing 2 hydrogel pkgs per dressing. That stuff in very expensive! Another fly in the ointment is that now she has lost skin in her armpit on that leg and is eating the dressing off that area which is requiring more dressing changes. I called the MD yesterday and she said I could use Animax is $ was a problem for the hydrogels. Other Grey owners suggested EMT gel ($10-14/ 1oz tube, can't afford) Her leg is still losing skin and some of these small tubes will last only 1-2 dressings. Animax comes in a big tube, so that looks like my option. I now have a bigger problem, between 6-7:30AM she ate off the dressing again covering her armpit and licked herself down to muscle. We've redressed her wound and I'm going to the MD again to get advice on how to dress this better if there is another way I'm missing. I was hoping for any advice on wound ointments or products that may work that could be used here that

I may buy in bulk. I'm looking into discount dressings, and have made a plea to friends and family to send any extra dressing supplies my way. I don't know what to do. This has all happened so quickly, and the scope hits me sometimes which sends me into tears. When she stops losing skin, it will be 6 to 8 weeks recovery. Thats a lot of dressings! I appreciate any advice you can give! Thanks! Michelle

[greytdogsks]

I'm sorry you're having to deal with this. I'm also sorry because I can't be of any help of where to get supplies for a better cost - I'm sure there are others here who can address that.

 

I will suggest you get a muzzle on her to try to keep her from messing with the dressing, etc. Also, I'd put in a 1/2 a muzzle cup (you'll have to cut it) or just tape up the lower portion of the muzzle to prevent the licking. With just a muzzle, she can still get ahold of things and lick, but personally, I'm not comfortable having them in a complete stool guard (cup) all the time - so I'd try to keep the upper portion/her nose uncovered, but be sure the lower portion is secure. At least that will help keep her from removing the dressing before "schedule".

 

Good luck ...

[Guest md7nd]

Sadly, I'm no help either, but my thoughts and prayers are with you guys.

[Guest vahoundlover]

I'm no help either. I can imagine how worried you must be. I second the stool guard or taping the bottom half of the muzzle. Sending lots of prayers.

[Guest trevdog]

yikes!

 

Maybe a bite not collar as well may deter her from getting to the affected area. Or a long sleeve tshirt? How scary....

[Guest greytexplorer]

TELL your vet that money is tight, what advice can they give??

I did that once, and my vet left the exam room, came back with a bag full of stuff.....no charge!

an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so use that muzzle and duct tape the outside of it, as others have mentioned! It's a cheap and easy way to keep PopTart from chewing on expensive dressing!

There, there, you'll get thru this, and ppl on this forum are so nice and knowledgeable, they will help!

Feel better, ok??

 

and let me add, I really like trevdog's suggestion of putting a long sleeve shirt on your pup!

[Guest mleekramer]

Thanks for the advice on the muzzle and t-shirt ideas. My mind is so full, that some of the obvious has not yet come through. I'm awailting my babysitter to get PopTart to the vet, I'll let you all know what happens. Michelle

[Rickiesmom]

Wish I had something useful to add. But I am sending prayers for your pup to get through this OK, and for you to be able to keep juggling all the responsibilities - beaming you thoughts of strength and perseverance. We are all behind you on this.

[iluvgreys]

OMG. Definitely use a muzzle with poop guard or Bite Not/E-collar. Sending loads of light and prayers to your girlie.

[Rickiesmom]

You might try spraying the outside of the bandage with bitter apple as a deterrent, but only if you can do this without getting any of the spray anywhere near the wound or sore skin.

[Burpdog]

Sending lots of prayers.

[Guest ThunderPaws]

Sending well wishes! Greyhound Friends of North Carolina had a dog with Alabama Rot at the kennel. They got him up and running again, it wasn't easy, but there is hope! www.greyhoundfriends.com

[Xan]

Big ditto on the bite-not collar (or fold a bath towel in 1/4s or 1/3s longwise, wrap around her neck and duct tape it on, so she can't turn her head that tightly to lick) and /or the muzzle with tape!!!

 

This is a lot for you, but you can do this. Will hydrotherapy help still? Maybe leaving it open with the restrictions to her licking will be okay, if you can keep her environment clean and safe?

 

Good luck to you all, and big hugs.

[Guest lizmego]

Its my understanding from what I have read that Alabama Rot is a bacterial infection and the bacteria is consumed through tainted food. So I think what your greyhound has is a Staph infection. There was some bacteria on the fence she ran into and that infected the wound on her leg.

 

If its a antibiotic-resistant strain, then the antibiotics that will need to be used can be expensive. The typical, well known antibiotics will not be able to be used - Penecillian, Doxycyclines, etc.

 

Good luck.

 

edited to add: If you and your vet truly thinks its Alabama Rot, do you raw feed? Then it might be Alabama rot, but if you feed kibble, then I wouldn't think that it would be. But I'm not a vet and no expert by any means.

 

Here's more info I found on Alabama Rot:

ALABAMA ROT:

 

Alabama Rot has long been a "mystery" disease among racing greyhounds. It was originally thought to be contagious. Racing greyhounds with the disease were found with open, weeping sores. In some dogs the sores healed on their own; in others , there was liver involvement and the dogs died in a matter of days.

 

Researchers at Kansas State University have done a study to try and determine the cause of Alabama Rot. After eliminating several possibilities, they took healthy dogs and fed them 4D Meat in an attempt to duplicate the symptoms of Alabama Rot. The study concluded that the Bacteria E. coli, which is found in 4D Meat is the cause of Alabama Rot. 4D (meaning Dead, Dying, Diseased or Disabled) meat can come from cattle , sheep, poultry, goats, horses , roadkill or even bodies of cats and dogs euthanized at animal shelters. 4D meat is apparently widely fed to racing greyhounds because it is high in protein and it is cheap (approx. 40 cents per pound) . Contact Lynda Adame at greyhoundadmin@abap.org for more info.

 

 

Edited April 28, 2008 by lizmego

[Guest LynnM]

Is she on oral antibiotics? Rather than looking at exotic diagnoses, have you considered a wound from the cat she was chasing or the fence with which she collided. What you describe is near-classic for a small puncture that goes unnoticed and becomes badly infected.

 

As for dressing the wound, your best bet (and most cost-effective) is to flush it 2-3 times per day with diluted Nolvasan or Betadine, then cool/tepid water, and cover it loosely (like a long-sleeved t-shirt), rather than worry about actual dressings and bandages. Given that the wound is large, regardless of its origin, oral antibiotics are something to discuss with your vet.

 

Lynn

[Saffron]

 

Alabama Rot

 

Not much to add other than we are big fans of the Bite-Not collar and T shirt thing. If the long sleeved T shirt is the way you go, and it makes sense, cut up the back so that you can knot it on top of the back over the tuck. Otherwise they can get tangled.

 

Best wishes for a quick recovery,

 

Gillian,

Catwalk, Pilgrim and Murphy P

 

[HopeForHounds]

Has your vet done a culture to see what kind of bacteria you are dealing with. I'd also get in touch with OSU's Greyhound Wellness Team for their imput. You can email them at greyosu@osu.edu

[Guest Peanut]

Email me and I can send you some bandages/supplies... gencfg@gmail.com

 

Also try: shopmedvet.com

[ahicks51]

As for dressing the wound, your best bet (and most cost-effective) is to flush it 2-3 times per day with diluted Nolvasan or Betadine, then cool/tepid water, and cover it loosely (like a long-sleeved t-shirt), rather than worry about actual dressings and bandages. Given that the wound is large, regardless of its origin, oral antibiotics are something to discuss with your vet.

 

Flushing is good, and- not to disagree with Lynn- but you could go the other way 'round, flushing with water and then dilute Betadine. That might help prevent additional growth.

 

I do agree that frequency wouldn't hurt- every 8 hours is a nice set regimen.

 

Best of luck with your pup.

[Guest LynnM]

Either, or.... Betadine first/water second doesn't stain the blankets, furniture, etc, that's all. Ideally, the reverse is probably better, but as long as you're flushing 2-3 times/day, you'll be allright either way.

 

Lynn

[VinnieAndRexsMom]

Betadine is cheap if you buy store brand. I used a bath towel and duct tape so Red couldn't get to his boo boo on his tummy. Don't leave her during the day unattended because Red's slipped over his head when I was home. I had to pull it back down to get it off his face. I think next time I will tape it differently... if there is a next time.

 

If you are messing with staph, specifically MRSA, you need to be very aggressive. I am not trying to alarm you. We had a MRSA scare with my uncle when he was in the hospital and we've had MRSA at one of our schools. It's around.

 

RE: cat bite

You also need to be vigilant with this as well. My friend has just gone through this with her much smaller dog and a feral cat. Not a good outcome. The infection made it to her organs before it was detected

 

With that said, Contact Peanut! She will help as much as she can. You don't say where you are located.

 

Sending healing thoughts for your pup and hugs for you.

[Guest mleekramer]

Well, Poptart is acting like her old self this afternoon except she absolutely refused to go potty. She is drinking, but we had to give her a more hindersome dressing to keep her off it and healing. I got a call from a vet that sees all of the greys in WI from our adoption group for their exams, etc. She explained to me that Alabama Rot has become the generalized term used for a staph infection in a grey which causes sloughing skin to such an extreme. She also told me that when a grey has it, if the kindneys are involved they die in a couple of days. Since poptart does not have any involvement and we are going on a week, we should be out of the woods, other than the wound care. Poptart never got close to the cat in the chase, so she received no scratches there. We've been cultured for everything and all of those are currently brewing. We have a t-shirt on her now and the vet gave me an ecollar. I thank all of you for your advice. I'm shying away from any idoine based wound care due to the fact that research I've read showed it can be cytotoxic and take longer to heal wounds( I developed a wound program for the human type in my distant past) I'm not at all familiar of the K9 products as this is my first pet in 20 years. I've found a lot of supplies in unusual places. I bought stuff from equine sites, oddly cheaper for the same items. I also visited a boxing supplies site for rolls of gauze, at least 1/2 price or more, FYI. I just hope the shirt works and the AM will be better. Poptart has only been with us since Oct and we still crate her at night, so I cant put the ecollar on, or she wouldn't be able to turn around. She hates the muzzle and rubs on her shoulder right where her wound is, so here's hoping for the t-shirt!

[Guest brandi007]

Good luck to you and your baby, that sounds absolutely horrifying!

 

Sending lots of healing thoughts your way, for both you and your Poptart!

[gryhnd_adoptee]

Ohhhhh......My heart just breaks for poor Poptart. I hope you can get this under control soon.

 

The loss of skin reminds me of a story I read in an old CG magazine titled "Pipers Skinning". He took a very large part of his skin off running under a clothes line....they termed it "degloving". I just did a search and found his story. As what seemed like a last resort, they tried Manuka Honey as a dressing to help heel the wound. Manuka Honey is made from the Tea Tree which is very medicinal. Honey on it's own has healing properties, but the Manuka is especially good.

 

Give the article a read, but be prepared...the photos are graphic. If it helps to know, Piper's wound fully healed and he now sports a starburst scar on his side.

 

http://www.aussiegreys.com/Piper's%20Story.htm

[sweetdogs]

Glad to hear PopTart (so cute! ) is doing OK. Could it have been a spider bite? Some of them can cause horrific skin problems like hers.

 

Manuka honey is a great idea (& yummy too). Here is a linky:manuka honey. I found it in my local health food store.

 

Here is another wound care article, not quite so graphic as poor Piper's:Tegan's injury.

 

I hope she heals quickly.