Today

Over the last few years the MRSA 'superbug' has been in the news with alarming regularity as one hospital after another has been affected by it. However, it can also have a devastating effect on veterinary surgeries, as Christine Lee of World Animal Day has been finding out.

"MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) is a generally harmless bacterium, but one which can prove fatal to a person or an animal with a weakened immune system, for example someone who has just undergone surgery. It can be spread by direct contact, or by coughing or sneezing, and can be carried from people to animals and vice versa. MRSA is notoriously resistant to antibiotics, and it is thought that over-reliance on antibiotics in the past has led to its evolution.

The spread of MRSA in hospitals has often been linked to poor hygiene practices. So it is unsurprising that it should also be on the increase in veterinary surgeries. There are no set rules governing how surgical procedures are carried out in veterinary practices in the UK, whether the veterinarian uses a surgical mask and gown, whether a second veterinarian is in charge of anaesthesia, how much the animal is monitored after surgery, and to what extent it will be in contact with other animals.

In the UK there are guidelines issues by the BSAVA (British Small Animal Veterinary Association), but it is up to the individual veterinarian to what extent these are followed, while in the United States, MRSA infections certainly exist, but are virtually unrecognised by the veterinary profession.

The positive power of anger

One woman is aiming to tackle the problem head-on. Last year Jill Moss lost her own dog, a 10-year-old Samoyed named Bella, to the infection, following what should have been a routine operation to mend a ruptured ligament sustained while chasing a squirrel.

Jill was devastated by her loss and was determined that no human or animal should have to suffer as she and Bella had done. Jill explains: "After Bella died, I was in shock. I did not know pets could get MRSA. She had the human strain EMRSA 15. I started the PETS-MRSA website to try to fill the gap in information that I had found, and I suppose it was bereft anger that drove me to collate so much information.

"The suggestion to set up the Bella Moss Foundation came from Claire Rayner, Honorary Patron of PETS-MRSA. I had no idea what I had started and now we campaign worldwide and have a following of supporters - not just people who have pets that are infected, but humans who have MRSA and have pets who mean the world to them."

Initially the veterinary profession proved at best sceptical and at worst hostile towards Jill’s crusade, but thankfully her persistence is paying off. Both the British Veterinary Association and the British Small Animal Veterinary Association are starting to work with the Bella Moss Foundation, and DEFRA has set up a sub-group (Jill is on the committee) to tackle this growing problem. The harsh reality is that every other day an animal is being diagnosed with MRSA, so it is reassuring that there are people like Jill prepared to give the professionals and Governments alike the necessary sharp wake-up calls.

The Bella Moss Foundation and the PETS-MRSA website exist to raise awareness and educate both animal-owners and veterinary professionals. Jill and her supporters back this up with campaigning, distributing material, talking to people and piloting research studies. Undoubtedly the team works very hard, and Jill makes the following poignant comment about her work: "The hardest part for me is telling my story over and over, but I do so to help raise awareness and save the lives of our pets," she says.

This month is the first anniversary of Bella’s death. A year ago, virtually no one was aware of the problem of MRSA in animals, but now Jill feels that perceptions are changing.

"Over the past year since I lost Bella, I have campaigned extensively through the media and also gone into places of higher education to give talks to medical and veterinary students. I have attended many events in order to publicise the work of the Foundation. Thankfully, now the tide is turning… But there is still enormous work to be done."

Although BVA- and BSAVA-approved practices operate to high standards, those standards are still not mandatory. At present individual veterinary practices can have an outbreak of MRSA, yet remain unaccountable.

In the UK vets are self-regulated and, as Jill puts it, "this means they can either choose to be responsible or continue to put animals and people’s lives at risk."

This is a very sobering thought. Jill would be the last person to try to dissuade someone from taking a sick animal to a vet, but is adamant that vets and members of the public should be aware of the problem and what can be done to avoid it in terms of improving basic hygiene standards, tightening infection control policies and introducing barrier nursing and isolation where animals might be at risk.

To give Jill the last word, "Bella was a beautiful gentle soul and her ending was traumatic and undignified. What happened to Bella shouldn't happen to a dog.""