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Dogs and Group A Strep


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We had to take our dog to the vet this morning and while we were there, asked for a group A strep culture. The dog has terrible skin problems--bacterial and fungal infections. :-( This is the second time this summer we've had to treat her. The vet stated that dogs could not harbor strep A. Does anyone have any additional information, or should I just not worry about the dog for now? Thanks!

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When our son was at his worst, our vet specifically asked if the dog could possibly be making him worse (he knew more about PANDAS and autoimmune disorders than most of the doctors we've seen over the years. I called Dr. L, and she called the vet, and said to give him a big shot of a specific abx, because we had just adopted the dog through the SPCA (he had been in a puppy mill, and had a chronic cough.)

 

More recently (as in about 1 month ago), he spent 2 days at the kennel (that we always use), and came home with a terrible bladder infection, and a very slight cough (yes he had his bordetella vaccine...a killed variety.) He was put on abx, and then it just didn't seem to completely go away. We brought him back to the vet, who understood, and was put on a bunch of meds + had a shot of penicillin. Although my kids are still having problems (mostly because they are way past needing IVIG or PEX tx, and we are fighting insurance), I don't get the same feeling that it is coming from the dog (trust a mother's intuition.)

 

So, whether or not it is possible to get strep A, doesn't really matter, because once the kids get PANDAS, anything can trigger it, including things that the dog brings home (my son even got sick from the dog's first "live" bordetella, and that's why our vet told us about the "killed" variety.

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Hi,our dog "Bolt"was tested by our vet and he came up + for Heavy growth Beta hemolytic strep.The Vet did a mouth swab.We have 2 dogs so we treated them both with Amoxicillin for 20 days.We waited about 2 weeks and cultured them again and they were negative.(If you do a culture and sensitivities the sensitivity will tell you what antibiotic will be effective.)

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Hi,our dog "Bolt"was tested by our vet and he came up + for Heavy growth Beta hemolytic strep.The Vet did a mouth swab.We have 2 dogs so we treated them both with Amoxicillin for 20 days.We waited about 2 weeks and cultured them again and they were negative.(If you do a culture and sensitivities the sensitivity will tell you what antibiotic will be effective.)

 

I'll bet it wasn't group A though...dogs are more likely to have group G.

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Not to add fuel to the flame, but I have recently read a few studies that dogs and cats can also transmit Mycoplasma Pneumonia... I'm only interested b/c the entire family is testing high MP IGG titers lately and no strep (although that was the intiatial problem with my son growing up).

 

My dog is already on longterm abx... what's next :)

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dogs and cats can also transmit Mycoplasma Pneumonia...

Shoot!

 

My dog is already on longterm abx... what's next :)

May I ask what they have your dog on? We are taking "Frodo" in soon and I'll ask to keep him on something, hopefully something that addresses both Strep and Myco. When will this ever end???

 

Oh, and I love your picture... I can see the light at the end of the tunnel too!

Edited by mati's mom
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[May I ask what they have your dog on? We are taking "Frodo" in soon and I'll ask to keep him on something, hopefully something that addresses both Strep and Myco. When will this ever end???

 

We have my pooch on clindamycin. (2 weeks on, then 2 weeks off, then repeat) I think it only covers strep. Our next round of blood test is this week, to see if the lastest round of antiboitics lowered our Family's MP IGG score. If they come back high, without lowering, then I will ask for the dog to go on something new that covers MP too.

 

My primary care MD was the first to suggest testing the dog for strep. She things the pets get overlooked as carriers in the family.

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Hi folks, I wouldn't panic about mycoplasma. There are LOTS of species of mycoplasma...and they are quite species specific. In other words, mycoplasma in a dog isn't the same that affects humans, and vice versa. Here's a list of the species of mycoplasma that affect different animals, just to put things in perspective. (from http://www.answers.com/topic/mycoplasma)

 

A genus of highly pleomorphic, aerobic or facultatively anaerobic bacteria that lack cell walls, including the pleuropneumonia-like organisms (PPLO).

 

 

M. agalactiae, M. capricolum, M. conjunctivae, M. mycoides subsp. mycoides and subsp. capri, M. ovipneumoniae, M. putrefaciens, M. strain F-38 — cause disease in sheep and goats. See contagious agalactia, contagious caprine/ovine pleuropneumonia, enzootic pneumonia, keratoconjunctivitis, mycoplasmal polyarthritis.

M. alkalescens, M. bovis, M. bovoculi, M. bovigenitalium, M. bovirhinis M. californicum, M. canadense, M. dispar and M. mycoides subsp. mycoides — found in cattle and may cause disease, including pneumonia, mastitis, arthritis, ocular infection and mastitis. See contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, enzootic pneumonia, keratoconjunctivitis.

M. anatis, M. gallinarum, M. gallisepticum, M. gallopavonis, M. iowae, M. meleagridis, M. synoviae — cause disease in poultry. See chronic respiratory disease, infectious avian synovitis, infectious sinusitis of turkeys, and turkey syndrome.

M. arthritidis, M. neurolyticum, M. pulmonis — cause disease in rats and mice. See murine respiratory mycoplasmosis, rolling disease.

M. columbinasale, M. columborale — found in pigeons, but pathogenicity is not known.

M. cynos, M. gateae, M. spumans — found in dogs and cats and may be associated with disease. See also histiocytic ulcerative colitis, kennel cough.

M. felis — found in the respiratory tract of horses and may cause pleuritis. It causes conjunctivitis in cats.

M. flocculare, M. hyorhinis, M. hyosynoviae, M. hyopneumoniae — cause disease in pigs. See atrophic rhinitis, mycoplasma arthritis and enzootic pneumonia.

M. haematoparvum — a hemophilic species of uncertain clinical significance found in dogs.

M. haemocanis — a hemophilic species found in dogs that is usually apathogenic, but can cause anemia in spelenctomized dogs. Previously called Haemobartonella canis.

M. haemofelis — a hemophilic species that causes feline infectious anemia. Previously called Haemobartonella felis.

M. haemominutum — a hemophilic species of uncertain clinical significance found in cats.

M. haemomuris — a hemophilic species found in rats that is transmitted by lice and is usually apathogenic, but can cause fatal anemia in splenectomized or immunosuppressed animals.

M. ovis — a hemophilic species that can cause anemia and ill thrift in weaner sheep, although infection is often inapparent. Previously called Eperythrozoon ovis.

M. suis — a hemophilic species that causes anemia and jaundice in piglets. Can cause high mortalities. Previously called Eperythrozoon suis.

M. wenyonii — a hemophilic species that may occasionally cause fever and anemia, but is usually apathogenic. Previously called Eperythrozoon wenyonii.

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Here's some info on zoonotic diseases (these are diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans eg rabies).

 

http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/zoonotic/a/zoonotic.htm

 

and

 

http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/zoonotic/Zoonotic_Diseases_Human_.htm

 

As you can see, the likelihood of a healthy dog or cat (vaccinated, dewormed, on flea control) transmitting something to a human is pretty remote.

 

I just think PANDAS parents have enough to worry about without bringing Fluffy and Fido into it! Other humans are far far more likely to cause problems in terms of disease exposure.

Edited by EAMom
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