A WARNING that MRSA, the hospital superbug, is spreading among animals was issued to vets yesterday.
The disease, most commonly associated with humans, has been found in domestic and farm animals as it passes between people and pets, in particular dogs.
The British Veterinary Association predicts the number of cases will rise as the bug becomes more common in animals and is urging vets to adopt best practice and take precautions - use sterile gloves, masks and scrub suits during operations - to prevent infections.
Bob Partridge, president of the British Veterinary Hospitals Association, said: "MRSA is a bug that affects people and the prevalence in hospitals is a matter of great concern.
"There have been cases of MRSA in the veterinary population and these are of great concern to veterinary surgeons here and abroad. The main concern is trying to ensure we have as few cases as possible by encouraging veterinary surgeons to adopt best practice in operating procedures."
Mr Partridge, who runs a practice in Harrogate, Yorkshire, added: "There is certainly a wide awareness in the veterinary profession of MRSA and the problems that occur.
"These steps are being taken already in veterinary hospitals and a large number of practices. The problem will be that there will be an increasing number of cases as the bug becomes more common."
He added that with higher levels of sterility, the cost of treating pets would rise but said the incidence of the bug in animals was "relatively low".
Between 10 and 20 cases had been reported in the UK during each of the past two to three years, Mr Partridge said.
The UK's first case of a dog dying from MRSA was that of 10-year-old Bella, a white Samoyed, last year.
The dog's owner, Jill Moss, of Edgware, Middlesex, is campaigning to stop other pets contracting the bug. She said: "If I had known about MRSA in animals or understood the risks, Bella could have been saved not just from death, but from inhumane suffering.
"We have found this problem is widespread throughout the world, and we are determined to inform and warn pet owners and vets, and be a supportive, but persistent, voice calling for better infection prevention, to avoid it happening again.
"Unless important changes take place in the way veterinary practices perform surgery and take better care of postoperative infections, the levels of MRSA in animals will rise."
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