Pets and endocarditis

[nia]

Hello,

I?ve been wondering for a while about the possibility of getting endocarditis from pet bites/scratches. How concerned should I be if a pet bites or scratches me to the point where I bleed? What if the skin is broken but no blood is coming out? Would an antibiotic ointment be sufficient, or should I do more (or less)? I apologize for asking too much all at once...just really don't want to risk getting endocarditis again. I would appreciate any help, especially since the family I started babysitting for has a cat with impressive teeth and claws? Thank you.

 

[char2mar]

Hello,

I?ve been wondering for a while about the possibility of getting endocarditis from pet bites/scratches. How concerned should I be if a pet bites or scratches me to the point where I bleed? What if the skin is broken but no blood is coming out? Would an antibiotic ointment be sufficient, or should I do more (or less)? I apologize for asking too much all at once...just really don't want to risk getting endocarditis again. I would appreciate any help, especially since the family I started babysitting for has a cat with impressive teeth and claws? Thank you.

Nia:

I wouldn't worry too much about getting endocarditis from pet bites. I would be more worried about getting blood poisoning though. I was once bite by a cat and ended up getting a blood infection. I had to go on IV therapy for 6 days. Cats have a bacteria in their mouths called pasterella. It can spread into your blood stream very quickly, however if you happen to get bit by a cat it would have to be a deep bite before it causes trouble. If the bite area swells and turns red then medical treatment is required. If it is superficial then probably not. In most cases cat bites or dog bites abcess in a localized area. Antibiotics are called for in either case. So if the cat with the impressive teeth bites you really hard then go to a clinic and get a tetnus shot and a dose of antibiotics. When I was bit I did that but unfortunetly for me the antibiotic given to me was the wrong one. Even though I ended up getting blood poisoning I did not get endocarditis.

I hope this eases your mine.

Char

 

[catwoman]

Nia:

I have shown pedigreed cats since 1989 and am now a shorthair apprentice judge. I carry antibiotics (amoxi) with me to shows and have also had liquid clindamycin. Even the most docile cat can scratch or nip if startled, frightened or threatened. If I approach a cat that seems a little upset, I take a feather or other distracting device to help me in getting it out of the judging cage. Sometimes just talking first very soothingly to the cat helps calm it down. If all else fails, I ask for the handler (owner or agent) to transfer the cat from judging cage to judging table.

We have a prima donna cat at home, a retired award-winning cat, now 11. She's an alpha cat and loves to attack her brother and half sister. We have a couple of spritzer bottles to squirt at her when she gets like that. I do not attempt to handle her or the other two cats when she's like that.

Cats' and dogs' mouths are big sources of bacteria -- as are humans' mouths! If bitten or scratched, always thoroughly wash the site with warm water and antibacterial soap. If there is a puncture wound, immediately start taking amoxi. I take 2,000mg of amoxi immediately, then follow up every 8 hours with 500mg for 24-48 hours. I've never gotten an infection. I'm not sure what the risk of endocarditis would be.

I've been bitten numerous times, once bad enough to send me to my PCP; I was very careless around a male who had just been neutered and was still feeling very hormonal.

Here are several things you can do when you're baby-sitting:
1. Ask the owners where they keep cat treats. If they don't keep cat treats on hand, ask if there's something you can use in place of a cat treat. We keep baby food (lamb, veal, chicken & turkey) as cat treats. Some of our cats adore Fancy Feast, so we'll pop open a little can of that. Sometimes food -- particularly turkey -- will soothe an animal.
2. Ask the owners to trim the cat's claws before you arrive. We trim claws every 7-10 days. I am vehement about short claws on cats now! (Also, if claws grow too long, they can actually impair a cat's ability to walk properly.)
3. By any chance is this a calico or tortoiseshell female? A high percentage of calico (red-black-white or blue-cream-white, i.e., gray-beige-white) or tortoiseshell (red-black splotched or blue-cream splotched, no white) cats have a little unusual personality, sometimes called "tortietude." Think of a cat with low- to high-level PMS...
4. Create some toys for the cat -- wadded-up balls of shiny foil, some paper bags, long strips of fabric (not things like shoelaces), feathers -- and see if the cat will interact positively.
5. If the cat is outright aggressive, rather than not being comfortable around strangers, ask that he/she be kept in a closed room (with litter box, food & water) while you are working at the home.

Let me know how this goes. I can also consult a feline behavior book at home, written by Dr. Bonnie Beaver, a behavior specialist at the Texas A&M Veterinary School.

 

[Barry]

I don't worry about it. Whenever I've been bitten or scratched, I just clean the wound out well and hope that the SOB didn't have rabies.

FYI, as a weird aside, animals that have lived with humans for a very long time are disease reservoirs for diseases that have transferred to humans and to which we've developed immune responses that make the disease no longer virulently fatal - e.g. pigs are a reservoir for the flu. Forget what dogs and cats are reservoirs for. Animals that have NOT lived with humans for a very long time are disease reservoirs for diseases that are virulently fatal if they transfer to humans because we haven't developed immune responses to them. Recent examples are Asian avian flu and Ebola, from wildfowl and from African primates respectively. I wouldn't worry too much about being bitten by a cat, but I'd be very worried if I were bitten by a rain forest beastie with which humans haven't had much contact.

 

[liza]

Hi! I am currently a second year vet student who has also had endocarditis. I've learned a LOT about zoonotic diseases these past two years. I've also done alot of research on endocarditis since I was diagnosed with it this past November. It says in a few different sources that veterinarians and people who work with animals have a higher risk of endocarditis. I haven't had much animal contact so far (just dissecting cadavers *sigh*), and I have no idea how I contracted endocarditis. I want to echo the comments on cat bites -they can cause infections real quick! I would take care, and clean out wounds ASAP with antibacterial soap. If it's really bad, I wouldn't hesitate to see a doctor. But then, after this year of my heart problems I'm not taking any risks. Good luck with the kitties!

Liza

 

[catwoman]

To all:

If you go to an ER with an animal bite, oftentimes an animal control officer will be sent to the owners of the animal, asking for proof of rabies vaccination.

Number of years ago a woman was showing a cat. She used what we call a security cage; this one was of wood and glass or plexiglass, with some ventillation panels. She was getting the cat or putting it back in and shut the locking door on the cat's tail. Cat was injured, was in pain and apparently bit the woman. Woman had to go to the ER. Doctors there demanded to see rabies vaccination on the animal.
This was in Texas, where rabies vaccinations are required. State requires them every 3 years, but some local governments require annual shots. Local law would supercede state law in this case.

 

[nia]

Thank you everyone for advice. I was so worried about endocarditis that it didn?t occur to me that animals carry a lot of diseases in general. Thank you for reminding. The cat in question is a one-year-old, black-and-white, short-haired girl. The ?incident? between us was wholly my fault?I chased after her, and when she jumped onto the table and got comfortable, I swear her tummy was crying out, "pat me!", which obviously was not the case. First she tried to kick my hand with her hind leg, then she bore her fangs and tried to sink them into my hand. I retracted my hand just in time. Other than that, she seemed like a very gentle, well-behaved cat. If she turns out to be aggressive, maybe I?ll carry my dental antibiotics with me when I go there, though antibiotics for prophylaxis might not do much?? But I?ll certainly bring with me the Bacitracin tube.

Since the cat doesn?t need to be baby-sat (I?m not responsible for feeding her or anything), the best way is probably to just stay away from her (and keep my wild imaginations to myself). The less I get scratched/bitten, the better in every way. Thanks again everyone, and have a good Memorial Day weekend.