When You Hear Hoofbeats...

A common rule in the practice of medicine is, “When you hear hoofbeats look for horses, not zebras”. This basically means to look for the most common health problems first and rule them out before doing extensive diagnostics for more uncommon conditions. This is typically a good common sense rule to follow…but then Suzy came along.

Suzy, a beautiful eleven year old Visla mix, presented to Circle City Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Hospital in mid October for sudden onset of severe joint pain. Dr. Rader and her team forged ahead meticulously looking for those ‘horses’. What they found instead was an uncommon and challenging ‘zebra’ named Bartonella, an infectious agent seldom found in Indiana!

Bartonella infections can cause a myriad of clinical signs. In Suzy the infection primarily affected her spinal cord and the big nerve complexes that come off the spinal cord so she had tremendous pain and weakness in both rear legs and her lower back. Even with very strong pain medications she was unable to stand up or walk, and as a result, she suffered significant muscle wasting.

Before her illness Suzy could go for runs with her owner and play with her family. Seeing her in such a depressed state was difficult and not for the faint of heart! Without patience and determination from Suzy’s owner and a ‘can do’ attitude from Dr. Rader and her team, Suzy’s outcome would have been far different.

Suzy’s recovery benefited greatly from physical rehabilitation in the underwater treadmill and therapeutic laser treatments. The laser uses light energy to increase blood flow to the tissues and it directly affects nerves to help turn off the pain and release analgesic endorphins. She enjoyed her treatments so much she would independently shift herself over so that her other side could be treated, making that behavior probably one of the most obvious affirmations that she felt the benefits!

After three months Suzy has recovered from her infection, finished her treatments, her rehabilitation therapy, and is regaining muscle mass and strength. We hope she is back to running with her owner this summer. You will want to watch this video as it takes you through her brave recovery and success.

Footnote: Bartonella is a family of bacteria that infect red blood cells. The bacteria are transmitted from one individual to the next by a vector (blood sucking insect), the most common vector being ticks. Ticks also spread Lyme’s Disease, Ehrlichia, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever to name a few. Bartonella transmission has also been linked to fleas, biting flies, and lice. Dogs, cats, and humans can all be infected by Bartonella, if bitten by an infected flea or tick. Although Bartonella is usually only found in the southern half of the United States, the best way to prevent an infection is by keeping an effective flea and tick preventative on your pets all year long.