Hello!
How is he doing today? That arm/hand does look a little swollen. Does he have any idea as to why he would be
developing septic arthritis?
So sorry, I should have named the medication. The AZT is simply Azithromycin or aka the Zpack. It is an anti-microbial
or anti-bacterial agent but, not an antibiotic. Did the Baytril seem to work pretty well or was it caught too late?
Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie
I'm unsure about the baytril. He was on it for a few months and it seemed like it was working, but we may have stopped treatment too early before the infection was completely gone. He had been off it for about 6 months before getting rechecked. My regular vet doesn't have the best xray machines so it's hard to say what all happened before the specialist retook xrays.
I just got an email last night from the specialist about the right arm and possible causes of septic in the back leg. This is what he said:
-"Thanks for sending over Smaug's update, photos, and the concern with his right forelimb. I'm very happy to hear and see that Smaug's surgery site is healing well. I don't appreciate anything on the radiographs that would indicate an inflammation or infection present at the right wrist joint at the time these were taken. The extra "blackness" on the outer aspect of the right wrist joint is an artifact of the radiograhic technique.
If you're noticing new swelling in the right forelimb, I'd recommend we get Smaug started on some antibiotics and see him back sooner than his previously anticipated re-evaluation. I can have some antibiotics put together for you to pick up tomorrow. Please call our office tomorrow morning and let's get an appointment on the books to look at Smaug's joint. In the mean time, let's take some serial photographs (roughly 1 or 2 a week) with the joint of concern and a small ruler or object of a standard size so that we can monitor progression of any swelling present.
With regards to why this happens, the really frustrating thing is that we probably won't ever have a definitive answer. Some theories as to why septic arthritis develops is transient or prior immunosuppression and spread of bacteria from the GI tract, microabrasions near or around the affected joint, and penetrating trauma. Unfortunately, in most cases we never see or can positively identify the predisposing factor. The best thing we can do in terms of prevention is providing the most appropriate husbandry possible and performing regular wellness exams and regular monitoring at home."-
That makes me hopeful that the right arm isn't septic. I'll be calling during my lunch break and probably picking up antibiotics later today. Now that I think about it, I'm wondering if the swelling could be from the weekly iron injections. I don't get to see the vet tech administer them, and I'm unsure which arm or where in the arm it gets done, but she said he wasn't happy during the last injection. I can imagine he probably put up a fight. He probably won't be seen again by the specialist until next week, but I'll be taking pictures and monitoring the swelling the best I can.