Follow for more talkers

Animals

Dog fighting for his life after poisonous bite

Vets believe he contracted a flesh eating bacterial infection, likely from a spider or snake bite.

Avatar photo

Published

on
Mixed Bulldog Breezy undergoing treatment at the vets. (Millie Batten via SWNS)

By Harrison Moore via SWNS

A dog is fighting for his life after being poisoned from a deadly bite while playing at the park - which turned his skin PURPLE.

English Bulldog Breezy, one, has just come out of emergency surgery after vets believe he was bitten by either a snake or spider.

Owner Millie Batten, 23, was walking him in their local park in Surrey, England as she does most days, when she believes Breezy was bitten.

The next day, July 17, the pooch developed heavy swelling on his neck, and she rushed him to her vet to be looked over.

At first, the vet was happy it was nothing serious and discharged Breezy - prescribing him a course of antibiotics to combat any infection.

But, two days later, Breezy's condition worsened and the swelling spread from his neck and chin to his lower body and chest.

Millie revisited the vet, who said that his infection had indeed spread, and that he would have to make multiple incisions to drain the purulent fluid from his wounds.

Breezy undergoing treatment at the vets.(Millie Batten via SWNS)
« of 8 »

The NHS nurse, from Sutton, Surrey, said: "Everything happened so fast, we didn't even have time to process it.

"One minute he was happy and playing as normal after the vert originally saw him - but then a few days later he was ill again.

"Breezy was sleepy, lethargic, continually panting and his swelling had ballooned up to triple the size.

"The vet identified a build up of purulent fluid in and around his wound which needed to be removed through a number of incisions.

"But he was becoming critically ill by the day and the infection was rapidly spreading - turning his skin a scabby purple color.

"After three incisions Breezy had to be referred to the emergency vet for a life-saving operation."

Breezy was transferred to the Fitzpatrick Oncology Veterinary Centre last week, where the emergency surgeon gave him a fresh frozen plasma transfusion.

The purpose of the transfusion was to help the blood clot, so he could drain the pus effectively without Breezy losing too much blood.

The surgeon also removed the dead skin, cleaned and bandaged Breezy's wounds and inserted a feeding tube to keep him alive through the surgery.

Prior to the operation, the surgeon suggested putting him down may have been the kindest option - but Millie refused.

It has now been two days since he went under the knife and, thankfully, he is in a stable condition.

Millie says, now, the main focus now is wound management, although she's confident he's survived the worst of it.

She said: "I had to sign a consent form before he had the emergency surgery as there was a high chance he wouldn't make it.

"But Breezy is a fighter and he seems to have come out the other side.

"He is currently being administrated methadone and ketamine to help with his pain, and the focus is now on tending to his wounds and supervising his eating and drinking.

"And, the vets at Fitzpatrick have concluded they believe he contracted a flesh eating bacterial infection, likely from a spider or snake bite."

Breezy is not completely out the woods yet, and still has a long road to recovery ahead.

He will require in-patient care for at least another few weeks followed by intense after care - which will not come cheap.

So far Millie has forked out $8,500 in total for his treatment, although she says she'll have to pay around $12,000 more when the bill comes for his in-patient care.

After care and rehabilitation for Breezy will also be in the thousands, and Millie's pet insurance only covers the first $18,000 of medical expenses.

Millie has therefore started a GoFundMe for the pooch to fund the remainder of his treatment.

"We still don't know what the future holds for Breezy but we are doing everything we can to ensure he is nursed back to health a quickly as possible," Millie said.

"By sharing our story with the world, we want to make other dog owners aware of the dangers dogs can be exposed to, even in the UK.

"Putting him down was never an option, and we'll continue to fight for him for as long as required - he's very special to us."

Stories and infographics by ‘Talker Research’ are available to download & ready to use. Stories and videos by ‘Talker News’ are managed by SWNS. To license content for editorial or commercial use and to see the full scope of SWNS content, please email [email protected] or submit an inquiry via our contact form.

Top Talkers