Gang Dog

Cinnamon died on Tuesday morning,  August 24, 2010.  She contracted Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) http://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/index.html in 2007 and gave it to our other Dalmatian Baxter.  Both dogs required multiple courses of antibiotics to treat their infections.  They contracted MRSA after an infection my husband contracted post-surgery from shredding soiled linens left out when he was rushed to the hospital.

The Bella Moss Foundation is an organization in England that provides information regarding MRSA infections in dogs and how it can be transmitted interspecies from humans to dogs.  I contacted them when the dogs became sick.  Long term infections can develop into problems with the immune system.  Both Baxter and Cinnamon developed autoimmune disorders.  Baxter developed an autoimmune thyroid disorder, dying of complications of infections in 2009.  Cinnamon developed what appeared to be autoimmune diabetes, and was no longer able to walk, lift her head, eat or drink, and likely had an intracranial hemorrhage resulting in a single seizure at the vet's office and labored breathing prior to her being humanely euthanized.  She became obviously sick at 6 am and was near death when she went to the vet's at 9 am when they opened.

She will be missed.