Thread: Tetanus in dogs - a warning story

After about a year of having a break after our old Lab was put down last March, we finally got sorted to get a new pup. We went for an SPCA rescue pup at the local and ended up with this cute little girl.

She was coming along great. Settling down nicely. Eager to learn. Happy to chill out on her own in the garden which was awesome. We both work at home so she had a good mix of play/learning sessions and then time to nap or just hang out by herself.
A bit over a week in we could tell something wasn't right. One eye was wanting to close up a bit and she wasn't eating with that side of her mouth. So off to the vet to look for maybe a sting, or wound in her mouth or sore tooth. Nothing found. The next day, both eyes were now a bit narrowed and her back legs were getting quite stiff. Struggling to get food down but still with an appetite.
Off to another vet who took one look at her and said that's tetanus. Onto a drip to try and kill the infection. The next day she was still happy wagging her tail but the paralysis had spread further and one front leg was now stiff and she couldn't get up on her own. Vet thought there was still hope but I was pretty sure that only a bit more toxin floating around was probably going to get to her breathing and that'd be it. She died that night.
Pretty gutted. Just really unlucky I guess. Still only 13 weeks so hadn't had all her shots etc. Vet couldn't find any external wound where the infection could have gotten in. I had noticed a healed up small wound on the inside of her rear foot. Maybe that was the entry point. We'll never know.
Nobody we've spoken too had ever heard of a dog going down with tetanus. So, something to look out for.

Our poor 7yo daughter is still pretty upset. We're going to be on the lookout for another pup pretty much right now. She's at an age where she can be involved in bringing it up and having lots of fun with it. Dad still would quite like a companion on the odd back country trip. Not necessarily an actual deer dog, but who knows.

Anyone with bitzer/family friendly breed pups anywhere near Taranaki feel free to drop me a line if you have anything spare looking for a home that might be suitable. Really after a puppy this time rather than a mature dog. Although the way things seem to be, puppys are still pretty much in demand.

Take care.

Shit Ned that's a real bastard
No I haven't heard of a dog getting tetanus either so something else to look out for by the sound of it. I usually get my muttlies a Lepto shot which is required every year but mainly since I have sheep. And of course the Parvo combo one which after the 1st at 8 weeks and second at 12, is required every 3 years usually. It could have been a small cut/wound inside the mouth maybe which would have been hard to find.

Condolences mate. I can't imagine how hard it would be to lose a pup so young, just when they are making a real impact on your life.
Best of luck Ned

Sorry to hear that Ned.
First time i've ever heard of it. You dont even think of it cos pups/dogs always getting scrapes n cuts and generally its nothing to worry about unless it needs stitches.
Hope you find a suitable replacement for you and your little girl.

So damn sad, nothing you could have done which must be devastating.

Do you have horses at yr place or has the dog run in a horse paddock??

They go down hill really quickly once the infection sets in. Nothing you could have done.

not a lot of people know about tetanus in dogs.

Bugger it Ned, thats no good
That must be pretty rare, can’t say I’ve heard of it
Good luck with a new pup.

Thanks for the messages. If there's one thing softening the blow a bit we only had her for 2 weeks so it hasn't quite cut as deeply as when our old Lab went. But its close. Well I say that from my perspective. But our poor daughter was in love with it.
We are semi-rural with dairy paddock over the back fence and empty paddock on another fence line. But she'd only been on our place since we'd picked her up. Maybe just from tearing around through the garden and mulch here and there. Could have already had the infection before we got her. Moot point anyway.

I wrote this more as a warning to others to be aware of the early signs of tetanus. Although I'm a bit skeptical that earlier intervention might have changed things much. It would only have been one day earlier when we first noticed anything off, that it could have been considered.

Better luck with the next one I'm sure.

I guess since you know you have tetanus in the garden, I would be making sure your daughter has a jab at the least, and maybe the rest of the family. An extra day of intravenous antibiotics may have made a difference but the only sure thing is the vaccination.
I might do a bit of research on it since I wasn't aware dogs were susceptible.

sad when ever you loose a dog.....good luck with the next one.