Staph

"You must come to terms with the fact that you will out live this dog."

That's what my regular vet told me when I told her I was having a hard time with the fact that Martha Fauker is now a 12-year-old French Bulldog.

We took Martha Fauker to a special vet on Saturday because of our inability to cure her inflamed skin. The vet cultured her skin and determined that she has staphylococcus dermatitis a.k.a. a staph infection. Apparently, staph is a normal resident of the skin of animals and humans; however, it is considered an opportunist. As long as the skin is healthy- staph is dormant- but once the skin is irritated staph can invade the area. Her age makes it more difficult for her skin to remain clear. So it looks like we'll start a "pulse" treatment of antibiotics for the rest of her life to keep her skin clear.

No worries Martha Fauker is not contagious to humans or other pets.