[107barney]

Originally Posted by FlDebra

Everything I am seeing from updated info says staph can be transmitted from dog to human and from human to dog. If you can find one that says differently, I still would not be comfortable telling anyone to handle and kiss an infected area. Here are references from the CDC (Center for Disease Control), a news story, and vetinfo.com .

Human-to-Dog Transmission of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus | CDC EID Human to Dog transmission of Staph

Staph infection found in pets | The Columbus Dispatch MRSA is a zoonotic pathogen, which means that it can be passed from animal to human and vice versa.

Testing for Canine MRSA Infection With Blood, Skin, Urine or Sputum Cultures Transmission of the MRSA contagious infection occurs from humans to dogs, and from dogs to humans.

Ann is correct that I was referring to S. intermedius. This is such a common issue in dogs but not in humans. This is also consistent with the veterinary advice I have been given and the information I've read on the subject in the past. The last time Barney had it was just this past summer, and our vet did not issue any warnings to us to quarantine Barney or put on our hazmat suits.

Just to clarify, I never told anyone to handle and kiss the area, -- I simply said that the OP should probably relax and that it was likely something minor like a pyoderma (otherwise the vet might have warned her otherwise) and that I am so comfortable that I wont catch it from Barney that I rub and kiss my Barney's belly with or without his s. intermedius infection. He has had it a couple of times since he has gotten older and more susceptible to summer allergies resulting in these infections. I also let him sleep in my bed, with or without his skin issue.

Our vet treats it the same way as Ann mentioned - 1 month of Simplecef 100 mg and that works very well to resolve the issue.

Also the dog may not even have a staph infection so the OP should call and ask the vet what they are treating to be sure. I have had one or two spots show up and that is when we use mupirocin ointment for 2 weeks twice a day and that usually clears things up.