Preparing for Spine Surgery: Don’t Overlook Your Pets
If you’re preparing for spine surgery, you’re probably focused on things like medications, transportation, and recovery time. But here’s something most patients don’t consider. Your pets.
Specifically, cat scratches, dog bites, or even letting your furry friend lick your incision can put your entire recovery and even the surgery itself at risk.
Why Cat Scratches and Dog Bites Matter
Let’s start with cat scratches and dog bites. These might seem minor at first glance, but your skin is the first line of defense against infection. When it’s broken, even just a tiny nick from a cat claw or a playful nip from your dog, it creates a direct entry point for bacteria.
One of the most concerning organisms in these cases is Pasteurella Malta, a bacterium commonly found in the mouths of cats and dogs. In healthy people, it might just cause a local infection or redness, but in the context of spine surgery, it’s a much bigger threat.
During spinal procedures, we often place hardware like screws, rods, and cages that become permanent parts of your body. If bacteria like pasteurella enter the bloodstream through a fresh bite or scratch, they can seed onto this hardware.
That’s when things get really dangerous.
These infections are stubborn. Antibiotics have a tough time penetrating the bofilms that form on the implants. It can lead to persistent infection, hardware failure, or the need for revision surgery, something we all want to avoid.
After Surgery: The Risk Doesn’t End
Now, let’s talk about what happens after surgery.
Pets love us unconditionally, and they often want to be close, especially when they sense we’re not feeling well. But licking an incision, no matter how small, can introduce bacteria directly to the surgical site.
That saliva may contain pasteurella staff and other organisms that turn a clean healing incision into an infected wound.
A Real Patient Story
Let me tell you about a woman who came in for what we considered a straightforward surgery. A cervical spine fusion approached through the front of the neck to relieve pressure on her spinal cord and stabilize her spine.
She was kind, upbeat, and her recovery initially went exactly as expected. Smooth surgery, strong follow-up, no red flags.
But five weeks later, everything changed.
She developed a high fever. Her joints achd, muscles started spasming, her arms and legs felt weak, and swallowing became very difficult.
By the time the ambulance brought her to the emergency department, she was in full-blown septic shock. Her blood pressure was dangerously low, and her body was clearly fighting a major infection.
Yet, no obvious source was found on initial workup. Her chest X-ray was clear, her urine clean, and other common infections were ruled out.
But her cervical spine MRI showed fluid around her surgical site. It was sitting in the space where we had placed the hardware to protect her spine.
We urgently evaluated her esophagus with a special swallow study, worried about the rare but serious risk of an injury to the esophagus. But that test came back normal.
The patient was rushed to the operating room and we re-entered her incision where we were met with copious amounts of pus around her spine.
Her hardware had to be removed. Her neck flushed and cleaned thoroughly with antibiotics and new sterile implants were carefully placed.
Her blood cultures and operative cultures returned positive for Pasteurella Multica.
She then shared with us that her beloved cat, her comfort and emotional inker, had a habit of affectionately licking her.
She was started immediately on powerful introvenous antibiotics and gradually began to recover. Because of the severity of the infection, she required a special catheter placed directly in a large vein near her heart to allow for long-term IV antibiotic treatment.
Eventually, she was transferred from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility for continued healing.
Why Surgery May Be Canceled
So, surgeons may cancel your surgery if you arrive with a fresh cat scratch or a dog bite because it’s not worth the risk of introducing infection into the surgical field or placing hardware in a body that’s already trying to fight off microbes.
It may feel frustrating in the moment, but it’s ultimately about protecting your long-term outcome.
How to Protect Yourself
In the days leading up to surgery, be careful around your pets and other animals. If you do get scratched or bitten, tell your surgeon right away.
And during recovery, keep pets away from your bed and your incision.
We love our animals, but during spine surgery recovery, your health has to come first.