Brown Recluse

Back several years ago I had the same thing happen to two of my dogs. One a male bitten on the botom of the back foot and swelled all the way to his hip. He was started on antibiotics immediately and still his foot had a hole all the way through it from the bite. I used hydro therapy on that foot for 15 minutes twice a day for three weeks before it started filling in good and it would occasionally fester for another two years after that. The female was bitten on the elbow and by then I had done some research and some asking around. My cousin had been bitten three times that year by brown recluse and by the third time the Dr. had told him as soon as you see the black spot in the center squeeze it out and leave the hole open, apply topical antibiotic cream at least three times a day. With this in mind I squeezed the black spot out of the middle of the elbow which was swollen but not to the extreme of the male dogs, and then applied the topical as well as oral meds to the dog. By the next day the swelling was near gone and she was fine. I continued her oral and topical meds for the full ten days and she never had another issue from it. I always thought it was because I caught hers earlier but who knows. Just be thankful that only one of them had it bad and be aware that this will most likely flair up on occasion for a very long time. It has been 5 years since my sister was bitten at work by a brown recluse and she still has skin irritation in that area from time to time. Those little spiders are no joke.

Diane