Please take some time to read about our boy Otis who is currently receiving critical care after contracting a rare Tetanus infection.

Otis is just 1 and a half years old, normally so very full of life and loved by his family and certainly makes a fun Boxer impression on anyone who meets him.

Sadly, just over a week ago Otis began to display some signs of illness. He was off his food, struggling to keep down anything he ate or attempted to eat. After a couple of trips to the vets, he was initially prescribed some anti sickness medication in the hope that he was just suffering a gastric bug. It soon became very clear that something was very wrong as his facial features started to change, he looked tense, scared and he appeared unable to swallow.

Following an emergency trip to the vet on 7 March 2022 he was referred to a specialist animal hospital in Winchester for neurological tests. Upon examination we were informed that Otis was displaying signs and symptoms of suspected Tetanus and was admitted to receive specialist care in hospital. We initially thought that this would be just a day or two of urgent care.

Little did we know that he would deteriorate even more so very quickly.

Tetanus is a rare and potentially fatal disease caused by toxins binding to the muscle receptors which affects the nervous system, spinal cord and brain, resulting in constant seizures and muscle spasms which can also affect the dog’s breathing due to muscle spasms within the throat of diaphragm.

Otis is currently experiencing the extreme effects of this toxin. His muscles are permanently stiff causing an inability to walk unaided. Due to the spasms he’s experiencing, he is unable to eat and swallow so he’s currently being fed through a feeding tube in his neck.

He had emergency tracheotomy surgery last Thursday due to his inability to clear any regurgitated food or mucus/saliva from his oesophagus which was understandably causing him extreme stress.

He also has a catheter as he is currently unable to empty his bladder. In addition to this he had also started to display some early signs of pneumonia which is being treated with antibiotics.

He is being continually monitored 24/7 where care staff never leave his side. They regularly review his oxygen levels, blood pressure and heart rate while making sure he’s comfortable and receives his antibiotics and food when he needs it.

As the Tetanus toxin creates such powerful spasms, his environment is being controlled too. Lights are kept low, and sound is frequently monitored to ensure everything is quiet and calm for him. His eyes and ears are often covered to additionally protect him. Despite the care he can still have moments of stress caused by the disease and requires regular mild sedation to keep his heart rate, temperature and stresses regulated.

Each day up to 3 members of staff are helping Otis to stand and are encouraging him to make small steps to limit the impact on his mobility. He cannot stand and walk on his own, the care staff have to support his body with a harness to prevent him from falling.

Never did we expect our poor boy to be suffering as much as he is, and it is an incredibly worrying time for us.

We talk to his care team twice daily and they keep us updated if there any signs of improvement or further deterioration.

He’s fighting for his life and we are fighting with him.

His medical team have explained that whilst distressing to see our boy in this condition, he is displaying all the expected affects of this infection. They believe that he will be able to recover from this, but this requires him to have a continued level of intensive care over a prolonged period.

We wouldn’t expect to have to do this, Otis has always been insured but due to the specialist and intensive care he has received to date because of this rare infection, we have exceeded the maximum amount that we are able to receive from the insurance company which is £7000. For Otis to survive and recover his care is currently costing between £700-£800 a day. There is potential for him to be in care for a further 3-4 weeks.

We are doing everything we can to fund this treatment, and we would be grateful for any support to enable us to bring our boy home. We know that times are financially tough for everyone these days and appreciate that not everyone is able to give even if they wanted to so if you are unable to donate, we would still be so very grateful if you could share Otis’s story with as many of your family and friends as possible.

Thank you for reading.

Marie, Charlotte & Charlie

Otis