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View Full Version : The Miracle Cranberry???



djarenspace9
12-03-2010, 08:48 PM
Check out the article below about how cranberry juice may help treat MRSA infections.

My squirrel Missy has had skin eruptions (sores) that grow rapidly and don't heal. This has been going on for almost a year with no end in sight. After repeated vet visits, and meds and new vets and more visits and more meds...it was revealed through a skin biopsy and culture that she has MRSA.

She has not responded completely to any of the meds that are suitable to treat MRSA (and it's a short list by the way).

In the last few weeks I noticed major signs of improvement.
I had discontinued giving her any meds about a month ago since they were not helping and she hated the whole ordeal.

I have been in the process of heading to the 4th vet to examine her and see if a new course of action will lead to a solution.

In the last few weeks I noticed that the one very large sore she has had on her belly for months has been reducing and healing, which has never happened before with any treatment. (The last big sore had to be closed up surgically to allow it to heal).

A few days ago I read this information and a light bulb goes off in my head!!!
I remembered that I had started adding several cranberries in her dish every day since they came into stock at the store about 4 weeks ago.

I am really excited about this and hopeful that maybe this little red miracle fruit will be able to do what countless medications have not been able to.

Of course, I don't think MRSA ever goes away once its in the system of a being, but if I can at least manage the flares that cause these sores on her body to erupt out of control I will be happy!

She is a happy and funny girl otherwise.
None of this "illness" has affected her demeanor or activity but it's awful to observe and risky for her if a sore were to ulcerate.

I already have several bags of cranberries stashed in the freezer for the rest of the year. Regardless of what it does for her MRSA, I am aware of the benefits with UTI's (she has had several UTI's in the first year I had her, so that is why I liked to give her the cranberries in the first place.)

Anyone have experience with using powdered cranberry with squirrels?
I am not sure if she will eat them frozen when the fresh ones run out.
Wondering if I mix it in powder form into her Blocks if she will still eat them or if the taste will be too bitter?

Anyways...I wanted to share this information in case anyone else has a similar experience with infection and this could help them. It's definitely worth a try and good for them to eat even if it doesn't cure something. ;)


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Cranberry juice could stop MRSA infection, say researchers
September 30, 2010

Cranberry juice is a powerful infection fighter – and it might even be able to combat MRSA, the killer bug found in hospitals and nursing homes. It is already successfully used in cases of E.coli and urinary tract infections, but one clinical trial suggests that it could even fight staph infections, including MRSA.
Its MRSA-fighting qualities were discovered when a group of women were given either cranberry juice or a placebo look-alike to drink.

Their urine was then mixed with strains of E.coli and S.aureus, which causes a range of staph infections from skin rashes to serious diseases such as MRSA. The cranberry juice stopped both strains from developing, and it was especially effective against the S.aureus strain.

gs1
12-03-2010, 09:16 PM
omg.. that would be incredible... i hope so!!!!!:thumbsup :D

Best Life
12-03-2010, 09:44 PM
Wow, sounds like you may be onto something here! You could try giving her a frozen cranberry now, for future reference, and also a thawed one to see if she likes them. Of course, as we all know, these kids can be pretty fickle from day to day. If I want any of my critters around here to definitely eat something, all I have to do is yell, "spit it out!!!" :D

Please continue posting on her progress. TSB is such a wonderful place to learn from other's experiences. Thank you for sharing.

My very best wishes to both of you!

Linda in Lutz :tilt

Busysqrl
12-03-2010, 10:11 PM
That is super information. Thank you for posting it. That's the kind of informationwe can all use! My girl LOVES frozen cranberries. They aren't fresh year round, so I do what you did and get a couple bags of the fresh this time of year and then freeze them. She gets a couple every other day. I hope your girl continues to improve. My best to you and her :D

mpetys
12-03-2010, 10:22 PM
Great information! All the more reason I am going to Costco or Sams Club this weekend and getting cranberries for the freezer!

Michele

2ndHandRanchRescue
12-03-2010, 10:32 PM
I just started with the cranberries - never would'a thunk it. They love them and Aldi in Illinois had them for .74 a bag today - the stock up store. Thanks for the great information.

CritterMom
12-04-2010, 06:03 AM
Gosh, I just did a post about this the other day! It is amazing that this is effective against MRSA. I imagine it works the same as with UTI's - the bacteria loses it's "handhold" and is flushed by the body.

Regarding the capsules...I get UTIs and have all my life. I spent years gagging down the unsweetened cranberry concentrate sold in health food stores because of course Ocean Spray is useless for this, and gag I did, because it works. Then I found the capsules and almost cried with joy! I cannot see any reason why they won't work for your squirrel. That they like the raw ones says that they LIKE the taste, so the bitter shouldn't be an issue, and if it is, there are ways to hide it. The caps are JUST dehydrated, ground cranberry - no mystery ingredients, so I really don't see a problem.

If I start taking them when I first realize something is going on, I can usually stop an infection it it's tracks.

Good luck with your poor baby.


BTW, I don't see any reason that the MRSA would remain in the body. It is present everywhere in the environment at this point, so re-infection is possible, but it is bacterial, which should mean it can be wiped out, rather than viral like herpes, which does flare and recede. Am I wrong here?

Jackie in Tampa
12-04-2010, 06:47 AM
awesome info:thumbsup

djarenspace9
12-04-2010, 09:15 AM
Thanks everyone for the replies.
I definitely encourage you to include cranberries in your squirrels diet.
It's good food and if it can help prevent UTI's so much the better!!

CritterMom-
I had seen your post about cranberries and gave it a big nod and two thumbs up!
:thumbsup

In the details of the report it's noted that scientists don't know yet how or why it is working against infections like MRSA but I'm sure studies will continue!

As far as my concerns with MRSA staying in her system, I was told that in people and pets it has been found that some become carriers even after an active infection is successfully treated.
My hope is that she will recover 100% but I am trying to be realistic about it in case she does not.

The uniqe problem here is there is such limited information in terms of treatment for squirrels or rodents in general, unlike with dogs and cats.
I am on the 3rd vet and none had ever treated a squirrel with MRSA infection, so for the most part it has been guesswork until the labs confirmed the diagnosis and sent a list of meds that were usable.
We have gone down the list one by one with no results.

I don't want to put too much pressure on those little bitty cranberries but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!!

I will keep everyone posted on her progress, even some photos as soon as I get my new camera.

djarenspace9
12-21-2010, 08:01 PM
Interesting twist...new vet and new cultures, this time with an individual microbiologist rather than the "big labs" and it turns out Missy does not have MRSA. She does have the "MR" part (methicillin-resistant) but it's not the "SA" part (staphylococcus aureus).... I understood this to mean it is still an infection that is resistant to many antibiotics, but not the scary MRSA.

Got the call while driving on the highway with bad reception, so could not ask a lot of questions or take notes.
Will call the vet tomorrow to clarify the details.

She is investigating the availability of the antibiotics that were usable.
One is good-old Baytril, but since we have used that on her so many times with no results, I want to try something else that is an alternative.

island rehabber
12-21-2010, 09:11 PM
chloroamphenicol may work where Baytril fails....worth a try!

djarenspace9
12-21-2010, 09:45 PM
Thanks for the input IR. I'll ask if that is one of the meds on the list.

It was a very short list, shorter than the first culture done 4 months ago.
Baytril and Sulfa were included but I have used those several times so we need to move on.

Amikacin is on the list but I'll leave it for last since it has to be injected.
I can't recall the other names, will confirm what they are tomorrow.
She also said the other meds would need to be special ordered, so they may be very costly.

I was trying to look up some more info online, but could not find any info online about methicillin resistant infetions that are not MRSA.