The Yorkshire Vet, Julian Norton sees two cases of tetanus in an unusual week

At first, we all thought they were surprised to see such a lovely, happy, engaging practice, with wonderful welcoming staff.

But the dogs’ faces remained fixed and unmoving. Normally, dogs relax and quickly become accustomed to their circumstances, but both patients remained tense and surprised.

With wide eyes, pricked ears and what looked like a wide grin, which persisted for the duration of the consultation, the diagnosis was fairly easy to make and, fortunately, didn’t require a complicated journey through a CT scanner, nor expensive blood tests. In fact, none of the usual advanced imaging or modern tests would be helpful at all.

To cut two reasonably long stories shorter than they were, both dogs were suffering from tetanus.

The condition is caused by the neurotoxin derived from a bacterium called Clostridium Tetani, a ubiquitous bacterium, with its spores found in soil everywhere. When these spores enter the body, the bacterium releases its potent toxin, where it wreaks havoc by causing muscle spasms.

Horses are particularly susceptible to tetanus, and all horses and donkeys need to be vaccinated regularly against this disease. Dogs, cattle and cats are less prone. I’ve never seen a cat with tetanus, but I have seen a handful of cows (one of which had swallowed a rusty nail) and a few dogs.

But two canine patients within a couple of weeks was unusual. Did it constitute an epidemic? No – I am certain the appearance of two cases was totally coincidental.

I remember the first time I’d ever heard of tetanus. I was about seven. My friend, Jason and I had been digging a hole in some rough land between my house and the main railway line from Castleford to Leeds. I can’t remember exactly the purpose of the hole, but I do remember Jason and I using a spade and a garden fork, borrowed from my dad for the job.

Jason used the fork to loosen the soil and I’d dig it out using the spade. At the allotted time for dinner (I don’t know how us children knew what time dinner time was, because we had no watches), I left Jason to the digging.

“I’ll be back in a bit,” I must have said.

Jason promised to keep working on the hole. “I’ll use this fork, ’cos it goes in better,” were the last words I heard him say.

After dinner, I returned to find the hole not much deeper than before, two garden tools and no best friend. Jason had gone. I presumed for his dinner too.

Later that afternoon, there was a phone call. It was Jason, apologetically explaining his unauthorised absence from hole-digging duties.

“I had to go to hospital. I was using the fork and I shoved it straight into me foot. It went raight in and it cem raight out the other side. Mam said I needed a tetanus jab, so that’s where I’ve been, at hospital. Anyway, I’m done now so shall we do some more digging?”

Jason was saved from the possibility of certain death, although at that time neither of us had any idea that the condition was anything more serious than a bad nettle sting or a grazed knee.

Forty-odd years later, and I most certainly do realise the seriousness of tetanus. I reckon I’ve seen half a dozen cases in dogs over my career, and we don’t routinely vaccinate dogs against the disease.

Interestingly, by comparison, I’ve never seen a case of distemper.