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What is Leptospirosis?
by Dr. N.J.Hayes, DVM
Leptospirosis is an infectious bacterial disease of mammals that is caused by a spiral-shaped organism (spirochete) of the genus Leptospira.
Leptospirosis is an important zoonotic disease that can infect humans.
This disease is considered a problem of the population of wild animals in an area, not of an individual animal. It is very important to control this disease with the correct use of available vaccines for your pet.
How does my pet become infected?
It is generally spread by wildlife or domestic animals that have been infected, - survived the disease - and have become carriers.  This organism can infect pigs, cows, dogs, cats(rarely) and horses. In our area, it is frequently carried by small rodents, (mice, rats and chipmunks included), raccoons, opossums, skunks, foxes, and deer. They typically spread the disease through their urine. Leptospirosis is sometimes spread:
- by close contact with an infected animal
- by biting or ingesting infected tissue or feces
- or from contact with water that has become contaminated with the leptospires.
- Dogs can become infected if they have a scratch or scrape that is exposed to urine left behind by an infected animal.
- If your dog is swimming in infected water, it may come through their skin or be swallowed.
The spirochete can survive up to six months in alkaline water.
 What are the Symptoms?
The disease incubates for 4 to 12 days after exposure and before showing symptoms..
The disease may be mild and go undetected or it may become acute. If it becomes acute, it may develop into one of three main forms - bleeding disorders, kidney disorders or liver problems.
If it develops into a bleeding disorder, The symptoms may be:
- excessive bleeding from minor wounds
- fevers as high as 104º
- loss of appetite and vomiting
- bloody diarrhea, and bleeding from small hemorrhages in the mouth and eyes.
- and there can be joint pain.
It requires extreme intervention to treat this form of the disease because of the loss of fluids and blood. It is frequently fatal.
If the disease attacks the kidneys:
- there may be excessive drinking
- diarrhea
- frequent urination with blood in the urine
- and vomiting.
- There can be a low grade fever and an offensive breath odor.
- Some animals develop sores in their mouths and on their tongues.
- The dog may have muscle weakness and a tender abdominal area.
- It may appear lazy and lethargic.
If treated, kidney function may return to normal within a month, or the dog may be left with a chronic kidney problem.
If the disease involves the liver:
There will be many of the same symptoms as with the bleeding disorder, except there will be a jaundice or yellowing in the mouth and eyes. If treatment is postponed, the skin may actually turn yellow as the disease becomes more severe.
Sometimes leptospirosis causes multi-system failure of the pancreas, kidney and liver.
Canine leptospirosis is widespread in the United States, however it is less common in household pets and animals that are confined to kennels. If an animal contracts the disease, is promptly treated and recovers; it may still shed the disease spirochetes in its urine for a year.
How is it diagnosed?
Because the symptoms are variable and similar to other diseases, diagnosis is accomplished with the use of blood tests at repeated intervals to check for elevated antibodies to the spirochetes or from isolating the spirochetes from the urine or a kidney biopsy of infected animals.
What is the treatment?
Fortunately, if treatment is begun early, leptospirosis is sensitive to antibiotics.  An initial course of antibiotics - possibly with intensive care and fluids to support blood flow through the damaged kidneys - will be used to stop leptospire reproduction and limit bloodstream infection. After this, a tetracycline derivative is used to clear leptospires from the kidneys. It is common for an extended course of antibiotics to be prescribed during the recovery period to prevent the dog from becoming a chronic carrier. Prognosis is guarded and depends on the extent of the damage that has been caused to the organs.
During the animal's recovery at the hospital, areas around its' home that may have been contaminated with urine should be disinfected. The organism is readily killed with household disinfectants or a diluted bleach solution.
Caution! It is important to realize that this disease can be transmitted to humans. If your animal has the disease, you need to wear gloves while cleaning up any urine or feces. Avoid any bare skin contact with the dog's bare skin.
Can't I just get a vaccination to protect my pet?
In areas where widespread vaccinations have been done for many years, outbreaks are not common. However, Leptospirosis isn't always part of the routine vaccinations, It may have been included in your pet's distemper shot - or it may not have been. Some veterinarians use a form of the distemper shot that has been made up to omit the leptospirosis portion, as it seems to be the portion that most commonly causes hives and other vaccine reactions. You may want to consult with your veterinarian about this. It is important to discuss the trade-off between the possibility of a reaction and whether your pet's living circumstances make vaccination desirable.
There are many forms of Leptospira interrogans, and the vaccination does not protect against all forms. Most of the recent outbreaks involve forms for which a vaccination doesn't exist. The vaccination does help to lessen the severity of the disease. An annual booster may be needed.
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