since I couldn't find a pet forum, and this is in indiana
http://www.post-trib.com/news/309861,lepto.article
Old disease new pet threat
March 23, 2007
By Michelle L. Quinn Post-Tribune correspondent
Some 15 area dogs have become infected, and seven have died, in the last few months due to an old disease making a comeback.
Veterinarian Steven Heckler of the Lake Station Animal Clinic said a particularly virulent strain of leptospirosis has reached Northwest Indiana. While fairly easy to treat, the disease is hard to diagnose.
Leptospirosis, or "lepto," is an infectious bacterium commonly found in wild animals; in Northwest Indiana, raccoons, foxes and possibly opossums are the culprits, Heckler said. The infection is shed through an infected animal's urine and is contracted through mucous membranes, such as the eyes, nose and mouth, or through an open cut.
Because of the ease with which lepto is contracted, dogs are getting it by doing what they do best: sniffing, Heckler said.
Other pooch pastimes, like drinking stagnant, filthy water and rolling around in mud, are ways to contract the infection.
Lepto also doesn't discriminate against species, said David Schmidt, a veterinarian with the Portage Animal Clinic.
If a dog's owner isn't careful about handling their dog with lepto, the owner can catch it, too.
Once contracted, lepto targets the liver and kidneys, but can also go after the blood and nervous systems as well.
The bacteria's incubation takes anywhere from three to 30 days, but because the disease doesn't have its own symptoms, an infected dog will just show signs of being ill.
"We had a husky come in that was drinking a lot and urinating a lot. He was showing signs of renal failure, and we had no idea why," Heckler said. "Then when we did a blood test on it, the (antibody levels) were indicative of something, but we didn't know what."
Heckler sent the blood sample to Purdue University's School of Veterinary Medicine, and it discovered the Pomona strain of leptospirosis.
"Lepto is just this weird disease that people aren't looking for," he said.
In another case he saw, he treated a dog with doxycycline -- one of the preferred antibiotic treatments for lepto -- and saw it improve immediately. But when the medicine stopped, the dog became sicker than before and had to be put down.
While Schmidt doesn't believe lepto is as prevalent in Northwest Indiana as other diseases such as heartworm or parvovirus, he said its reappearance is not insignificant, especially since there's a vaccination against it.
"We stopped vaccinating against it 20, 25 years ago, because the vaccine caused a reaction in many dogs," he said. "The vaccine still causes reactions, but they're not lethal, so we highly recommend that dogs be vaccinated."
Highland veterinarian Tracy Cooley said he's seen three cases of lepto in the past several months and remembers when vets used to automatically inoculate for it, too.
As soon as he discovered that's what it was, he sent fliers to his clients telling them to get the yearly vaccine.
"I think we're seeing it more because wild animals are being forced to interact more with humans and pets," he said.
Login
FAQ
Search
