Veterinary Technician Advice: Diseases your Puppy or Dog
may get if not Vaccinated - 3
By Kami R. Guy, CVT
In the last two articles I wrote about the diseases a puppy or dog is vaccinated
for in the DA2PLPC vaccination, or better known as the 8-in-one vaccination.
Today I will write about the fourth disease in this series that is known as
Leptospirosis. Leptospirosis is a contagious disease affecting both animals and
humans. It is a potentially fatal disease that damages the liver, kidneys and
blood of infected dogs, humans and other animals. Leptospirosis is garded as an
important zoonotic disease worldwide. A zoonotic disease is one that can be
spread from animals to humans. It is spread by infection from a bacterial
pathogen called Leptospira. Leptospires are also known as “aquatic
spirochetes”; they thrive in water and appear long and helical with a
characteristic hook on one or both ends.
Leptospirosis is most commonly spread during the spring and fall when the
weather is wet and the temperature is moderate. The most common spread of
disease is by urine or urine infested water. There are many other forms of
infection by Leptospirosis, they are: food, bedding, soil vegetation, breeding,
gestation and membranes. Some other forms also include bite wounds, abrasions
and ingestion of the flesh of infected animals, such as rats, raccoons, skunks,
and opossums.
In most cases the onset of disease will take 4-12 days from initial infection
for the first signs to appear. The most common signs are fever (103-105 degrees
F), depression, vomiting, loss of appetite, dehydration, conjunctivitis,
generalized pain, diarrhea and sometimes bloody urine.
Some of these signs may worsen or cause other symptoms such as, or including,
change in color of urine, jaundice (icterus), frequent urination, profound
depression, difficulty breathing, muscular tremors, tonsillitis, Pharyngitis,
bloody vomit and feces. The disease can also cause abortions, stillbirths,
uveitis and meningitis. Any dog presented to a clinic with more than one of
these symptoms should be tested for Leptospirosis.
There are many diagnostic tools used for the diagnosis of this disease. The
main tool used is the clinical signs of the patient. Other diagnostic tools are
a CBC, urinalysis, serum chemistries, serology and sometimes a combined IgM-IgG
ELISA titers are used. If the laboratory findings reveal abnormalities of blood
components, elevation of liver enzymes, electrolyte imbalances, and active
urinary sediments these results are consistent with vascular, liver and kidney
disease associated with Leptospira infection.
If Leptospirosis is caught early in the course of the disease, antibiotic
therapy can shorten the duration of the disease and decrease the severity of
liver and kidney damage. Some antibiotics that are used are Procaine
Penicillin, Doxycycline, Tetracycline, Ampicillin, and Amoxicillin. Supportive
therapy, in the form of intravenous fluids, is used to increase urine
production, kidney filtration and blood flow that may be needed in reversing
kidney failure. If the liver has been infected causing bleeding disorders then
a possible blood transfusion and other medication could be administered.
Infected dogs are quarantined and areas of contamination are washed and
disinfected with an iodine-based solution. Even after the dog or puppy is over
the disease he or she can still spread the infectious disease to other animals
and people for up to three months. Fatalities as a result of Leptospirosis do
not usually exceed 10% and usually occur within 5-10 days after initial onset
of disease.
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