Dog diseases : leptospirosis

In order to better understand and understand this disease, we will first look at what leptospirosis is, what its causes are, its symptoms and consequences on your pet's health and then the treatments in case of an infection.

Finally, we will see how we can best protect your pet from this disease.

What is leptospirosis?

Leptospirosis is a serious and contagious disease that is usually found in dogs and other animals but can also be transmitted to humans. It is due to a bacterium called "Leptospira".

How can our companions catch this bacterium?
The main culprit will be urine. Indeed, when we go for a walk in the forest or in the countryside, our dogs often stop to drink in a puddle or a waterhole such as a pond. The risk of contamination will be significant at that time.

Wild animals living in the forest come to urinate in water points and some of them, especially rats, have urine contaminated with leptospires.

In addition, their urine can remain infective for more than two years. Your dog will become infected by drinking this contaminated water. It is also possible that your companion or man will get this disease from eating contaminated water or food.

This is why it is always important to rinse the fruits (such as blackberries) you collect in the forest because they can be contaminated with urine.

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What are the symptoms of Leptospirosis?

It is important to know that the incubation time of this disease is about a week, i.e. the symptoms will start to appear a week after a walk where your dog may have become infected.
Leptospirosis can occur in three forms:

the gastrointestinal form: in this specific case, the main symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea with the presence of blood. There may be complications that will lead to acute renal failure, heart complications, eye problems, encephalitis. The animal's death occurs within a few days.
The icteric form: this form bears its name well, i. e. after a few days after contamination generalized jaundice appears. This means that all mucous membranes, the skin of the stomach and inner thighs turn yellow. Death occurs about two weeks after contamination.
The uremic form: it is the most common form. As its name suggests, the animal has a lot of urea, which will cause severe kidney failure. There may also be vomiting, severe dehydration and death within a few days.

How is leptospirosis diagnosed?

If you find that your pet is not in good shape after a walk in the forest, do not hesitate to make an appointment with your veterinarian. As with any disease, the earlier it is taken, the more likely you are to cure your pet.

To make a diagnosis, the veterinarian will take a blood sample from your companion. On this blood sample, he will do what is called "a formula count" that will help guide the diagnosis. In the case of leptospirosis, your pet's platelets will be low and white blood cells high.

He will also do a "biochemistry" on this same sample, this makes it possible to see how the different organs (in particular the liver, the kidneys...) are doing. In the case of leptospirosis, the liver and kidney parameters will be increased.

In case of doubt, the veterinarian may also request serology to detect or not leptospires that may be signs of disease.

What are the treatments available for leptospirosis?

Treatments will depend on the cause of the disease. If the tests reveal that it is indeed the "Leptospira" bacterium that is at the origin of the disease, long-term antibiotics will be proposed. Then the main treatment will be infusion to rehydrate the animal and try to reduce the parameters of the kidneys of the main organs affected in leptospirosis.

This infusion will require your pet to be hospitalized. The veterinarian will put a catheter in your companion so that he can be rehydrated by vein, which is the fastest way. Hospitalization will also allow the veterinarian to closely monitor your dog and possibly perform other tests.

How can I prevent my pet from catching it?

Fortunately, after this dark picture of the disease, there are ways to prevent your pet from developing leptospirosis.

Avoid having your dog swim in stagnant water such as ponds or ponds.
Avoid drinking from puddles or standing water.
Has your pet vaccinated against leptospirosis? The protocol is not very binding. The first vaccination is carried out in two injections three weeks apart and then an annual booster will be sufficient for dogs that are not at risk. On the other hand, for hunting and field dogs, it is recommended to vaccinate them every six months.
For boarding houses and kennels (such as shelters), it is important to eradicate rodents often attracted to dog food in order to avoid leptospirosis. If in doubt, clean the boxes and cages with bleach. It is also more than essential to wear gloves when cleaning the premises.

If my dog has leptospirosis, is it also a danger to my young child?

Children can also be exposed to leptospirosis. Living with a dog and a child, especially at an early age, requires a few rules of caution. We know that children, especially young children, love to touch to know.

In the case of leptospirosis, if your pet ever gets this disease, it is important that your child does not play in the garden where the dog urinates.

Indeed, it is enough that he is in contact with the urine and then puts his fingers in his mouth and the disease will be transmitted to your child. Also, avoid that the animal licks your child, its skin is still very fragile, especially for young children.