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Pepper,
a seven year old spayed female schnauzer, recently came to Care Animal
Hospital after her owner noticed she hadn’t eaten for three days and was
having diarrhea. She was jaundiced (had yellow discoloration to her gums
and the whites of her eyes), had diarrhea and was quite subdued. Blood
tests showed severe kidney and liver damage, as well as a very high
white blood cell count. She was hospitalized for a week on IV fluids and
antibiotics while we sought a diagnosis for her very serious illness.
After extensive research and discussions with infectious disease
specialists in several states, we confirmed that Pepper was
infected with Leptospirosis. She is now convalescing at home and it is
hoped that she will have a full recovery from this devastating disease.
As of Monday, 8/30/04, she is doing better and is expected to pull
through. Leptospirosis has never been diagnosed in a Care Animal
Hospital patient before. Positive dogs have been identified this summer
in Boulder and in Lakewood . We wanted our clients to be aware of the
disease, its transmissibility to humans and the vaccine that protects
against it.
Where
does it come from? Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease of the genus
Leptospira that affects humans and some other animals (but not cats).
Transmission to humans from animals does occur, through the urine of the
infected animal, and the disease is serious but treatable. Outbreaks of
leptospirosis are usually caused by exposure to water contaminated with
the urine of infected animals. Many different kinds of animals carry the
bacterium. The cases in Colorado seem to be linked to exposure to urine
or water contaminated with urine of infected raccoons You
can't look for "sick" raccoons - many animal carriers of leptospirosis
show no symptoms. Outbreaks of human and canine leptospirosis have been
associated with periods of heavy rainfall and flooding. Our increased
rainfall this summer may be the reason this disease is presenting
itself. Pepper did not drink from an outdoor water source, but
there are many raccoons in this client’s backyard and surrounding area.
What about a vaccine? A safe and effective vaccine for
leptospirosis is available and is given regularly in states where the
disease is more common. Vaccination is recommended for dogs that
frequent areas that have a lot of raccoon “traffic”. If your dog drinks
water from creeks or ponds that could have been visited by raccoons, you
should highly consider vaccination.
The dog receives two injections in the first year, spaced two to four
weeks apart, and a booster in each subsequent year. We ask that you wait
15 minutes after your dog is vaccinated to be sure there are no signs of
a vaccine reaction.
Questions about all of this? Leptospirosis is a serious disease,
but it has been controlled and treated for many years in other areas.
Those of us who own dogs in the Arvada area should not be alarmed about
Leptospirosis, but we should be informed. As with any concerns, you are
always welcome to call or stop in to discuss your situation with our
technicians or our veterinarians. If you would like more
information, please check out the following links.