- It's been around for many, many years. It's even had
it's own vaccine for many years. It's a bacterial infection in dogs caused
by a spirochete, the same 'type' of bacterium which causes Syphilis and
Lyme Disease. It's 'zoonotic,' which means humans may contract the disease
from their pets. And it's now on the move again. It's called Leptospirosis
and it can kill your beloved dog, you and members of your family. At the
very least, it can cause serious illness in both you and your best friend.
-
- The disease is breaking out in portions of Connecticut,
Lower and Mid NY State and elsewhere. The bacteria occurs in many serovars
or strains, each occurring in a variety of domestic animals and wildlife,
causing different types of illness. Liver disease and acute or chronic
kidney disease are the most common forms of the illness, although many
animals are asymptomatic (showing no signs of the illness).
-
- The disease is transmitted in the urine of infected animals
and other animals are exposed through contact with infected urine, water
or wet ground. Wherever water exists, either in wetland or standing and
even in moving water, the illness is alive and doing quite well, thank
you. My little French Bulldog and I take long walks in the woods which
have a heavy canopy of pine trees, some of those being very, very old.
The accumulation of old pine needles and leaves remains wet for long periods
of time. And in the last three years, this area of mid NY State has been
hit with literally huge amounts of water and snow.
-
- Dogs may show illness from several different strains,
some transmitted in the urine of dogs, some in the urine of wildlife vectors
such as raccoons, rodents and opossums. Cats appear resistant to the disease
and as mentioned above, Leptospirosis is zoonotic - humans can become
ill from exposure to infected urine or water supplies. So infected dogs
are a potential source for their human family members.
-
- The disease had been very rare and sporadic. In the past,
veterinarians had vaccines for the two most common strains. Often, the
vaccine was not used due to a high incidence of reactions and short duration
of immunity. In more recent years, disease associated with several 'other'
strains has become more prevelant, including virulent strains which cause
acute kidney failure.
-
- New vaccines for the four most common and dangerous strains
have become available. The new vaccines have a much lower incidence of
reactions and seem to have a somewhat longer immunity but does not protect
from strains not in the vaccine. Bacterial vaccines generally have a shorter
duration of immunity than viral vaccines and require booster shots annually.
-
- Veterinarians have altered their vaccine protocols in
the last several years to 'decrease' the frequency of vaccines and boosters
but now, are concerned over the reemergence of Leptospirosis.
-
- If your dog spends a good deal of time outdoors, in the
woods or near bodies of water, they are at most risk for the disease.
-
- Please, discuss this matter with your veterinarian to
determine whether your dog is a candidate for the vaccine. In our family,
our dog is not only our best friend, he is also a member of our family.
A most loved member, I'll add. So call your vet or your local veterinary
association and get the facts. This is a serious outbreak with very serious
consequences to the entire family.
|
