Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis
(Lepto)
Very Dangerous | Deadly Disease!
What is Leptospirosis?
Canine Leptospirosis is a disease caused by the bacteria Leptospira interogans. The bacterial disease causes life-threatening illness in dogs, including liver failure, kidney failure or both.
Symptoms of Leptospirosis?
The symptoms can vary. Sometimes pets do not have any symptoms while others are more in severity. Most commonly are: high fever, jaundice, depression, refusal to eat, severe weakness, stiffness, severe muscle pain, bleeding, vomiting, lower back pain, inability to have puppies and/or abortions. It can lead to kidney disease with decreased urine volume, collapse & even death.
Is Leptospirosis Contagious?
Yes. And it can be spread from pets to humans.
How Do I Know if My Puppy Has Leptospirosis?
Go to your vet immediately. This disease is very serious. Your veterinarian can perform tests to determine if your pet has it.
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Treatment for Leptospirosis?
Usually antibiotics. Dialysis and hydration therapy can also help. Sometimes they give meds to control vomiting / diarrhea and – or pain. If treated early, the pet may recover faster & organ damage may be less severe.
How Did My Puppy Get Leptospirosis?
The leptospirosis bacteria is usually spread through the urine of infected animals. It can survive in grasses for weeks & even months. So when your puppy is out on public grasses, even though you can’t SEE anything, the virus can still be harboring there. The bacteria can enter the body through skin, eyes, nose, mouth, or anykind of broken skin like a cut or scratch. Pets can also pick it up by drinking, swimming or walking through contaminated water. Dogs at really high risk would be hunting dogs, dogs around marshy waters, low-laying or standing waters, lakes and dogs that interact with rodents. Leptospirosis disease can be found anywhere, but it’s most common in areas that have rodents & racoons, out in the countries or places like the tropical where there is heavy rainfall. Because leptospirosis can live for weeks & even months in water ~ The flooding and rainfall actually spread the bacteria into the mud, soil, grasses, vegetation, etc…..
Preventing Your Puppy From Getting Leptospirosis?
There are vaccinations for leptospirosis, but we do NOT recommend vaccinating young puppies for lepto and in our opinion NOT all dogs should recieve this vaccination! There are so many different types (strains) of the leptospirosis and the vaccines do not provide immunity against all strains. And the lepto vaccine is known to (potentially) cause horrific reactions & can even give the pet lepto. Besides the lepto vaccine in only good for 4~6 months anyway. This is definetly a vaccination you want to research and also talk to your vet about, especially if the leptospirosis disease is common in your area. This vaccine should be given with great caution. This is a Disease that you must discuss directly with your vet.
What Age Will My Puppy Most Likely Get Leptospirosis?
Any age.
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Disclaimer: We Are NOT Licensed Vets. DO NOT try to diagnose or treat animals based off this or any other information you find on the internet. This page is just BASIC INFORMATION to help bring awareness to the different health issues that are common in puppies. If your puppy is having any kind of medical issue, please seek PROPER professional treatment from a licensed vet who is trained and set up to handle such matters.
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