It is a great day to talk about the care of our pets and how it could either affect us as humans or not, today, I will be sharing on the topic, Canine Leptospirosis, which is a bacterial infection that could have severe consequences in dogs and can affect humans as well (which makes it a zoonotic type of infection). There are multiple strains of bacteria called Leptospira causing leptospirosis. Leptospira spirochete is a zoonotic bacteria through which Leptospirosis operates.
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Leptospirosis can be found in the United States, although the susceptibility is more severe in some regions than others, the bacteria will successfully thrive in a wet and warm environment, especially around the late summer period proceeding into fall, the bacteria could survive for weeks or even months, periods, when there is heavy rainfall, will make it swifter to spread. Dogs get leptospirosis through water contaminated with urine, ponds, lakes, particularly stagnant or slow-moving water bodies, soils contaminated with infected urine, bedding, and food that are also not left out. Different animals that are prone to leptospirosis can spread it through their urine, most especially rodents and small mammals like raccoons, rats, and even some livestock. The method of leptospira getting into the body is through ingestion, mucous membranes, or broken skin and the incubation phase is around a week.
Leptospirosis can spread through a dog's entire body, and begin to reproduce itself in the kidney, liver, eyes, and reproductive system, including the central nervous system. Immediately after the initial stage of infection, the dog will develop a fever and bacterial infection of the blood. However, the symptoms get resolved as soon as possible and antibodies are produced. The level at which the bacteria affects organs depends solely on the dog's immune system and its the ability to completely eradicate the infection, but even at that, *Leptospira spirochetes can remain in the kidneys, reproducing and infecting the urine.
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Kidney or liver infection could turn out to be highly fatal for animals as the infection progresses, causing serious damage to the organs, younger animals whose immune systems are not so strong, stand a lower chance of being less complicated.
When a dog is infected with leptospirosis, these are the possible symptoms that may be visible; weakness, shivering, fever, sore muscles, depression, lack of appetite, increased thirst, increased urination, sudden fever, sore muscles, persistent cough, swelling of the mucous membrane.
The clinical signs and test results of leptospirosis in dogs are;
- Acute kidney injury, which has been through history, is the most common presentation for canine leptospirosis over the years. The dogs that are affected by leptospirosis may show clinical signs like vomiting, abdominal pain, lethargy, anorexia, anuria, polyuria, and oliguria.
Dogs who survive acute kidney injury may return back to baseline or proceed to chronic kidney disease, leptospirosis also should be put in mind in any dog who has been previously diagnosed with chronic kidney disease that grows acute-on-chronic kidney injury. Leptospirosis could be associated potentially with renal tubular acidosis.
Kidney injury could accompany acute liver disease in dogs with leptospirosis, and liver disease could occur alone, clinical signs include; lethargy, icterus, anorexia, and vomiting.
Pulmonary hemorrhage is one of the most common clinical signs in the outbreaks of human leptospirosis, which is a less common finding in canine leptospirosis, cough or dyspnea or radiographic abnormalities have been noticed in a good number of affected dogs.
Generally, Leptospirosis is treated with antibiotics alongside some good supportive care. If the infection is treated at its early stage and treated aggressively, it means that the chances of recovery are good, but there is still a high chance of having permanent residual kidney or liver damage. Vaccines that are currently available, have the capacity to effectively prevent leptospirosis and protect dogs for at least 12 months. Annual vaccination is recommended for dogs that are at high-risk, reducing dogs' exposure to the available possible sources of Leptospira bacteria can reduce the chances of infection, also prevent rodent issues around the house.
Even if the level of transmitting infection from an infected dog to a human is not so high, there is still a level of risk that should never be ignored, these precautions will help you protect yourself as a pet owner;
- Avoid contact with the urine of your pet.
- Always administer antibiotics as prescribed by your vet.
- Constantly wash your hands while handling your pet.
- If your dog urinates in your home, quickly clean up with disinfectants and put on gloves to avoid getting skin contact with the urine.
While pet owners take preventive caution to protect themselves, vets must also take precautions in handling an infected animal, such dogs have to be taken care of with barrier precautions, ensuring that their skin is not exposed to either urine or blood. Infected dogs should urinate in designated regions that should be cleaned and disinfected subsequently.
Treatment for Canine Leptospirosis.
Dogs whose symptoms have turned out to be highly severe should be instantly hospitalized. The primary treatment for leptospirosis is fluid therapy, this is to reverse any effect of dehydration. If the dog has been vomiting, there is an anti-vomiting drug called antiemetic, that may be administered, a gastric tube would also be used for nourishing your dog if they are not able to eat or keep food down. In a more severe case, a blood transfusion may be necessary, that is if the dog has been severely hemorrhaging.
The type of antibiotics to be used will be prescribed by the veteran depending on the stage of infection. Penicillins are usually a good option for the initial treatment of infection, but they are not effective for the elimination of bacteria once it has gotten to the carrier stage. The prescribed antibiotics would last for about four weeks (at minimum), and some antibiotics could have serious side effects, especially drugs that move deeper into the system for the elimination of infection. The note of warning I will like to drop here is to call for extreme care from pet owners, not act smarter than the vet, and follow through on precautions properly.
Conclusion.
Whenever we talk about a zoonotic disease/infection, we already know that not only our pet stands a chance of getting infected but even we as pet owners and members of the family. Make sure that your dog is kept in a clean and safe place, ensure that the dog is vaccinated, and make sure that you protect yourself and other members of the family whenever your dog begins to show any strange symptoms while you do this, contact your vet.
References.
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/infectious-parasitic/c_multi_leptospirosis
https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/petcare/leptospirosis
https://www.msdvetmanual.com/generalized-conditions/leptospirosis/leptospirosis-in-dogs
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/leptospirosis-in-dogs
