Leptospirosis in Dogs

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that can affect humans and a large number of animals including, cats and dogs. This disease is somewhat rare in cats. But, dogs are more likely to get affected by this bacterial disease. If not treated on time, it can lead to serious dog health problems, as the disease can damage the liver and the kidneys. It has basically three main forms: hemorrhagic leptospirosis, icteric leptospirosis and renal leptospirosis. Hemorrhagic leptospirosis can cause bleeding and infection of the blood in dog, while icteric leptospirosis affects the liver and cause jaundice. Renal leptospirosis can lead to kidney failure.

It is relatively common in dogs, especially among the dogs kept in unsanitary conditions and in crowded places. So, factors like housing can affect the incidence of the disease. In the recent years, there has been an increase in the number of cases of canine leptospirosis, especially in certain parts of United States and Canada. The disease is more common in tropical regions, and during warm and wet weather. High rainfall is another favorable factor for the survival and spread of bacteria that causes leptospirosis. In general, dogs that have an increased likelihood of coming in contact with infected urine of the carrier animals like, rodents and raccoons that are more likely to get infected with leptospira bacteria.

Causes of Leptospirosis
There are more than two hundred strains of Leptospira bacteria, but out of these only eight strains or serovars have been identified to cause leptospirosis in pets. These strains are known as, Leptospira icterohaemorrhagiae, L. grippotyphosa, L. pomona, L. canicola, L. bratislava, L. bataviae, L. hardjo, L. autumnalis and L. grippotyphosa. Again, out of these eight strains, Leptospira icterohaemorrhagiae, L. canicola, L. grippotyphosa, L. pomona are more commonly associated with canine leptospirosis.

The disease is transmitted through contact with the infected body fluids, more commonly urine of the infected animals. Even contact with contaminated water and soil can cause the disease. Animals like, rats, raccoons, skunks and foxes are the carriers of this disease. The bacteria can enter the body through open wounds, or broken skin or mucous membrane and then eventually cause kidney and liver problems in dogs.

Symptoms of Leptospirosis
It can produce several symptoms like uveitis and conjunctivitis, etc. which are listed below:

• Fever (103 to 105 degree Fahrenheit)
• Loss of Appetite
• Muscle pain or tenderness
• Joint pain
• Abdominal pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Lethargy
• Dehydration
• Increased thirst
• Depression
• Change in urine color (orange or red colored urine)
• Frequent urination
• Jaundice

If this disease is not treated promptly, then the infection can spread, which can produce some additional symptoms. Such symptoms include, breathing difficulty, bloody vomiting and nervous system abnormalities. It can be considered as one of the serious dog illnesses, especially for the puppies younger than 6 months, as they are more likely to develop the life-threatening complications.

Treatment for Leptospirosis
Canine leptospirosis is treated with antibiotics. Usually, more than one type of antibiotics are used to treat it. Along with antibiotics, supportive therapy in the form of fluid therapy may be required. Supportive therapy is mainly required to reverse the kidney damage caused by the infection. It helps to increase the blood flow to the kidney, and restore kidney filtration and urine production. If the infection is too severe and has caused significant damage to the kidneys, then hemodialysis can be required. The prognosis depends on several factors, such as, the particular strain of the bacteria that has infected the dog, and for how long the animal has been infected before starting the treatment.

Nowadays, vaccination are available for certain strains of Leptospira bacteria. To prevent this condition and restore dog health, be sure to take appropriate dog care and keep them away from the potential sources of infection such as, the carrier animals, animals infected with Leptospira and contaminated water and foods. Moreover, humans too can contract this disease from infected animals, especially through contact with the infected urine or vomit of the animals. Therefore, infected dogs and other pets should be handled carefully, and any area contaminated with their urine should be cleaned and disinfected immediately.