Leptospirosis
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What is leptospirosis?
Leptospirosis is a disease is caused by spiral shaped bacteria
called leptospires. It occurs worldwide and can affect humans as
well as many wild and domestic animals, including dogs and cats.
The disease can be serious for both humans and animals. In
people, the symptoms are often like the flu, but sometimes
leptospirosis can develop into a more severe, life-threatening
illness with infections in the kidney, liver, brain, lung, and
heart.
Your pet can get leptospirosis too, and although this has not
happened often, the disease has been diagnosed more frequently in
the past few years. The information given here will show you how
to protect yourself and your pets from getting leptospirosis and
what to do if your pet does become infected.
How do people and animals get leptospirosis?
The bacteria are spread through the urine of infected animals,
which can get into water or soil and can survive there for weeks
to months. Humans and animals can become infected through contact
with this contaminated urine (or other body fluids, except
saliva), water, or soil. The bacteria can enter the body through
skin or mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth), especially if
the skin is broken from a cut or scratch. Drinking contaminated
water can also cause infection. Infected wild and domestic
animals may continue to excrete the bacteria into the environment
continuously or every once in a while for a few months up to
several years.
If your pet has become infected, it most likely came into
contact with leptospires in the environment or infected animals.
Your pet may have been drinking, swimming, or walking through
contaminated water. Because of increased building and development
into areas that were previously rural, pets may be exposed to
more wildlife, such as raccoons, skunks, squirrels, opossums, or
deer that are infected with leptospirosis. Dogs also may pass the
disease to each other, but this happens very rarely.
What pet animals get leptospirosis?
All animals can potentially become infected with leptospires,
although cases of leptospirosis in cats are rare.
What are the signs of leptospirosis in pets?
The clinical signs of leptospirosis vary and are nonspecific.
Sometimes pets do not have any symptoms. Common clinical signs
reported in dogs include fever, vomiting, abdominal pain,
diarrhea, refusal to eat, severe weakness and depression,
stiffness, severe muscle pain, or inability to have puppies.
Generally younger animals are more seriously affected than older
animals.
What should I do if I think my pet has leptospirosis?
Contact your veterinarian immediately. Your veterinarian can
perform tests to detect the presence of leptospiral antibodies or
organism in your pet.
Is there a treatment for leptospirosis in pet animals?
Yes, leptospirosis is treatable with antibiotics. If an animal
is treated early, it may recover more rapidly and any organ
damage may be less severe. Other treatment methods, such as
dialysis and hydration therapy may be required.
The time between exposure to the bacteria and development of
disease is usually 5 to 14 days, but can be as short as a few
days or as long as 30 days or more.
What should I do if I have been told my pet has
leptospirosis?
If your pet has been confirmed by your veterinarian as having
leptospirosis, the appropriate action to take will depend on the
nature of contact with your pet. Normal daily activities with
your pet will not put you at high risk for leptospirosis
infection. Types of contacts that are considered to be high risk
include direct or indirect contact with urine, blood, and tissues
of your pet during its infection. Assisting in the delivery of
newborns from an infected animal is also considered a high-risk
activity for transmission of leptospirosis.
If you have had these types of high-risk contacts with your
pet during the time of its infection, inform your physician. If
common symptoms, such as fever, muscle aches, and headaches,
occur within 3 weeks after a high-risk exposure, see your
physician. Tests can be performed to see if you have this
disease.
How can I protect myself and other people when my pet has
leptospirosis?
The risk of getting leptospirosis from a dog in standard
instances is suspected to be low. The primary mode of
transmission of leptospirosis from pets to humans is through
direct or indirect contact with contaminated animal tissues,
organs, or urine. Always contact your veterinarian and your
physician if you have concerns about a possible exposure to an
infected animal.
- Do not handle or come in contact with urine, blood, or
tissues from your infected pet before it has received
proper treatment.
- If you need to have contact with animal tissues or urine,
wear protective clothing, such as gloves and boots,
especially if you are occupationally at risk
(veterinarians, farm workers, and sewer workers).
- As a general rule, always wash your hands after handling
your pet or anything that might have your pet's excrement
on it.
- If you are cleaning surfaces that may be contaminated or
have urine from an infected pet on them, use an
antibacterial cleaning solution or a solution of 1 part
household bleach in 10 parts water.
- Make sure that your infected pet takes all of its
medicine and follow up with your veterinarian.
How can I prevent leptospirosis in my pet?
- Keep rodent problems (rats, mice, or other animal pests)
under control. Rodents can carry and spread the bacteria.
- Get your pet vaccinated against leptospirosis. The
vaccine does not provide 100% protection. This is because
there are many strains (types) of leptospires, and the
vaccine does not provide immunity against all strains. It
is important to get your pet vaccinated again even if it
gets leptospirosis because it can still get infected with
a different strain of leptospires.
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