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Leptospirosis

Discussion in 'Dog Discussion' started by MOOT44, Feb 12, 2009.

  1. MOOT44

    MOOT44 Top Dog

    I am not sure if I spelled it right or if this has been on here or not, if it's already on here one of the mods can delete my thread, I won't be mad.

    I was watching the news and they said the problem of 'leptospirosis' is starting to come back and come back hard. They have dead dogs in Kansas from this (smaller house dogs). All dogs can get it if they've not been vaccinated for it.

    I am in Michigan and have vaccinated it for years, so I think I am safe. But, I did hear about it in Kansas and will/can spread.

    If this is old news to you, sorry, but I wanted everyone's dogs to be nice and safe.


    Andrew
     
  2. crazycooter

    crazycooter Top Dog

    there is more then one strand out there. I have been told that on the second one by the time you find it it is to late
     
  3. MOOT44

    MOOT44 Top Dog

    Crazy: I am not sure of that, I do know that it's 'here'. It's something dogs (inside or out) should be vaccinated for. I have done my dogs for years, but some of you may not. I just figured i'd share the information.

    Andrew
     
  4. chinasmom

    chinasmom CH Dog

  5. performanceknls

    performanceknls Top Dog

    Lepto is in most combo vaccinces anyway. Corona is coming back too. In nm we never really saw it but more cases are showing up. We now added that to our vaccinces.
     
  6. MOOT44

    MOOT44 Top Dog

    I got ya.........All I know, is that I saw it on the news and figured I would share. I only know my dogs were getting it because, I think, the vet shoots it up their nose!!!!! I know she shoots something up there nose.

    Thanks China, Crazy and Performance!
     
  7. luvnstuff

    luvnstuff Pup

    I think the nose thing may be Bordatella (sp??), the Lepto is in many combo vaccines, but I dont think it can be given to puppies. So alot of people take puppy in get vaccines a booster or two and then not vaccinate yearly.
    so be sure to LOOK at your combo, be sure its kept at the right temp (they are very sensitive and too warm kills the live virus') and vaccinate yearly .

    :0 )
    ruf!
     
  8. performanceknls

    performanceknls Top Dog

    Bordetella goes up the nose or is given subQ. That vaccinates against Kennel cough. Some Bordetella vaccines include Adenovirus type 2, canine parainfluenza virus and Bordetella bronchiseptica.

    Lepto is not given to puppies as their first shots but should be given after the puppy is over 5 months.

    Example of you go to the feed store to get your shots you ask for a puppy shot not an adult shot. The difference is the adult has Lepto and the puppy does not. There is also 5 way 6 way 7 way and 8 way shots you can give your dog. To make sure you are vaccinating properly you need to know what is in the vaccines and what you have to vaccinate for.

    If you have multiple dogs in your house and you get new dogs occasionally then I would do Bordetella, especially if you foster dogs. If you take the dogs to pet stores, groomers, board them, or go to obedience school you should also get it. I had Bordetella hit my kennel once and I had 15 coughing dogs!! that SUCKED! lol

    This is JMO I know many people will have different vaccine protocols.
     
  9. CynthiaATL

    CynthiaATL Guest

    Here is an update from this years North American Veterinary Conference.

    NAVC Conference 2009
    CANINE LEPTOSPIROSIS UPDATE
    Lynn Guptill, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)
    School of Veterinary Medicine
    Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

    Canine leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease that small animal veterinarians are likely to encounter in routine clinical practice. The clinical presentation of a dog with leptospirosis can vary, and practitioners should include leptospirosis in their differential diagnosis list when appropriate—for example, for dogs with acute renal or liver disease. Because leptospirosis is a zoonosis, owners and practice employees should be informed that leptospirosis is on the differential diagnosis list, and client education about transmission should begin immediately. All practice employees should know what precautions they need to take when caring for infected dogs so that the risks of zoonotic transmission are minimized throughout the course of hospitalization. Negative serologic tests are not uncommon during the acute phase of leptospirosis, and therefore treatment decisions must often be made in the absence of a serologic diagnosis of leptospirosis. Strategies for prevention of canine leptospirosis should include lifestyle management in addition to administration of commercially available bacterins.

    KEY CONTENT
    Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease with worldwide prevalence. It is a multisystemic disease caused by Leptospira spp spirochetes.

    The Leptospira serovars that are the most common currently reported to be associated with canine leptospirosis include Grippotyphosa, Pomona, Bratislava, and possibly Autumnalis. Veterinary practitioners should be aware of changes that occur in the circulating endemic strains for this zoonotic organism.

    While there are some demographic characteristics associated more commonly with leptospirosis, all dogs may be considered at risk for leptospirosis if they come into contact with infected animals or environment contaminated by the urine of infected animals.

    Leptospirosis is a zoonosis that can be transmitted directly from dogs to human beings via direct or indirect contact with infected urine. Veterinarians should be sure to inform their clients and staff of the zoonotic potential of leptospirosis and should provide staff with any necessary personal protective equipment.

    TRANSMISSION AND EPIDEMIOLOGY
    Leptospira organisms are maintained in reservoir hosts, and the reservoirs commonly associated with the serovars currently implicated in causing disease in dogs include rodents, cattle, swine, raccoons, opossums, and several other species. The dog is considered to be the reservoir host for serovar Canicola. Reservoir hosts are more likely to intermittently shed leptospires into the environment for a longer period of time than are incidental hosts. Leptospires shed in urine of infected animals and infection most commonly are acquired by the next host through contact of mucous membranes, abraded skin orwater-softened skin with urine or urine-contaminated water or other objects. Infection may also occur by ingestion. Direct transmission from pet animals can occur. There are certain occupations and recreational activities that are reported to increase risk for leptospirosis in human beings (veterinarians, farmers, abattoir worker, kennel, and zoo workers; campers,swimmers, triathletes). Dogs may be sentinels for human exposure to Leptospira organisms. The organisms can survive outside of their hosts for several weeks, and survival is enhanced if the environment is warm and moist and has a neutral to mildly alkaline pH. Outbreaks of leptospirosis have occurred following periods of heavy rainfall and flooding, and a seasonal distribution of cases is reported in most of North America, with most cases occurring in the late summer and early autumn months. It has been reported that the dogs that are most likely to be infected with Leptospira are middle-aged intact male dogs of working or sporting breeds that live in rural areas. However, pet dogs living in suburban and urban areas are also considered to be at risk for leptospirosis. The recent “urbanization” of some rural areas appears to have provided more opportunities for pet dogs to come into contact with wildlife and also in some cases with livestock or livestock waste. Recent studies have indicated that dogs living in areas that have been recently urbanized, dogs that drink or swim in “outdoor” water, and dogs that are exposed to wild animals including raccoons, opossums, coyotes, skunks, and rodents, among others, are at the greatest risk for developing leptospirosis.

    DISEASE IN DOGS
    There are multiple clinical presentations reported for canine leptospirosis. The severity and the type of presentation are thought to vary with the virulence of the infecting organisms, the route of exposure, host factors, and possibly the dose of infecting organism. It should also be noted that some infected dogs may not exhibit any signs of clinical illness. Subclinical infection, or seroconversion without any evidence of clinical illness, may not be an unusual phenomenon. When clinical signs are present, they may be peracute, as described for “classic” canine infection with serovar icterohaemorrhagiae, including sudden onset of fever and severe multisystemic signs. Acute renal failure is currently thought to be the most common presenting clinical condition associated with Leptospira infection in dogs. However, a combination of acute renal failure and hepatic involvement is also common. Chronic hepatitis and chronic renal failure have also been reportedly associated with previous leptospirosis in dogs.

    DIAGNOSIS

    The clinical signs that are most commonly reported in dogs with leptospirosis include vomiting, lethargy, anorexia,frequent urination and drinking alot. Other clinical signs that are reported include myalgia, joint pain or stiffness, petechiation and icterus. Physical examination findings may also include fever, abdominal pain, back pain, or renal pain (sometimes renomegaly), and eye abnormalities such as uveitis and retinal hemorrhage. Clinicopathologic findings may include azotemia, increased hepatic enzyme activities, hyperbilirubinemia, thrombocytopenia, hypoalbuminemia, leukocytosis, and nonregenerative anemia. Dogs may have isosthenuric urine, and glucosuria and/or bilirubinuria may be noted. Serologic testing using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) is currently the accepted standard for diagnosis of canine leptospirosis. Negative serologic test results in the acute phase of infection are common, and therefore dogs should be tested again in 2 to 3 weeks if a diagnosis of leptospirosis is suspected but is not supported by the initial serologic testing. Serum samples should be tested for antibodies to multiple
    Leptospira serovars. Although there is cross-reactivity among serogroups, it is possible to miss a diagnosis of leptospirosis if some serovars are not included when serologic testing is performed. The serovars that are currently recommended for inclusion when performing serologic testing for leptospirosis are Grippotyphosa, Bratislava, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola, Pomona, and Hardjo. Other diagnostic tests to consider are histopathology with mmunofluorescent labeling and/or silver staining, blood culture for leptospires, culture of urine for leptospires, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of urine or tissues. The serovars against which the highest MAT titer is reported is usually the one with which an ill dog is presumed to be effective. Interestingly, there are few studies in which culture results and MAT titera are compared, and in some reports, the correlation between culture results and MAT titers is not particularly high. Culture for Leptospira is generally not routinely offered by most veterinary diagnostic laboratories.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 12, 2009
  10. MOOT44

    MOOT44 Top Dog

    I hear ya again........I take mine to the vet. YEP! Bordetella is up the nose and I know they hate it!

    My one dog, which was a pound dog, brought kennel cough home and gave it to my parent's dog. It spreads quickly and is highly contageous. Considering we do pulls and whatnot, I vaccinate for it now:)

    Thanks for posting in this thread you all:)

    Andrew
     
  11. CynthiaATL

    CynthiaATL Guest

    TREATMENT
    Treatment with ampicillin or with penicillin G for 2 weeks during the initial leptospiremic phase of infection is commonly recommended. Following treatment with ampicillin or penicillin G, doxycycline treatment is recommended for approximately another 2 weeks to minimize shedding of organisms in the urine, and hopefully to eliminate or to minimize the carrier state. Treatment with doxycycline in the initial leptospiremic phase of infection has also been suggested; as there is evidence that doxycycline may also clear leptospiremia. Aggressive supportive care, including intravenous fluid therapy (crystalloids and/or colloids as dictated by the patient’s condition) and nutritional support are very often necessary for dogs with severe clinical leptospirosis. Specific supportive measures are dictated by the condition of the i ndividual patient. If oliguric renal failure occurs, then placement of an indwelling urethral catheter is often necessary to allow accurate monitoring of urine production. Some authors have recommended placement of indwelling catheters in all dogs hospitalized for treatment of leptospirosis with the intent of minimizing exposure ofhealth care workers to urine containing the zoonotic agent. However, the risk of ascending urinary tract infection in dogs with indwelling urethral catheters must also be considered. Dogs that are hospitalized for treatment of leptospirosis should be managed so that the risk of transmission of

    Leptospira to hospital staff and to other dogs is minimized. It is important to keep dogs separated to avoid contact with other animals. Clinic employees should always wear gloves and protective outerwear (eg, lab coat, barrier gown) when examining and treating infected dogs. Accepted standard precautions should be followed, including proper hand washing after handling infected animals, and also appropriate environmental cleaning and disinfection. All organic material must be removed from the environment prior to disinfection, and disinfectants should always be allowed to have adequate contact time with the cleaned surfaces. A comprehensive compendium of veterinary standard precautions is available at the web site of the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (http://www.nasphv.org/Documents/VeterinaryPrecautions.pdf). This excellent document should be made readily available to all staff members in veterinary practices.

    PREVENTION
    Bacterins are currently marketed for administration to dogs for the prevention of leptospirosis caused by serovars Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola, Pomona, and Grippotyphosa. These bacterins are available as individual products and also in combination with other common canine vaccines. The manufacturer recommendations for administration of these bacterins are that the products be initially administered in two doses, given 2 to 3 or 3 to 4 weeks apart, and then followed by yearly (single) booster injections. While there may be some limited degree of cross-protection, the currently available bacterins are not labeled for protection of dogs against leptospirosis caused by any serovars other than Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola, Pomona or Grippotyphosa. In addition to the administration of bacterins, prevention strategies should include “lifestyle” management measures. Dogs should be managed so that contact with reservoir hosts and/or potentially contaminated sites is avoided or at least minimized. It is important to educate veterinary clinic staff members and clients regarding the zoonotic potential of leptospirosis. Cages and runs that are used to house infected animals should be thoroughly cleaned to remove organic material, and then disinfected properly, allowing the disinfectant to have adequate contact time with the cleaned surfaces. Dogs infected with Leptospira should not be allowed to urinate incommon-use exercise areas while hospitalized. If human exposure occurs, affected individuals should wash all contaminated areas thoroughly and should contact a physician for further recommendations.Dog owners should follow similar precautions (wear gloves when handling urine, keep the dog being treated away from common use areas such as parks, and if possible, should limit the dog’s urination to a low-traffic area of their yard, and always wash after handling their pet) during home treatment of their pet for leptospirosis. Written materials should be provided for owners when a pet is diagnosed with leptospirosis. The Centers for Disease Control website has useful information for pet owners; this document, “Leptospirosis and your Pet,” can be printed and distributed to owners. (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/leptospirosis_g_pet.htm).
     
  12. chinasmom

    chinasmom CH Dog

    China brought home kennel cough about 41/2 years ago when she and Jordan were boarded at my vets for four days. Before I knew it, I had three dogs with it. It does spread fast and a booger to get rid of. Right after that they wouldn't board a dog unless it had been vacinated. I make sure to have that done now.
     

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