Leptospirosis - Deadly Disease Rains Down in the Fall

Fall through December is the prime season for leptospirosis, a
disease spread by wild and domestic animals. This disease can attack
a dog's kidneys, liver or blood vessels with serious and even fatal
consequences.

The problem is that this is the rainy season and rains wash the
spiral-shaped leptospires into ponds and other bodies of water
while the water temperature encourages the bacteria to survive.

Dogs can contact the disease directly from other animals or by contact
with soil or water containing the bacteria thanks to contaminated
urine or poop.

Getting outdoors with your dog can be a great experience but it exposes
your dog to this bacterial disease. "Outdoors" especially includes dog
parks which I hate. Many owners do not have their dogs vaccinated and
many, many owners are irresponsible about picking up dog poop.

Contacting the disease isn't necessarily fatal. Common symptoms include
fever, loss of appetites, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and
reddening of the eye area. Some dogs manage to clear the infection
through their systems with minimal problems.

Other dogs, however, can suffer kidney or liver failure if the
disease goes untreated. Tufts Veterinary School reports that about
one in five dogs die from the disease.

There is a vaccination for leptospirosis although it covers only four
strains of the disease. Recently, veterinarians are seeing increasing
incidences of the disease as well as new strains of the disease that
vaccines don't protect against. It's estimated that more than 200
strains exist worldwide.

Be aware that humans can contact leptospirosis so it is important to
protect your dog as well as yourself. In addition to talking to your
vet about vaccinating your dog, here are a few tips to prevent disease.

1. Avoid high risk areas such as dog parks.

2. Don't let your dog drink from ponds, lakes and other public water
areas. Give him tap water and take containers with you for him when
you do on hikes.

3. Clean up your own yard, both of your dog's poop and any leavings
from other animals that might wander into your yard. Remember animals
includes rodents, raccoons, skunks, moles as well as other domestic animals.

4. Wash your dogs after handling your dog and anything that might have
his urine or poop on it.

5. Clean potentially infected surfaces with an antibacterial solution
or a homemade mixture of bleach and water.

6. Most important - if you suspect your dog may be sick or infected,
get him to a vet as quickly as possible. The earlier the treatment,
the better the outcome.