An Overview of Canine Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis, even the name gives you pause. Basically lepto (as it’s also known) is a bacterial infection that is borne from one or more of the family of bacteria Leptospira. This family of bacteria can be found in a number of different species, but tends to be more worrisome for humans and dogs. (We have yet to understand how lepto impacts the health of felines, although they can contract the illness.)

Unfortunately, when a dog comes into contact with the bacteria and develops the infection, it may take some time for symptoms to arise. Some dogs are even asymptomatic.

When symptoms do appear they often resemble a bad flu. Your dog may struggle with a high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and lack of appetite. Muscle stiffness or decreased mobility also accompanies this infection in many cases.

While these issues many not afflict your dog in a severe way, the problem is that untreated lepto can cause damage to organ health. In some cases, kidney or liver failure have been the result of long-term or acute leptospirosis.

Lepto in Colorado

One of the biggest concerns about lepto is that we are seeing many more cases. In fact, there has been a spike in diagnoses since 2000, many of which have occurred in the states with wet, semi-temperate climates.

Strangely, hot spots for the surge in lepto were identified in Colorado, central California, and central Texas.

What we might assume to be a rural disease has surprisingly been proven erroneous. Urban dogs are almost twice as likely to contract lepto than rural dogs. This is in part due to the assumption that city dogs don’t need the vaccination.   
This misconception has provided a breeding ground for certain diseases that have been presumed to be rural.

Preventing Canine Lepto

Given what we have seen in Colorado over the past few years with lepto, we recommend the leptospirosis vaccine for all puppies and dogs. Not only will this vaccine protect your dog from certain strains of the bacteria, but will also help protect pet families from being exposed to this zoonotic illness.

Other effective precautions include:

  •  Sealing all gaps in the home or garage where rodents can enter
  • Emptying sources of standing water
  • Keeping the yard pest-free by cutting down weeds and grasses
  • Deterring your pet from ingesting lake or pond water, as well as soil

To learn more about the leptospirosis vaccination and to assess your dog’s risk, please call to schedule an appointment.