Canine Leptospirosis - Symptoms and Treatment

Author: John Stephens
Date Of Creation: 22 January 2021
Update Date: 4 November 2024
Anonim
Leptospirosis in the dog.  Lepto vaccine, symptoms of the disease, and treatment.
Video: Leptospirosis in the dog. Lepto vaccine, symptoms of the disease, and treatment.

Content

When we talk about animal health we are not referring only to the absence of disease, but also to a state of well-being resulting from covering all the needs that our pet has, both physical, psychological and social.

But as for physical health, we must clarify that there are very few diseases unique to humans, so our dog can suffer from the same conditions as us.

At PeritoAnimal we will tell you about the symptoms and treatment of canine leptospirosis, a disease of great importance since it is a zoonosis, that is, a condition that can be transmitted from animals to humans.

What is canine leptospirosis

Canine leptospirosis is a infectious disease caused by a genus of bacteria called Leptospira, but the ones that usually affect the dog are the Canicola Leptospira and the Leptospira Icterohaemorrhagiae


This group of bacteria affects most domestic and wild mammals, in addition to cold-blooded animals and humans.

The prevalence of this disease increases in the months of high temperatures and is greater in male puppies, it is believed that due to their sniffing and urine licking habits.

How does contagion occur

Contagion of canine leptospirosis occurs when the bacteria enter the animal through the nasal mucosa, buccal, conjunctiva or through the skin that presents some kind of wound.

Through the mucosa, bacteria reach the bloodstream and distribute through it until it reaches the different organs and tissues, once in them, an immune reaction occurs by the animal.


This reaction causes the death of the pathogen which causes the release of toxins on its part, and if the bacteria have managed to evade the immune system's response, it will deposit in the liver and kidney, which will cause serious disorders, as we will see later on.

Canine leptospirosis contagion

The main route of contagion of leptospirosis among animals is water or food contaminated with the urine from other sick animals. The spread of leptospirosis between animals and humans occurs when people come into contact with contaminated water, food or urine, although it can also be transmitted through the soil if this surface is infected and you have the habit of walking barefoot.


Since the main route of transmission is through ingestion of contaminated water or food, one must have special care with the children that live with animals.

Canine Leptospirosis Symptoms

Most of the time this disease occurs without showing symptoms, in other cases an acute or chronic course of the pathology can be observed, but in both situations the prognosis is reserved, since it is a disease with a very high mortality rate, which varies between 70 and 90% of cases.

The symptoms of canine leptospirosis are as follows:

  • Fever
  • loss of appetite
  • Vomiting and diarrhea (sometimes with blood)
  • dark urine
  • Pain symptoms when urinating
  • urine smelling breath
  • Oral mucosa ulcerations
  • General deterioration of the animal

Symptoms related to urination are especially important as they show kidney damage, which implies a serious condition of the whole body.

If you see any of these symptoms in your dog you should go to the veterinarian immediately, because the sooner you start the proper treatment, the more chances your pet has to survive.

disease diagnosis

To diagnose canine leptospirosis in your pet, the veterinarian will perform a full exploration and will take into account all the symptoms manifested, but will also analyze the urine, which in the case of infection will show a high number of proteins and hemoglobin.

The definitive diagnosis is carried out through a blood test that measures serology parameters (antibodies) or through a microscopic observation of the urine where the presence of the leptospira bacteria can be observed.

Canine leptospirosis treatment

The treatment of canine leptospirosis requires several both pharmacological and dietary measures.

To start, let's talk about the combination of broad-spectrum antibiotics (penicillin and streptomycin) to fight bacterial infection. It is also important to try to reverse symptoms and control liver and kidney damage. Lastly, it is important to provide a highly nutritious diet that is low in protein.

Remember that the veterinarian is the only person who knows how to recommend the best treatment for your dog.

Prevention of canine leptospirosis

To prevent canine leptospirosis, it is recommended that the dog be vaccinated for this purpose, however, currently available vaccines have a limitation in terms of serotypes, that is, they do not cover all bacteria of the leptospira genus.

Vaccination is a highly recommended practice, although doses should be boosted every 6 months rather than annually. To prevent this disease, it is also important to periodically disinfect the animal's environment.

This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.