BY: SAMANTHA BARTLETT, DVM
A veterinarian at Pet Resource Center of Kansas City, Dr. Cynthia Goldston says she has seen two dogs with leptospirosis in the last few months. One was a puppy that came in with yellow gums and eyes. Bloodwork confirmed liver and kidney failure. The second was an older dog. Both pets were euthanized.
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that is usually spread through water contaminated with urine from infected wildlife such as rodents and raccoons. Dogs can also get it from soil. The disease is zoonotic and is transmitted to humans through exposure to contaminated urine.
Leptospirosis has many manifestations of clinical disease in dogs and affects any age, breed, or sex. Signalment and lifestyle are not the basis for exclusion in the diagnosis of leptospirosis. The most common presentation is acute kidney injury presenting with lethargy, anorexia, vomiting, abdominal pain and polyuria, anuria, or oliguria. Acute liver disease can also be a presentation either alone or in conjunction with acute kidney injury. Clinical signs associated with liver disease include icterus, vomiting, anorexia, and lethargy. Other clinical signs associated with leptospirosis include muscle pain, stiffness, weakness, reluctance to move or trembling. Occasionally bleeding disorders can be associated with leptospirosis presenting with petechiae, epistaxis, melena, and hematemesis.
Treatment includes supportive care and antimicrobial therapy. Doxycycline is the antibiotic of choice to eliminate infection. Prevention is primarily through commercial vaccines. There are several vaccines covering multiple serovars including Canicola, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Crippotyphosa, and Pomona in the US. There is some evidence that vaccination with one serovar is cross-protective against other serovars. It is recommended these vaccines be administered yearly.
People working around infected dogs or dogs suspected of infection should take cautions to avoid exposure of skin or mucous membranes to urine or blood. Gloves should be worn when cleaning up urine and handlers should wash their hands immediately after handling the infected dog.
