Leptospirosis: my boy may have it
- Thread starter Chewie42
- Start date
cedarvalleynewfoundlands
New member
I dont have experience with it. I had a girl years ago who they suspected may have had it, but it turned out to be a severe kidney infection if I remember right (its been a LONG time)
what I DO know about Lepto is that it is zoonotic, meaning your boy could have infected you with it. If he is positive, they will end up needing to treat not only your boy, but also your family members and the clinic staff that took care of him.
Is he vaccinated against Lepto? I seem to remember reading that Lepto should actually be vaccinated against twice yearly if you live in an area where it is a concern. It was something about the fact that the Lepto portion of the vaccine protects poorly and doesnt last as long. Also, there are many strains of Lepto, and the vaccine protects against only the 4 most common. Some vaccines only protect against 2.Sorry I cant be of more help
what I DO know about Lepto is that it is zoonotic, meaning your boy could have infected you with it. If he is positive, they will end up needing to treat not only your boy, but also your family members and the clinic staff that took care of him.
Is he vaccinated against Lepto? I seem to remember reading that Lepto should actually be vaccinated against twice yearly if you live in an area where it is a concern. It was something about the fact that the Lepto portion of the vaccine protects poorly and doesnt last as long. Also, there are many strains of Lepto, and the vaccine protects against only the 4 most common. Some vaccines only protect against 2.Sorry I cant be of more help
lilly06
New member
I do not have any experience with this.. I just pulled the symptoms off of the internet..
"The clinical signs of leptospirosis vary and are nonspecific. Sometimes pets do not have any symptoms. Common clinical signs reported in dogs include fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, refusal to eat, severe weakness and depression, stiffness, severe muscle pain, or inability to have puppies. Generally younger animals are more seriously affected than older animals".
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/leptospirosis_g_pet.htm#whatis
Does he have any other symptoms??? Could it be a UTI instead? Lilly has had a couple of UTI's and excess water drinking and peeing are symptoms.
"The clinical signs of leptospirosis vary and are nonspecific. Sometimes pets do not have any symptoms. Common clinical signs reported in dogs include fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, refusal to eat, severe weakness and depression, stiffness, severe muscle pain, or inability to have puppies. Generally younger animals are more seriously affected than older animals".
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/leptospirosis_g_pet.htm#whatis
Does he have any other symptoms??? Could it be a UTI instead? Lilly has had a couple of UTI's and excess water drinking and peeing are symptoms.
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Chewie42
New member
thanks for all the input ! the vet isnt sure yet could be lepto or a UTI. But they say they can get lepto from a wild animal and my cat got into it with a racoon a month or so ago and of course Thomas was licking on the wounded cat...so i guess we will see hwere it goes form there
cedarvalleynewfoundlands
New member
When they tested our dog for it, she was VERY VERY sick. We literally had to carry her into the Emer Clinic, since she could barely walk. She wouldnt lift her head, her muscle tone was terrible, she was running a high fever and it all came on pretty quickly. It was definitetly obvious she was very very ill. I know they checked for other things first, and ran a whole battery of tests on her. They made the comment that since she was so sick and weak and running such a high temp one of the things they wanted to rule out was Lepto, even though she had been vaccinated against it.
Did they tell you what symptoms he had that made them suspect Lepto?
Just drinking a lot and peeing a lot doesnt seem like they would be looking at Lepto unless they've tested for other things and cant find anything.
OOPS....Sorry...both posted at the same time
Did they tell you what symptoms he had that made them suspect Lepto?
Just drinking a lot and peeing a lot doesnt seem like they would be looking at Lepto unless they've tested for other things and cant find anything.
OOPS....Sorry...both posted at the same time
Chewie42
New member
One of her (the vet) main concerns was that the specific gravity of his urine was low, which i though would be silly and obvios since he has been drinking and peeing alot. i dont know how much faith i put into that test
he was in contact with a wild racoon a while back(well our cat was and he in turn licked on the wounded cat )..and last week he got out of the yard and went for a swim in a nasty stagnant pond... He is also just getting over a bout of constipation so i dunno if he could be reacting to that...whew its been a busy spring
he was in contact with a wild racoon a while back(well our cat was and he in turn licked on the wounded cat )..and last week he got out of the yard and went for a swim in a nasty stagnant pond... He is also just getting over a bout of constipation so i dunno if he could be reacting to that...whew its been a busy spring
janices
New member
The vaccine is given down here in some areas. My newfs are vaccinated against lepto. Vaccination is once a year unless the exposure is exceptionally high then may be every 6 mos. Newer vaccines are supposed to be better.
KodysGrandma
New member
HOpe things are doing better.
Hope it turns out NOT to be lepto. Our vet doesn't routinely vax for it but I requested it for both newfs as they drink from very murky sources while we hike. He said the first year he has to give them two shots (separated by three weeks) and then thereafter only one lepto shot a year.
Liz
Liz
Newfs Forever
New member
Prayers and good thoughts coming from NH!
