Leptospirosis in Dogs
DR.ASHUTOSH MISHRA,TVO, JAHANABAD,BIHAR
Leptospirosis, also known as “lepto”, is a highly contagious bacterial infection that affects most species of mammals, including dogs.Leptospirosis is zoonotic (which means it can be passed along to humans). Human symptoms range from flu-like symptoms to kidney failure and even death.Leptospirosis is an emerging zoonotic disease found throughout world. Leptospirosis in dogs affects many organ systems and varies in severity; clinical signs range from none or mild and self-limiting to severe with acute kidney injury, hepatopathy, and/or vasculitis.
Leptospirosis bacteria (leptospira) penetrates a dog’s body through mucous membranes or open skin and rapidly multiplies in the bloodstream for the following 4–12 days. The bacteria is spread through infected animals’ urine (especially rodent urine) and can survive in soil or water for weeks or months. Dogs can come into contact with the bacteria by walking through, drinking, or even spending time near contaminated water like puddles, mud, standing water, and lakes.
Dogs become infected when their mucus membranes or abraded skin comes into contact with Leptospira-infected urine or substrates contaminated with infected urine (e.g., water or soil) from a reservoir host. The most common reservoir hosts are wild animals such as rodents. Leptospira serovars have adapted to reservoir hosts, in which a carrier state is established and leptospires are intermittently shed in reservoir hosts’ urine.
The clinical signs and examination findings for dogs with leptospirosis can vary considerably, depending on severity of illness and the dog’s immune status. Leptospirosis is typically an acute disease; clinical signs become apparent in the first week after infection. Common clinical presentations can range from a mild febrile illness to acute kidney injury, hepatic injury, hemorrhagic disease, or some combination thereof . Other clinical findings include uveitis and reproductive failure.
Common Clinical Signs and Physical Examination Findings in Dogs with Leptospirosis
- Lethargy
- Arthralgia and myalgia
- Polydipsia and polyuria
- Oliguria or anuria
- Altered hydration status (overhydration with oliguria/anuria or dehydration with polyuria)
- Gastrointestinal abnormalities (decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhea)
- Icterus
- Bleeding tendency (petechia, melena, hematochezia, epistaxis)
- Tachypnea
- Conjunctivitis
- Sudden fever and illness
- Sore muscles, reluctance to move
- Stiffness in muscles, legs, stiff gait
- Shivering
- Weakness
- Depression
- Lack of appetite
- Increased thirst and urination, may be indicative of chronic renal (kidney) failure, progressing to inability to urinate
- Rapid dehydration
- Vomiting, possibly with blood
- Diarrhea – with or without blood in stool
- Dark red speckled gums (petechiae)
- Yellow skin and/or whites of eyes – anemic symptoms
- Spontaneous cough
- Difficulty breathing, fast breathing, irregular pulse
- Runny nose
- Swelling of the mucous membrane
- Mild swelling of the lymph nodes
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Types
- Acute
– An acute infection will manifest very quickly. The bacteria rapidly spread to vital organs and symptoms will begin soon after initial contact with the contagion. This means muscle pain, high fever and in some cases, hypothermia severe enough to kill before the infection reaches the kidneys or liver.
- Subacute
– A slow growing problem which may show as dehydration, vomiting, fever or jaundice. It is also possible your dog will not present symptoms at all, but will still result in them spreading the disease through their bodily fluids and shedding leptospira for weeks or months. Unfortunately, the majority of leptospiral infections are subacute with the damage to the liver or kidneys undetected.
Common risk factors for leptospirosis:
- Walking in the same place as infected wildlife, rodents, or farm animals
- Contact with or drinking from warm, wet environments like streams, lakes, and puddles
- Direct contact with infected animals
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is done through history, clinical sign, hematology, serum chemistry and serology.
Treatment of Leptospirosis in Dogs
If your dog has become dehydrated due to excessive vomiting, diarrhea, kidney or liver disease they will need to undergo fluid therapy using an IV drip or subcutaneous injection. Once it is established your dog has leptospirosis, your veterinarian will prescribe a round of antibiotics regardless of strain. The most recommended antibiotic for either acute or chronic conditions are doxycycline. Initial treatment may be penicillin for those dogs sensitive to doxycycline. These are often administered in a two-week time frame. Your veterinarian will discuss more specific strain treatment options with you once the strain is established. Additional medications may be needed to make your dog more comfortable if they are displaying additional symptoms of pain though of course the main focus should be the antibiotic course so that your pet does not become a lifetime carrier of these bacteria.
Generally in most of the cases of leptospirosis we have got good response at our clinic ,some of the line of treatment is like -Treatment is started with fluid therapy in the form of normal saline and Haemaccel @ 10 ml/kg body weight is given when hemoglobin level is low. Then we start Amoxicillin-clavulanate @15mg/kg body weight intravenously BID for 15 days followed by doxycycline (@5.0 mg/kg body weight orally BID for next 15 days. An immunosuppressive dose of predenisolone is given @ 0.5 mg/kg body weight orally once in a day for 5 days followed by 0.25 mg/kg orally for next 3 days. To prevent thromboembolism, aspirin @ 2 mg/kg body weight once in a day for 5 days is given. Along with the above treatment Antioxidant therapy (Vitamin E @ 400 IU orally every day, Vitamin C @ 200 mg orally twice a day and N-Acetyl cysteine @ 60-70 mg/kg body weight slow IV, Antiemetics (Ondansetron @ 0.5 mg/kg body weight IV twice in a day for 2 days), Gastroprotectans (Pantoprazole @ 1 mg/kg body weight IV OD for 5 days followed by sucralfate @ 1g orally every 12 hour for 7 days) and Hematinics [Iron (Imferon) injection IM @ 1ml every 5 day (total 4 injection), syrup haemup (1 tsf orally twice in a day for 15 days] is given. Supportive treatment included syrup Livo + (Sylimarin and Ornithine) @ 1 tsp orally twice in a day, vitamin K1 injection on an alternate day, lactulose @ 5ml orally for 5 days to maintain ammonia level.
NB-THE ABOVE MENTIONED LINE OF TREATMENT MAY VARY DEPENDING UPON THE CONDITIONS OF THE CASE AND THE PATIENT. DO CONSULT YOUR NEAREST VETERINARIAN FOR PROPER TREATMENT.
Human Transmission
Leptospirosis can cause flu-like symptoms in people, which in some cases can progress to serious illness.If any people in contact with a dog diagnosed with Leptospirosis become ill, be sure to mention the dog’s illness to health care providers (as a rule of thumb, it is always a good idea to mention pet exposure to health care providers when people in the family are ill or have a compromised immune system).
However, if your pet has been diagnosed with Leptospirosis, steps to prevent infections include the following:
- Avoid contact with urine if possible, and wear protective clothing (gloves, etc.) if you need to handle urine.
- Practice good hygiene including careful hand washing.
- Disinfect surfaces where infected pets have urinated (antibacterial disinfectant or diluted bleach solution).
- Follow your vet’s advice for treatment and make sure all medications are given as directed.
