Leptospirosis and Your Pet This fact sheet is designed to assist
pet owners in answering questions related to leptospirosis in
pets and the health risk to humans exposed to Leptospira-infected
pets.
What is leptospirosis?
How do people and animals get leptospirosis?
What pet animals get leptospirosis?
What are the signs of leptospirosis in pets?
What should I do if I think my pet has
leptospirosis?
Is there a treatment for leptospirosis
in pet animals?
What should I do if I have been told my
pet has leptospirosis?
How can I protect myself and other people
when my pet has leptospirosis?
How can I prevent leptospirosis in
my pet?
What is leptospirosis?
Leptospirosis is a disease is caused by spiral shaped bacteria
called leptospires. It occurs worldwide and can affect humans
as well as many wild and domestic animals, including dogs and
cats. The disease can be serious for both humans and animals.
In people, the symptoms are often like the flu, but sometimes
leptospirosis can develop into a more severe, life-threatening
illness with infections in the kidney, liver, brain, lung, and
heart. For more information on leptospirosis in humans, look at
the following site: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/leptospirosis_g.htm
Your pet can get leptospirosis too, and although this has not
happened often, the disease has been diagnosed more frequently
in the past few years. The information given here will show you
how to protect yourself and your pets from getting leptospirosis
and what to do if your pet does become infected.
How
do people and animals get leptospirosis?
The bacteria are spread through the urine of infected animals,
which can get into water or soil and can survive there for weeks
to months. Humans and animals can become infected through contact
with this contaminated urine (or other body fluids, except saliva),
water, or soil. The bacteria can enter the body through skin or
mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth), especially if the skin
is broken from a cut or scratch. Drinking contaminated water can
also cause infection. Infected wild and domestic animals may continue
to excrete the bacteria into the environment continuously or every
once in a while for a few months up to several years.
If your pet has become infected, it most likely came into contact
with leptospires in the environment or infected animals. Your
pet may have been drinking, swimming, or walking through contaminated
water. Because of increased building and development into areas
that were previously rural, pets may be exposed to more wildlife,
such as raccoons, skunks, squirrels, opossums, or deer that are
infected with leptospirosis. Dogs also may pass the disease to
each other, but this happens very rarely.
What pet animals
get leptospirosis?
All animals can potentially become infected with leptospires,
although cases of leptospirosis in cats are rare.
What are the
signs of leptospirosis in pets?
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.
What should
I do if I think my pet has leptospirosis?
Contact your veterinarian immediately. Your veterinarian can
perform tests to detect the presence of leptospiral antibodies
or organism in your pet.
Is there a
treatment for leptospirosis in pet animals?
Yes, leptospirosis is treatable with antibiotics. If an animal
is treated early, it may recover more rapidly and any organ damage
may be less severe. Other treatment methods, such as dialysis
and hydration therapy may be required.
The time between exposure to the bacteria and development of
disease is usually 5 to 14 days, but can be as short as a few
days or as long as 30 days or more.
What should
I do if I have been told my pet has leptospirosis?
If your pet has been confirmed by your veterinarian as having
leptospirosis, the appropriate action to take will depend on the
nature of contact with your pet. Normal daily activities with
your pet will not put you at high risk for leptospirosis infection.
Types of contacts that are considered to be high risk include
direct or indirect contact with urine, blood, and tissues of your
pet during its infection. Assisting in the delivery of newborns
from an infected animal is also considered a high-risk activity
for transmission of leptospirosis.
If you have had these types of high-risk contacts with your pet
during the time of its infection, inform your physician. If common
symptoms, such as fever, muscle aches, and headaches, occur within
3 weeks after a high-risk exposure, see your physician. Tests
can be performed to see if you have this disease.
How can I protect
myself and other people when my pet has leptospirosis?
The risk of getting leptospirosis from a dog in standard instances
is suspected to be low. The primary mode of transmission of leptospirosis
from pets to humans is through direct or indirect contact with
contaminated animal tissues, organs, or urine. Always contact
your veterinarian and your physician if you have concerns about
a possible exposure to an infected animal.
- Do not handle or come in contact with urine, blood, or tissues
from your infected pet before it has received proper treatment.
- If you need to have contact with animal tissues or urine,
wear protective clothing, such as gloves and boots, especially
if you are occupationally at risk (veterinarians, farm workers,
and sewer workers).
- As a general rule, always wash your hands after handling
your pet or anything that might have your pet's excrement on
it.
- If you are cleaning surfaces that may be contaminated or
have urine from an infected pet on them, use an antibacterial
cleaning solution or a solution of 1 part household bleach in
10 parts water.
- Make sure that your infected pet takes all of its medicine
and follow up with your veterinarian.
How can
I prevent leptospirosis in my pet?
- Keep rodent problems (rats, mice, or other animal pests) under
control. Rodents can carry and spread the bacteria.
- Get your pet vaccinated against leptospirosis.
The vaccine does not provide 100% protection. This is because
there are many strains (types) of leptospires, and the vaccine
does not provide immunity against all strains. It is important
to get your pet vaccinated again even if it gets leptospirosis
because it can still get infected with a different strain of
leptospires.
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