Leptospirosis - Man and Beast

Leptospirosis is an old bacterial disease that is getting a lot of new attention recently. It is rarely fatal, but can seriously damage the liver, kidneys, and eyes. Additional strains of this old disease are causing an increased number of cases in both people and animals. Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease - a disease that can be transmitted between people and animals. Learn what can be causing this increase of Leptospirosis - who is at risk, and what can be done to protect people and pets.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• pets
• dog
• cat
• vet
• vets
• myvnn
• vnn
• dr.jim
• humphries
• veterinary
• veterinarian
• lepto
• leptospirosis
• vaccination
• infection

[bastardfingers]

What a load of crap. Lepto does not enter through the skin and almost all human cases are from exposure to human sewage. These reporters are worthless.

[aliasgar146]

ayus

[rumit99]

because of the wonderful healthcare we have in the US, dogs get to see a veterinarian more often than people get to see a physician.

[ButtersStotch7000]

My dog just died two weeks ago because of severe kidney damage caused by leptospirosis. He was only ten. If it weren't for this, he could have easily lived to thirteen or fourteen years old.

We tried fluid therapy and antibiotics, but even though we beat the infection, the damage had already been done.

What our vet told us is that the disease can also be spread by the urine of infected animals (squirrels, racoons, etc), and the current vaccine protects agains four out of 250~ strains.

[purosonoracompa]

@SAMMYtheAWESOME I'm pretty sure hamsters aren't reservoirs for leptospira, so don't worry.

[tomcat1765]

Unfortunately, runway has only part of the story correct. Lepto can be found in almost any mammal and there are several hundred varieties that can cause disease and they are endemic to many areas of the US, especially rural areas with livestock and deer and even in urban areas with rats. Pets may not age "exactly" seven years for our 1, but the overall premise is that pets age faster. If they age faster they should see a veterinarian more often, before its too late!!

[SAMMYtheAWESOME]

Can hamsters give u that disease?

can they cet vaccined