Leptospirosis—sometimes shortened to lepto—is a dangerous bacterial disease that can be especially harmful to small dogs.
Leptospirosis is spread through contact with Leptospira bacteria, usually found in soil and water that has been in contact with urine (pee) from an infected wild animal.
Unfortunately, lepto is becoming more common these days due to climate disruption, weather patterns, and changing wildlife habitats.
Leptospirosis has a host of symptoms, and it can result in kidney failure and death. It can also be spread to people.
Pet parents need to take the threat of lepto seriously and learn how to protect our pups, especially the more susceptible small breeds.
Lepto used to be considered a problem for country dogs, especially in warm, rainy climates. But things are changing.
According to an article in Veterinary Practice News, lepto cases are on the rise because more and more pets are sharing their environments with infected animals, including mice, rats, skunks, deer, opossums, and raccoons. These infected animals are called carriers because they carry the bacteria and spread the bacteria to other animals through their urine.
As these wild creatures find their way into cities and suburbs, they spread the tiny germs called leptospires when they pee on grass, sidewalks, and pools of water. When dogs lick the contaminated grass or sidewalk, or when they drink the contaminated water, they can become infected. This can lead to deadly results.
The American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA) lists the following risks for dogs getting leptospirosis:
The leptospires survive best in moist environments.
Lepto used to be more common in the Southeast and South, the Pacific Northwest, and the Northeast. It’s also a problem in areas that are prone to flooding, like places along the Mississippi River.
But these days, even drier places like Phoenix, Arizona, experience outbreaks because many people water their lawns to keep them green.
Depending on where you are in the U.S., cases of lepto tend to be identified in fall or early winter, maybe because raccoons and other animals look for shelter in colder months, and that can bring them closer to where dogs hang out.
Justine Lee, a veterinarian in Minnesota, says she sees at least one to two cases of lepto per week at an animal ER located in the city, and many of them are small terrier types.
Another vet, George E. Moore, of Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, reported that dogs under 15 pounds were more likely to be diagnosed with leptospirosis because they’re less likely to be vaccinated against the disease. Some small dog breeders may recommend against vaccination, but that should be changing now that lepto vaccines are safer than ever before.
Lepto is a tricky disease to diagnose. Not all vets are familiar with it because it wasn’t common in their location before. Many symptoms overlap with other health problems. And some dogs with lepto die suddenly without any warning signs at all. Truly scary for pet parents (and vets)!
There are many other diseases that can cause the following health problems, so don’t try to make the diagnosis yourself. This is a list of signs that your dog may have leptospirosis.
Dr. Lee says pet owners and vets should put leptospirosis on their list of possible diseases when a dog pees a lot and drinks a lot because lepto causes injury to the kidneys, and kidneys help maintain the fluid balance in the body.
If you or your vet thinks that your dog may be infected with lepto, your vet will likely recommend some of the following tests:
If your dog is diagnosed with leptospirosis, your vet will likely start them immediately on antibiotics to knock out the bacteria. Some dogs will require IV fluids and nutritional support. The unlucky dogs that get severe cases may need oxygen, ventilators, or kidney dialysis.
Those invasive treatments can be very expensive (hundreds to thousands of dollars), so it’s always a good idea to contact your vet early on to discuss treatment options.
In people, leptospirosis causes flu‑like symptoms and can lead to liver or kidney disease. Most people don’t get it from their pets, but if your pet has lepto, you’ll need to be careful if you touch their pee (see below).
And, as with many diseases, prevention is the best medicine, and usually the cheapest.