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Leptospirosis: Understanding Transmission

Dog licking wet grass

If you have lived in or near the Springfield, Illinois area for any period of time you have undoubtedly heard the term, “Lake Lepto.” But, what does “Lake Lepto” really mean? Why does anyone care? What does “Lake Lepto” have to do with a veterinary blog for Ball-Chatham Veterinary Services? It means, WE (humans) in this area are being exposed to leptospirosis and so are your pets. 


When someone says, “Lepto” they are referring to a bacteria called Leptospirosis. Leptospirosis infection is the most common zoonotic disease in the world. Zoonotic means that this particular bacteria can be shared or transmitted back and forth between humans and animals. The bacteria can be carried in the urine of wildlife and domestic animals such as pigs, cattle and horses. Leptospirosis enters the body through any defect in the skin or mucous membranes (think your nose, mouth, eyes). While no one intentionally puts urine in their mouth, think about when there are natural disasters like floods. Water goes everywhere! That means urine goes everywhere. That means Leptospirosis bacteria goes everywhere. 


On a much smaller scale and more likely scenario, what happens when you take your dog out for their morning potty walk? You are walking along, enjoying the cool morning, dew is on the grass. Your dog pulls over to potty and walks through the beautifully mowed grass where no other neighborhood dogs potty because you are near a wildlife sanctuary, or the park next to the pristine pond or the corn field that has been empty since last fall. Your pet’s paws get a little wet, but nothing to worry about, right? When you get home, your dog gets a little drink, you serve them their breakfast in a clean stainless steel bowl and then your fur baby settles into their soft bed to relax while you prepare for your day. What else does your dog do when they curl up in their bed? They groom themselves! They lick their paws, their belly and anywhere else that could be wet or a little dirty from their morning walk. When your pet does a very normal behavior like grooming themselves, they ingest Leptospirosis. 


Leptospirosis, once inside the body, likes to attack the liver and kidneys. When Leptospirosis damages liver and kidney tissue it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite and lethargy. Because Leptospirosis loves urine (and kidneys make urine) it is then shed in the environment every time your dog goes outside to potty. And thus begins the vicious cycle of transmission of Leptospirosis bacteria. 


You cannot put your dog in a bubble and take them out to go potty, so what do you do? Vaccination is the key to decreasing the chances of infection, illness and transmission of disease. Vaccine development has improved light years since the first vaccinations were introduced to veterinary medicine. The more domestic animals that are vaccinated for Leptospirosis, the less transmission of disease occurs and the better we can protect human health. 


While you may have been told in the past that your pet is not a high risk patient for exposure and transmission of Leptospirosis, that is not true anymore. Many veterinarians were trained in veterinary school to worry about and recommend Leptospirosis vaccination only to dogs exposed to water, livestock or wildlife through outdoor sports like hunting. Given the scenario above, that simply isn’t true anymore. We know better now, let’s do better through vaccination for a very preventable disease that affects our pets and humans. 


 


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