Leptospirosis is one of the more difficult vaccine names frequently utilized in veterinary medicine. After practicing veterinary medicine for a bit, many in the veterinary medicine field will have heard it called a multitude of things. Some of them are appropriate and simpler like "lepto," others are simple mispronunciations like "leptosparza," and yet other times clients will start the name with the intention of pronouncing the entire thing and ending with a trail-off of mumbled sounds.
Regardless of whether or not one can pronounce the word Leptospirosis, it is an important vaccination for our canine companions.
The main concerns regarding Leptospirosis are zoonosis and transmissibility. Zoonosis is when an infectious disease can be transmitted from animals to humans. Another great example of a zoonotic disease is rabies.
Leptospirosis is a bacterial organism that is transmitted by bodily fluids (mainly urine, but also blood). The organism survives well in the environment in damp, warm, shaded conditions (e.g. ponds, puddles, lakes). Common reservoirs for this disease that spread it between themselves and to humans and dogs include opossums, skunks, raccoons, muskrats, voles, mice, rats, and some domesticated animals like cattle, pigs, and horses. The organism is most commonly picked up in the environment from the urine contamination of small bodies of water. It can also be found in fresh urine. Prevention is definitively more beneficial than treatment. The organism can be easily prevented using a vaccine carried by most veterinarians and available at the Fort Leonard Wood Veterinary Treatment Facility.
Treatment is difficult because the infection causes potentially severe symptoms including liver and kidney failure. These issues can come about very abruptly and might lead to death in dogs and humans. The vaccine is not fool-proof, but works quite well to minimize disease progression and all-but-eliminates transmission to other animals.
The Leptospirosis vaccine is required for any canines living on post and any canines that come on post for leisure or veterinary care. Per Fort Leonard Wood Regulation 40-4, canines living on-post are required to have this vaccine annually.
At-risk animals should always be vaccinated to minimize risk for the pet and owners. The risk for vaccine reaction is similar to any other vaccine, and therefore quite low for healthy dogs. If your dog likes to hike, visit dog parks, camp, swim/wade in open bodies of water, or lick from puddles/bodies of water, then he/she is at risk for Leptospirosis infection. Speak with your veterinarian about your pet's risk and vaccination status for this annual vaccine.
(Editor's note: Anderson is the officer in charge at the Fort Leonard Wood Veterinary Treatment Facility.)
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