News and Press

2009-01-02
CANINE LEPTOSPIROSIS ALERT

Royal Palm Veterinary Hospital is now recommending Leptospirosis vaccination for our canine patients.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection resulting from contact with infected wildlife, urine from infected dogs or contaminated water or food. This disease can cause high fever, jaundice, vomiting and in severe cases, fatal liver and kidney damage. It is now the #1 cause of infectious kidney failure in dogs!

Although Lepto is not a new disease, it is definitely on the rise. Vaccines against canine Lepto have been available for many years but offered protection against only 2 strains of the disease.

Recent research has shown two more strains have surfaced and is causing the majority of disease in dogs. A new vaccine has been introduced that offer dogs protection against the older strains and the two additional strains, L.grippotyphosa and L.pomona. Leptospirosis is also contagious to humans and this further adds to our concern with this reemerging disease.

Given the current increase in prevalence of the emerging strains of Leptospirosis, we are now recommending this vaccine for all our canine patients beginning with two boosters then annually.

Please call our office with any questions or to check to see if your pet is protected.