Leptospirosis, the disease caused by the bacteria Leptospira interrogans, has suddenly spiked in pet dogs across Los Angeles County.
The Bixby Animal Hospital in Long Beach has increased vaccines for leptospirosis, though it has not seen an increase in cases, according to Veterinarian Julia Drury.
“We have our eyes open,” Drury said. “And we’re watching. And we are definitely increasing vaccination to help prevent it.”
According to the Long Beach Animal Care Services, there have been no cases of leptospirosis in either dogs or humans found in Long Beach in 2021.
Between 2008 and 2020, LA County reported a total of 77 leptospirosis cases. In all of 2020, only 8 cases were reported in LA County. 13 cases were reported in the county in 2019.
But since April 2021, case numbers have skyrocketed in LA County. Between April and July 2021, 40 cases of leptospirosis were discovered within the county.
Of the 40 cases reported since April, 21 are suspected and 19 have been confirmed by a lab, according to County of Los Angeles Public Health.
According to Drury, vets and pet owners will often start treating a suspected case of leptospirosis without fully confirming that the dog has it due to the price of additional testing.
“It can be sometimes challenging to fully confirm,” Drury said. “Now we can be suspicious based on [findings] and blood work changes, but not everyone will go the next step to diagnosing it, because it adds up sometimes as far as cost [for] further testing.”
According to County of LA Public Health, symptoms of leptospirosis in dogs include lethargy (a lack of energy), loss of appetite, reluctance to move, increased thirst, increased urination and vomiting.
Veterinarians may also notice symptoms of kidney or liver damage after performing blood tests on a dog with leptospirosis.
Drury says that lethargy has been the most common symptom in the leptospirosis cases she’s seen during her career, followed by loss of appetite and vomiting.
There are multiple strains of leptospirosis, and the vaccine may not protect a dog from all of them. However, it does significantly lower their chances of becoming infected.
“Vaccinations are so, so important,” Drury said. “So hopefully we can really minimize animals getting sick in Long Beach.”
According to Drury, when a dog is vaccinated for leptospirosis it gets a first shot, followed by a booster shot three to four weeks later. The vaccine provides protection for about one year.
Pet dogs become infected through contact with the urine of wildlife, including rats, raccoons, skunks, possums and more.
“We have a lot of wildlife around here, and those are the spreaders of lepto,” Drury said.
Drury warns dog owners that if they keep a bowl of water for their pets outside, they should make sure to clean it every day in case a wild animal urinates in it.
Leptospirosis can infect a wide range of mammals, including humans.
According to an email by Bixby Animal Hospital, humans are most likely to catch leptospirosis from a dog through contact with the animal’s urine. It advises always using gloves when cleaning up after a dog.
In the email, Bixby Animal Hospital also warned people not to pressure wash areas that may have had contact with dog urine, as this could cause the bacteria to be sprayed through the air.
Symptoms of leptospirosis in humans include fever, severe headache, and muscle aches. More severe cases can cause yellow gums, kidney damage and breathing problems.
Leptospirosis is one of the diseases that can be reported online through the Long Beach Health & Human Services Department’s Veterinary Disease Reporting System (VDRS).
However, no cases of leptospirosis were reported through the VDRS in 2018 or 2019.
Pet owners should contact their veterinarian as soon as possible if their dog begins to show any of the symptoms of leptospirosis, as untreated cases can lead to organ failure and even death.
If a person believes they may have become infected with leptospirosis, they should contact their healthcare provider immediately for treatment.
