Leptospirosis is an infectious bacteria-like organism that is found throughout much of the United States.  It can be found in most animals, including livestock (cattle, pigs, and sheep) and wildlife (deer, raccoons, opossums, skunks, rats, and other rodents).  Leptospirosis can infect both dogs and humans.  Recent reports by the Center for Disease Control state that it infects at least 200 people yearly in the U.S. alone.

It is transmitted between animals by both direct and indirect contact.  Direct transmission occurs through contact with infected urine, bite wounds, or ingestion of infected tissues.  Indirect transmission occurs through exposure to contaminated water sources, soil, food, or bedding. 

The bacteria are most commonly passed via the urine into water sources, where they reside and reproduce.  This means that dogs can be exposed and infected with Leptospirosis simply by walking outside and then cleaning their paws.  Swimming in contaminated lakes, pools, and streams puts our dogs at risk of Leptospirosis as well.  Most of our dogs also tend to eat everything and anything they find on the ground, which can lead to infection.  It can be passed easily from dog to dog as well.  Due to the variety of ways that our dogs can be infected and the lifestyles that they lead, it is obvious to see how easy this can occur.

There are a variety of different types (or serovars) of Leptospirosis found throughout the world.  We have a number of different serovars found in New England.  Each of the various serovars can affect different organs in the body.  Most commonly, Leptospirosis causes kidney and/or liver disease in dogs.

Due to the seriousness of this infectious disease, we at Derry Animal Hospital recommend vaccinating all of our canine patients against Leptospirosis.

Of all the common vaccinations that we as veterinarians administer to dogs, Leptospirosis vaccines historically carry a negative connotation with dog owners.  This is due to the fact that some of the earlier vaccine types did tend to cause quite a high percentage of allergic vaccine reactions in dogs.

However, a new and different type of Leptospirosis vaccine has been available for the past 4 to 5 years from Pfizer Animal Health.  It has been shown over this time to have a very low number of reactions after administration.   Derry Animal Hospital has vaccinated hundreds of dogs with this particular vaccine in the past year; and we have had very few (if any) vaccine reactions in our patients.  In fact, we see less vaccine reactions with the Pfizer Leptospirosis vaccine than the norm with any canine vaccine that we use here.

Leptospirosis is a very serious infectious agent for both dogs and humans.  It is highly prevalent in much of New England, especially in near-by Massachusetts.  It is becoming more prevalent in New Hampshire, and, as such, we want to protect our canine patients with a safe, reliable vaccine before they become infected.

If you have any further questions or you would like to schedule an appointment to have this vaccination done, please contact our hospital at (603) 432-3700.