Leptospirosis Vaccine -- Do Your Dogs Get It?

[Guest ArtysPeople]

Arty had his annual check-up today (everything's greyt!) and the vet talked to me about vaccinating for leptospirosis. I did a search, and it's been a few years since the topic came up here, so I thought I'd see what people are thinking/doing these days.

 

Prior to this year, it wasn't even a vaccine they offered, but they started offering it as an optional vaccine this year after having 4 or 5 cases in the past year. All of the cases were treated and non-lethal, and that 4 or 5 is out of a practice of hundreds, if not a thousand or more; it's the largest vet hospital in the area, and always very busy when I go in. The vet said that the cases they've had were probably non-lethal because they knew to test for it so it was caught before it got beyond help. The vet said she absolutely recommends it for dogs who are working dogs, in the field a lot, or who live with an animal who has already come down with it, but that otherwise it's optional. Possible drawbacks to the vaccine, per the vet, included that it is an annual vaccine, and if we ever decided to discontinue the vaccine and then Arty came down with it, it could make it more difficult to detect an infection using titres.

 

I opted not to have him vaccinated today, but now know what to watch for in terms of an infection and feel better educated for the experience, but was wondering what thoughts others had on the matter?

[turbotaina]

Turbo gets it, upon recommendation of my vet, whom I trust very much.

[Hubcitypam]

We do get it as it is a fairly big problem here, at least according to the vet and some of the rescue people. The every 3 year DHLPP I give is the same price as DHPP, then just lepto in between. I think it largely depends on where you live. I will not ever do corona or lyme.

[Batmom]

I live in the city but there's an old creek (now drainage easement) behind my property, so we get lots of wildlife. I get the lepto vaccine every year for Joseph and Rocco the whippet. I don't get it for Zema only because she has some vaccine reactions.

[Guest ArtysPeople]

We do get it as it is a fairly big problem here, at least according to the vet and some of the rescue people. The every 3 year DHLPP I give is the same price as DHPP, then just lepto in between. I think it largely depends on where you live. I will not ever do corona or lyme.

 

Do you not do lyme because of where you live, or for other reasons? The lyme is also optional here, but I did a quick search and found a lot more discussion of that topic more recently so didn't include it in my original post.

[Guest greytloves]

My friends vet stopped giving it, did not tell her, did not change the invoice from to indicate it was not given. And then she had two dogs die from it last year.

 

Come to find out that Texas A&M had a study going and said last year they had more cases then ever. It had basically fallen off the rader map as a problem, but now its back.

 

I would get it as it is very deadly, very quickly.

[Guest LadyChester]

We get it ... I believe even if your dog comes in contact with urine from an infected wild animal s/he can contract it. It is a terrible disease and there are many strains, so nothing's 100%, but we don't take a chance on this one.

[PatricksMom]

I do, on my vet's reccomendation.

[rascalsmom]

Two of mine just got it today, at their checkup.

[Guest KateWantsaGrey]

Pace came from the group with it and i'll probably get it for him again next year. I think I will because we live in an apartment and anytime he is outside it's in public areas where all kinds of critters and other dogs are, and who knows what is floating around out there. Maybe if we had our own yard I wouldn't feel like he needs it as bad... I also like to take him on trails and in the woods and stuff and I don't want him to pick anything up out there.

[dmswartzfager]

Leptospirosis can also be passed from dog to human.

 

But that doesn't answer your question. Yes, all mine get it. Mine also get lyme since we are in a high risk area.

 

Here's a nice little blurb about lepto as it relates to people: Leptospirosis

 

I was looking for an incidence/risk map for lepto and couldn't find it, but I did find the lyme one...

Lyme risk map:

 

[Hubcitypam]

Do you not do lyme because of where you live, or for other reasons? The lyme is also optional here, but I did a quick search and found a lot more discussion of that topic more recently so didn't include it in my original post.

Mostly because of where I live. In 6 years in Old East Dallas I have never seen one tick. My vet said they are practically non existant in our neighborhoods but more prevelent in the newer suburbs to the North recently carved out of the fields. If I lived in one of the dark pink or black areas on the map above I'd think long and hard about it, but with our risk level I think the risks outweigh the potential benefit. Same with Corona.

[GeorgeofNE]

Three members of my HUMAN family have had Lyme's disease, and my brother had Babesia. I should mention they all live in Nantucket, which is a tick borne disease "hot zone."

 

I wouldn't think of skipping Lyme, even if it isn't a sure thing. As far as the OP's question--I actually don't know. I go with what my vet suggests.

[PatricksMom]

Interesting map--my vet says she sees a lot of lymes, so I vaccinate for it; the map show's we're in a high risk area.

[Guest sheila]

I have a friend whose dogs get the leptospriosis vaccine. However one of her dogs still contracted a strain of lepto that was not covered by the typical vaccination.

[gryhnd_adoptee]

It was explained to me that there are only a few covered varieties of lepto in the vaccine, and the lepto cases we have seen in our area are not any of the strains which are covered. Our vet feels less is more, and that the shot would do very little good in our location for the moment, and expose the dog to more unnecessary toxins in a vaccine. It may be that in the future, different varieties may show up in the environment which may then change our decision.

 

But we still have the option to vaccinate or not. We just got more detailed information to make an educated decision with. We chose not to vaccinate at this time.

[Hubcitypam]

As stated, I think it depends on where you live.

If you are in New England it would be more prudent to consider risk vs. benefits on lyme. In Texas where lepto is making a huge comeback that might be the more prudent addition to DHPP as opposed to lyme.

[6greyhounds]

I will have to check with my vet on this one.

[Guest ArtysPeople]

Leptospirosis can also be passed from dog to human.

 

My vet also mentioned that people can get it directly from rodent urine. Apparently, there is a case that was either recently written up in the literature or is being passed around among vets in which (according to my vet), a woman died from lepto she contracted by drinking from a soda can contaminated with rodent urine. I am now a can washer!

 

Thanks for all the responses, everyone. I am going to do some more looking into this, for sure.

 

[MerlinsMum]

Merlin gets the vaccine, absolutely... not taking any chances. Plus, he mixes with other dogs on a very frequent basis, so I'm not inclined to take any risks.

[Guest PiagetsMom]

Yes, Piaget just recently received hers.

[LakeshoreGreys]

Our vet started doing it this year, and all four have gotten the vaccination for the first time this year.

 

A lady in our previous group had two of her three dogs die from it several years ago. One was a grey and the other a mixed breed. The one that survived had a rough time of it for a while...

[Guest LindsaySF]

Mine get Lepto in the DHLPP.

 

We don't do the Lyme vaccine, and my vet doesn't push for it either. There were some cases of dogs getting Lyme from the vaccine, it was pulled off the market for a while, etc. My vet thinks it is too risky right now and wants more research done. I admit that I don't know much about it.

 

We use Frontline and check everyone for ticks. We also test for Lyme and heartworm every year.

[dbullwinkel]

question please: my two greys were vaccinated last year for all shots including lepto).

This year I decided to only give rabies and have heartworm test done. Does the lepto shot fall in the 3 year protocol? and can it be caught from rabbits? we now have a million rabbits in our neighborhood. some of them think my back lawn is their private snack area.

[Hubcitypam]

lepto is only good for a year they say.and does not fall in the 3 year protocol to the best of my knowledge. dunno about rabbits.