Leptosprirosis

[F, Calla & Luca]

I have my dogs vaccinated for leptospirosis. My vet had a dog die from it a year or two ago, so when I asked her about it a couple of years ago she agreed it was a good idea. A breeder just posed this on another forum. It's about a 16 week old puppy she had sold to a family at 8 weeks , who had been extremely ill recently.
"Contacted it right in this woman's back yard. She lives in the city, has a fenced in backyard, but has many squirrels and wildlife there too.
Louie is on two different antibiotics, has to have titers done now to
check his kidneys and is going to be a close watch for a few weeks
still. Something to consider whether or not having your puppies
vaccinated for Lepto..."

[F, Calla & Luca]

Good.

[Angie, Hudson and Lily]

This was just in the news today. We don't live near the freeway, or in this area, but it shows the importance of the vaccine.

From the Macomb Daily- (Metro Detroit area newspaper)
Is there a connection between ongoing road construction of Interstate 696 and an apparent outbreak of rats carrying an infection that is killing area pets?

Residents, city officials and veterinarians believe so.

A number of pet dogs in communities along the freeway have been stricken with a deadly bacteria associated with rat urine. The theory is the construction has displaced rats, which are spreading out above ground and encountering pet dogs and cats.

“We do think there’s some connection between the roadwork and the outbreak,” said Roseville City Manager Steve Truman. “There’s too much evidence of this for it to be a coincidence at this point.”

At issue is a bacterial infection known as leptospirosis, which can be fatal to animals but can sometimes be transmitted to humans although that’s relatively rare.

A number of pet owners in Eastpointe, Roseville, St. Clair Shores and Warren, have sought treatment for their animals that have become infected with the bacteria. In some cases, the animals have passed away despite thousands of dollars worth of treatment.

Officials believe the ongoing construction of the I-696 interchange at Interstate 94 has displaced rat havens. The bacteria comes from rat urine, which can make its way into the paths of household pets.

Dr. Susan Soderberg, of the East Detroit Animal Hospital in Eastpointe, said her facility has treated several cases in recent months.

“The bacteria has always been around, but earlier this summer we saw groupings of cases coming
in from people living in Eastpointe and Roseville,” Soderberg said. “We saw it mostly when all of the construction work got going.”

She said the number of cases has declined since more pet owners have gotten their pets vaccinated for about $20.

Leptospirosis is among the world’s most common diseases among animals both wild and domestic, but is relatively rare among humans. In one recent outbreak, 10 people in Malaysia who came in contact with the bacteria have died.

For humans, it is caused by exposure to water contaminated with urine of infected animals and absorbed through the skin. Symptoms include severe muscle pain, fever, vomiting, and headache. The disease is curable if treated within a week.

There have not been any reports of humans contacting the disease locally, according to Dr. Kevin Lokar, medical director at the Macomb County Health Department.

In Roseville, city officials have sent code officers door to door in neighborhoods near the freeway to provide rodent traps. The city also offers a printout of information for residents in the affected areas.

“We heard about this from our residents as they are our eyes and ears in the neighborhood,” said Truman, the city manager.

The traps appear to be working.

Tammi Tomes, whose 7-year-old mutt Rufus died from the disease, said her family has caught 10 rats with the traps in recent weeks. She lives near I-696.

“We’ve put up fliers on our car windows to let everyone know what’s going on,” she said.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is sobering. I had not thought of urban sprawl as being one of the reasons for leptospirosis becoming much more common in areas where it wasn't seen before, but it does make sense.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Scary. Thanks for updating us.

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

Hi Angie, this is great information, I am going to post it in the MI doodles group too. Thank You!