Sick dog

[Rackaholic]

So we found out yesterday that our dog Rocco has Leishmaniasis. He´s not even a year old and has been a real good buddy so far. Our vet says that you can do a lifelong treatment that will get rid of the symptoms, but he will still have the virus in him and it can still be transmitted from him.
Leishmaniasis can be transmitted to both dogs and humans, which is a good enough reason for most people here to put their dogs down if they have it.

So I am wondering if anyone on here has had a dog with Leishmaniasis and if so, what did you do and how did it work out for ya.

Thanks

[newhunterette]

for those who may ask:


Q. What is canine leishmaniasis (pronounced ‘leesh-man-i-asis)?A. It is a severe, often fatal, disease of dogs caused by a microscopic parasite called Leishmania infantum. The parasite was named in honour of Lt Gen. Sir William Leishman, a Scottish Army doctor.


Q. How does a dog catch leishmaniasis?
A. Almost always dogs get infected by the bite of a tiny blood-sucking insect called a sand fly. Female sand flies suck blood for protein to make their eggs. If a fly bites an infected dog, the Leishmania parasite grows in the stomach of the fly and, later, when the fly bites again, infective forms of the parasite are injected into the skin of the animal which may then develop leishmaniasis. Very rarely, a healthy dog can get infected by being in close contact with a dog with leishmaniasis, or puppies of an infected bitch may very rarely be born with the infection.

Q. When and where is leishmaniasis a danger to dogs?
A. The name sand fly is misleading: sand flies are not on the beach. They are most abundant in gardens, around houses in the countryside, parklands and woodland. Mediterranean vectors bite mostly outdoors, but the vector in Latin America bites equally indoors and outdoors and is very abundant around houses, even in some urban suburbs. The period of activity of all sand fly vectors is from sunset to sunrise. The dangerous times of year are different in different countries. Around the Mediterranean, leishmaniasis is transmitted from May to September, or later if there is an Indian summer, to October. It is endemic in most of Greece, much of Italy, the Balkans, Malta, southern France, many parts of Portugal and Spain (particularly in the south east and the Balearic islands) and in the humid parts of North Africa. Among the safe places are the Scandinavian countries, the UK including the Channel Islands, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, northern France, and the mountains of Switzerland. In endemic places in Latin America, transmission is throughout the year with peaks of danger during the warmest months. The most dangerous places are in north east Brazil. A few years ago, canine leishmaniasis was discovered in hunting packs of fox hounds in many States in the USA (but none west of Kansas).





Q. What treatments can be offered to dogs with CanL? How long does treatment last? Is it expensive?
A. If a dog is severely affected by the disease, it will be difficult to cure him/her. But if he/she is in the early stages of the illness, there is a good chance of controlling the disease. However, with the therapies currently available, parasitological cure cannot be established. The clinical signs can go in remission but the dog will probably still be infected at a very low level for life and might have a relapse. The usual treatment is with megulamine antimoniate (Glucantime®) injected either into a vein or under the skin every day for 3-4 weeks. This drug is not always well tolerated by leishmanial dogs and they should be under veterinary supervision throughout treatment. Glucantime is often combined with a drug called allopurinol, which is given daily by mouth for many months, sometimes for life. Allopurinol is not toxic and can be given to the dog by the owner. Another treatment is with Amphotericin B, which is injected 2-3 times a week for several weeks. Because of its toxicity, the canine patient must be monitored closely by the veterinarian during treatment with this drug. Correct treatment is expensive and takes time. And there is always a possibility of a relapse in the future and the need to repeat the treatment.


Q. What are the early clinical signs of canine leishmaniasis?
A. Clinical diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis is difficult. There is a large variety of signs but none of them is pathognomic for the disease. Look for loss of hair, particularly around the eyes and on the muzzle, often spreading to other parts of the body. The skin will be dry with dandruff. Weeping skin sores or ulcers are common on the head and legs. There is always some weight loss, which can be very severe, although appetite may remain good. Other occasional signs are nose bleeds and eye troubles. Later, the claws may overgrow and become twisted. Kidney failure is a common sign, but this would not be obvious to the owner.


Q. How can the vet be sure my dog has leishmaniasis?
A. The common clinical signs of canine leishmaniasis may be enough to suggest leishmaniasis to an experienced veterinarian, especially in an endemic area. It is essential to confirm clinical diagnosis with laboratory test. Diagnosis can be made by direct detection of the parasite by microscopical examination of a small sample of bone marrow or a lymph gland, serological detection such as blood tests for antibodies or the demonstration of parasite DNA in circulating blood cells or a tiny piece of skin (PCR).


Q. Is a dog still infectious to sand flies during and after treatment?A. Almost certainly, but the dog will be much less infectious after treatment.




Q. Can the disease be transmitted only by a bite of an infected sand fly, or can the infection be passed on, for example, by contact with blood or skin lesions? What is the danger to people or other dogs living close to an infected dog?

A. If living in an endemic areas where sand flies are transmitting leishmaniasis, dogs, whether infected or not, should be protected against sand fly bites by keeping him/her indoors from just before sunset until sunup (when sand flies are most active outside), and by fitting the dog with a deltamethrin impregnated collar (Scalibor® ProtectorBand, Intervet International), which will protect the dog from almost all sand fly bites. This will greatly reduce the risk of dogs infecting sand flies and vice-versa. Whether you live in an endemic area or not, it is a good idea to make sure infected dogs are not in close contact with other dogs. There are very rare reports of dog-to-dog transmission in places where there are no sand flies (and there cannot be transmission by the bite of a vector). Direct dog-to-human transmission has never been reported, even among veterinarians who have handled hundreds of dogs with leishmaniasis. Nevertheless, it is not a good idea to let babies or toddlers play with a leishmanial dog when it is obviously very sick. Similarly, people with HIV/AIDS or taking corticosteroids, or other medication that might lower their natural resistance to infection, should not handle a sick dog.


Q. When humans get infected, can they be cured? Or is leishmaniasis as dangerous to people as it is to dogs?A. Human patients respond much better to treatment than canine patients. Providing treatment is promptly given, human infections by Leishmania infantum are not life-threatening and respond well to the same drugs used to treat dogs.




Q. Can canine leishmaniasis be eradicated?
A. Not yet. There is no vaccine and there are wild animals (e.g. foxes, jackals, opossums) that can carry the parasite. They can probably infect sand flies, which could then infect dogs.

sometimes it is great having a vet assistant and future vet tech/vet in the family for information.

[hlram]

Glad we have people like Ali here, to help with our pets!

[britman101]

Sorry to hear about your dog coming down with this virus. And with the dog being so young it could have compromised its immune system. Troubling aspect is that it can never be eradicated in your dog so it will always have it in its system and there will have to be continual treatment. Best to sit down with your vet, and ask for the straight goods. The type of lifestyle the dog can expect to lead, and how expensive the treatments will be over the dogs lifetime. These can be difficult and troubling times for a pet owner, whichever way you decide to go.

[newhunterette]

So we found out yesterday that our dog Rocco has Leishmaniasis. He´s not even a year old and has been a real good buddy so far. Our vet says that you can do a lifelong treatment that will get rid of the symptoms, but he will still have the virus in him and it can still be transmitted from him.
Leishmaniasis can be transmitted to both dogs and humans, which is a good enough reason for most people here to put their dogs down if they have it.

So I am wondering if anyone on here has had a dog with Leishmaniasis and if so, what did you do and how did it work out for ya.

Thanks

It is a very hard decision for your family to make in regards to Rocco, he is so young and there is the greatest possibility he may have aquired this during his birth and the slow progression is showing signs of it now. What ever the decision you make for him will be the right decision for you and your family to deal with, I know us here on HBC have your family and especially Rocco in our thoughts.

What I am wondering because it is highly contageuous and can be passed from dog to human is if your vet is following protocol and reporting this to health board as is required for all potentially dangerous infectious diseases?

[Jagermeister]

So we found out yesterday that our dog Rocco has Leishmaniasis. He´s not even a year old and has been a real good buddy so far. Our vet says that you can do a lifelong treatment that will get rid of the symptoms, but he will still have the virus in him and it can still be transmitted from him.
Leishmaniasis can be transmitted to both dogs and humans, which is a good enough reason for most people here to put their dogs down if they have it.

So I am wondering if anyone on here has had a dog with Leishmaniasis and if so, what did you do and how did it work out for ya.

ThanksYou mention that the vet says that the disease is viral. From what I have read, the disease is not viral, but parasitic. This is quoted from the Center for Disease Control website.

"Leishmaniasis (LEASH-ma-NIGH-a-sis) is a parasitic disease that is found in parts of the tropics, subtropics, and southern Europe. It is caused by infection with Leishmania parasites, which are spread by the bite of infected sand flies. There are several different forms of leishmaniasis in people. The most common forms are cutaneous (cue-TAY-knee-us) leishmaniasis, which causes skin sores, and visceral (VIS-er-al) leishmaniasis, which affects some of the internal organs of the body (for example, spleen, liver, and bone marrow)."

Visceral leighmaniasis can be fatal.

[Rackaholic]

It is a very hard decision for your family to make in regards to Rocco, he is so young and there is the greatest possibility he may have aquired this during his birth and the slow progression is showing signs of it now. What ever the decision you make for him will be the right decision for you and your family to deal with, I know us here on HBC have your family and especially Rocco in our thoughts.

What I am wondering because it is highly contageuous and can be passed from dog to human is if your vet is following protocol and reporting this to health board as is required for all potentially dangerous infectious diseases?

Leishmaniasis is pretty common down here in south America and it is often passed around via dogs with no owners that live on the streets, the health board here knows all too well how big of a problem it is.


You mention that the vet says that the disease is viral. From what I have read, the disease is not viral, but parasitic. This is quoted from the Center for Disease Control website.

"Leishmaniasis (LEASH-ma-NIGH-a-sis) is a parasitic disease that is found in parts of the tropics, subtropics, and southern Europe. It is caused by infection with Leishmania parasites, which are spread by the bite of infected sand flies. There are several different forms of leishmaniasis in people. The most common forms are cutaneous (cue-TAY-knee-us) leishmaniasis, which causes skin sores, and visceral (VIS-er-al) leishmaniasis, which affects some of the internal organs of the body (for example, spleen, liver, and bone marrow)."

Visceral leighmaniasis can be fatal.

Oops, did that without thinking, I wasn´t exactly sure what it was. Now I know.

[WoodOx]

thats really tough - whatever your decision, all the best. feel for ya

[Rackaholic]

So we have decided to try the treatment because the vet says it doesn´t look too advanced yet, so Rocco now has to swallow 2 pills every day for this month, and after that 10 pills every month for the rest of his life, but since he´s half lab he has no problem with eating them haha.

Our vet will do another test to check if the parasites have affected some internal organs, but she says it´s most likely only external and with a treatment and a fly repellent collar he´ll be good to go.