Leptospirosis

Below is a post from my blog~ I'm totally exhausted, I cant write or think right now, and simply worried sick- as mentioned, he had his shots 6 months ago, had some loss of bladder control over the past week and I brought him in....Ive been reading all afternoon, and I know it could be many things~ and I know that this can be reversible if found early. I'm just wondering if anyone has ever had this happen?

Getting a urine sample from a dog~ my task first thing this morning for a perhaps bladder infection… picture me in my puffy pink robe, with my glasses… at six in the morning with a little plastic cup that used to hold the jewelry of my deceased mother~ begging him to lift his leg a little higher and hoping that I didn’t scare him with the quick movement between his legs, I knew I only needed a tablespoon…but I had only one shot at getting first morning urine, and if I blew it~ Id have to wait till Monday. Thankfully Hogan has pretty good aim and I have quick reflexes in my arm….in and out…He never even knew what hit him….

Off to the vet we go, girls and I armed with our little bottle of pee and Hogan…King Charles Spaniel, safely tucked in his blanket in the back of the car - only problem is I have this country vet I love who is 45 minutes away from me… so armed with a cup of coffee and my daughters who have their Nintendo DS ~ I hope that we can make it up there without stopping six times for potty breaks and snacks at every drive thru…..

Why oh Why cant anything be easy?

Hogan has been feeling the stress around here…I figured that his small issue of bladder control (only on two occasions, both times while I was crying..) was more due to me being upset than him actually having a problem. The Third Time I got concerned and so….snap forward to this morning with the urine sample.

We show up at the vet, and the tech is on the phone with this screaming, crying elderly lady…and as I’m trying to untwist Hogan leash from around my ankles and raising my eyebrows at the girls ( secret code for…If you act up Im going to back hand ya one ) I realize the hysterical woman on the phone has a serious problem, and that the dogs coming in…actually its so bad the Nurse has to go get it at this womans home~ my girls are in the waiting room and they are most likely going to be traumatized. Great, just frigged perfect.

Vet Sally analyzes Hogans urine, she sits down with me and tells me that she does in fact think this is a serious problem. His ph is off, testing abnormal…she knows I just lost my mom…to loose my fella at this point too … would crush me. She suggests running every test in the book to find out whats wrong…but she has a suspicion its Leptospirosis…even though he just got vaccinated six months ago~ for those of you who don’t know…That is contagious to Humans, and having a daughter with immune difficultly…..Well, I cant take any chances with either of their health so I paid for the test…all of the tests…the Louis Vuitton fund is out the window, but I didn’t need it anyway…*smile*

We will know in five days what is going on…or if nothing is going on and it is behavioral~ leave it to me and my life to have my dog pick up some bacteria from raccoon Pee …

I’m not even going to go into what was brought back to the vets from the crying telephone call- all I can say about that is…. it will give me nightmares for years. Thankfully the nurse had enough forethought to cover him with a blanket when she walked him past the girls….. and they didn’t realize what was really going on with that lovely old springer spaniel. Say a prayer for his sweet soul~ and old fashioned country vets that can help a well meaning old woman out- I’m sure that wasn’t paid for, but really needed to be done.

Hogan is on a 14 day course of antibiotics, for his whatever the heck it is…and if it does turn out to be Leptospirosis, well~ we all will be too! Talk about family fun~ we can all take our pills wrapped in cheese twice a day. I feel almost like Bob Barker…don’t forget to have your pets vaccinated, and even if you do you might just get lucky~ smile~ and have them get it anyway! Hopefully, no long term damage has been done, and he will be well on his way to recovery….Just cant handle one more loss so somebody up there has to be gunning for me. He curled up in his sunning spot looking mighty pleased with himself…Gosh, I adore him.

:xfngr: that it is only a simple infection and not leptospirosis.

Thinking of you, Hogan and your girls and sending you lots of :hug:

I'm so sorry this is happening to you. It must be so stressful waiting for a diagnosis. I have never dealt directly with Lepto, but I know someone who has. Does Hogan seem ill; has he lost his appetite?

The easiest way to get a urine specimen from a dog, whether boy or girl, is to use a soup ladle. Put the dog on a lead, keep the soup ladle out of site and slip it into the stream as soon as they start peeing. They will rarely stop.

Dawn called a bit ago. They've lost power and she can't get online until that is resolved (or her hubby hooks up the generator).
We talked a bit yesterday and she asked me if I thought Hogans urinary leakage issues could be brought on by the emotional tension in the home. I thought that it could be, but I said I'd bring him in for a urinalysis just in case. I was thinking urinary stone (you know, a partial blockage-- cats get these). Due to her vivid verbage-- I now have a picture of Dawn in her robe and slippers stalking Hogan -- that made me smile.
She said Hogan seems a bit less than his usual self, but not seriously so. When my Dominique had a high fever, diarrhea and muscle aches, my vet thought she had lepto. She was kept at the vet for almost two days on an IV. So lepto never crossed my mind since he didn't really 'seem' ill.

I am so glad that we have this venue to discuss and share our experiences-- none of us has to go through these kinds of issues and setbacks alone.

It does sound like a UTI, but it's possible that Hogan's vet has eliminated it as a diagnosis.

Fingers and paws are crossed for Hogan. :xfngr::xfngr:

Geordie is being treated for a mild UTI right now. He didn't seem sick at all, but he suddenly started urinating in the house without telling us he had to go outside. I found 9 pee spots on the carpeting that were not there the previous day. We took him and a urine sample to the vet right away. Within 1-2 days of taking Clavamox he reverted back to being housetrained.

He does not have a straight UTI, ( my power is back on thankfully....sigh)
She says his urine color is off, way to light..and the only way I can describe his peeing is almost panicked running and peeing at the same time...streams from one end to the house from the other...not a puddle, not marking, this is WAY different. Its almost like someone popped a balloon and ran with it till it was out of water...best way I can discribe it.

My larger issues, I had no idea until today that even if they are vaccinated...they can still get this, that the shot may only be good for six to nine months, and only covers certian strains of the stuff.....and those in areas where dogs come in contact with wild animal urine regularly~ should be on guard.

Im not one for over or under vaccinating...I leave that to my wonderful vet...but it is something we all have to be cognaciant of...and really aware when our family's can contract this. I realize I have issues here with my daughter that most don't, but if she were to have this it could have long term ramifications with her health- thats why I'm posting, I just want everyone to be aware...and find out if anyone else has had this issue with a dog thats been kept up to date with shots.

( and for those of you that put off shots cause the timing is bad, or finances are bad...or whatever~ Really reconsider that....Shots are way cheaper than the test, by like 75% Please, keep your dogs up to date...and talk to your vet about Leptospirosis...or do a quick internet search...serious stuff..)

( Oh...one more thing, thanks Sandy for your help- and Hogan is acting mostly normal, little high in the temp department- has a normal appetite and
has not increased his intake of water....Ill keep you all informed....)

Hogan's symptoms are different than anything I've heard of. Just in case this helps you feel better, my co-worker's dog who had Lepto did not have that symptom. She said he stopped eating, and he spent much more time in his bed.

Cathy,
Im really relieved to hear you say that.....Not whats happening here....Boy, we do love them so much, Im just worried....I appreciate your help doll, thanks...

Please give Logan an extra cuddle from us. :hug: I hope he's feeling better soon. :flwr:

Hi Dawn, I just wanted to say I'll be thinking of you and Hogan and following your thread. I hope he is feeling better soon :hug: :hug:

Dawn, I'm so sorry. Thinking of Hogan right now, and so hoping it isn't Lepto.

I've been abroad the last three days so just catching up on this. I sure hope it is just an infection -- keep in mind a stone partially passed, or a bad UTI, could make a dog really feel frantic when weeing, so I don't think the symptoms you describe of him running madly around would be too off for a severe infection, a UTI or kidney infection, or stones or similar. I am glad he seems to be doing a bit better.

Lepto is the same as Weil's Disease in humans and can be not just serious but even rarely, fatal. There's one famous case of a golfer getting it from a golf ball in an area where rats must have wee'd and he must have touched his hand to his mouth as some point... . Usually it is very treatable if caught early and you'd definitely have done that because as Sandy notes when a dog has lepto it is generally very, very weak and ill. So I don't think he'd be showing urinary problems until the disease was advanced and he was outwardly very ill already (see the link below) so the likelihood is this is something else as he is generally OK in other ways, I think and hope!!

Many researchers do feel that though lepto vaccinations only can cover some strains (like the flu vaccines) that those most likely to be caught are covered and that the vax may well give some protection even if a different strain is contracted (again like the flu vaccine).

I generally get the lepto vax at a time to cover the period when they are most likely to be exposed -- early spring through autumn. It is still only recommended as an annual vaccine, generally.

Here's some CDC info on it.

So sorr to hear about poor Hogan - I really hope it is just a little infection and that he will soon be back to normal.

Very hard for you after your recent loss - they always pick the worst possible time to fall ill don't they?]

Thinking of you all :flwr:

Sending good wishes for Hogan..

Sending good wishes to you and Hogan.

Hope it's a UTI. :xfngr::flwr:

Thanks for the well wishes everyone, he seems to be perking up a little~ good sign...Ill be interested in hearing back from the vets about the test results, Im not sure if it will be Wednesday or Thursday~ Thanks again....

Hope he feels better soon.:flwr:

I'm glad you say he is picking up. :hug:

Just to let you know I'm thinking of you and Hogan and:xfngr: for his results, Hugs from us