Lisa,
Leptospirosis is a disease that is not caused by a virus, unlike
most of our problems. It is caused by a type of bacteria. There
are many different strains, only a few of which actually cause
disease. Unfortunately, all my vet books are in storage, so this is
coming from memory, and may be sketchy on some details.
There are 5 strains that are the main causes of disease. (I'm
not even going to attempt to recall what the different strains are
called. <G>) Most vaccines only have 2 of those strains, and the
strains are NOT cross-protective - which means even if you have
immunity to one, that immunity will not protect you against a
different strain. The new Fort Dodge lepto vaccine is the only one I
know of that protects against 4 of those 5 pathogenic strains - the
5th I believe is really only seen somewhere overseas, like Asia or
something.
Now the older lepto vaccines were definitely prone to causing
vaccine reactions. That was our biggest cause of reactions. At
the time we were using it, we had not seen or heard of a lepto case
in the area in years, so I decided we would just drop that from our
vaccine protocol. Lo and behold, our reaction incidence dropped.
Since then, we have actually had about a half dozen cases
seen in at the specialty practice about an hour away. Not only can
leptospirosis be very serious in dogs (several of the dogs infected
wound up with permanent liver or kidney damage, and at least 1
died), but it is also zoonotic, meaning that people can get it too.
At least one technician involved with treating these cases became
ill, and quite a few of the other staff had to be tested or treated.
Lepto affects the kidneys and/or liver, primarily. It is passed
through contaminated urine. Contaminated urine that is either
swallowed (know that sounds gross, but I'm thinking of our dogs
drinking from puddles) or absorbed into the body thorugh mucus
membranes or an open cut or wound. Since a lot of us would wipe
up where our dogs have peed without wearing gloves and not think
twice about it, this is a potential source of infection.
Since lepto is serious, can be passed to humans, and had
been definitively diagnosed nearby, we decided to again begin
vaccinating for it. Fortunately, we have a new vaccine (the one I
mentioned before - made by Fort Dodge) that does cover the
strains usually seen in the US. In addition, the Fort Dodge rep told
me that they've done something different with the new vaccine so
that they are seeing fewer reactions. Now, I don't know about all
that, but I can say that I have not seen ANY reactions since we
switched just under a year ago - and while I'm not doing a lot in my
private practice, we do vaccinate a LOT of dogs at the shelter, none
of whom have had a problem.
One thing we do that probably helps that is that we do not give
very young or very little puppies the lepto portion of the vaccine.
Puppies must be at least 10 weeks before we will include lepto,
and small breed dogs more like 14 weeks. We do not give it
separately, but that does not seem to have been an issue for us.
Anyway, I would advise checking to see what brand of vaccine
your vet is using. If it is not the Fort Dodge lepto, I would be much
less inclined to use it. (And I don't have any stock in Ft. Dodge,
just like their vaccines. <G>) Then check around to see if lepto is
being seen in the area. You can check with your local health
department for human cases, and either the state vet or a nearby
specialty vet practice to see if any animal cases have been seen.
If they are not seeing it, and you are not traveling out of the area
with your dog, I would probably not give it - but be aware that the
dog is not protected against it. On the other hand, if there have
been cases, or if you travel, then I would give it, provided it's the
Fort Dodge version. Both of my dogs are now vaccinated against
it. Plus, I have vaccinated at least a dozen berners with the Fort
Dodge vaccine that includes lepto, including several puppies, none
of which had any adverse reactions to it.
I hope this helps you. If you have further questions, feel free to
post me.
Melissa
On 20 Aug 03, at 0:01, MARK & LISA DUVALL <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I had a question about the lepto vaccine...I know
> there was some discussion a while back but can't seen
> to find anything on it.
> I am not sure if I want to give this shot to my 13 wk.
> bmd girl. I have heard of bad reactions to this and
> also that there are new strains that the vaccine don't
> cover. On the other hand the lepto virus itself sounds
> so bad that I'm scared not to give it. I am curious to
> know if anyone has had any bad reactions to the
> vaccine. I live in Maryland and I'm not sure if it's
> prevalent in my area?? My vet suggests it but also
> said he has had a few dogs over the years who have had
> bad reactions to it. Any input would be greatly
> appreciated.
Melissa, Tyra and Orry Granite Falls, NC
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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