Attention, furparents! Your pets can get leptospirosis too

AMID the stress of the typhoon, you’re bound to panic about a lot of things: Where to put your things so they don’t get wet, what supplies you need to stock up on, and of course, what to do if ever you get sick.

One of the most common sicknesses contracted during floods or heavy rains is that of leptospirosis, as the bacteria that causes it thrives in water. As per the Washington State Department of Health, this disease is often spread through the urine of animals that have been infected with it.

It’s seemingly become a tradition here in the Philippines to scold your child, telling them not to play in the rain lest they contract the disease.

What you may not know, however, is that your pets can get it too.

Signs and symptoms

The Washington State Department of Health explains that pets can be infected either by coming into contact with the urine of infected animals in contaminated environments such as lakes, streams, puddles, vegetation, mud, or even fenced yards.

The CDC also states that your pet can get it from bite wounds or skin damage from infected animals, eating infected body tissues or organs, and being born to a mother already infected with the disease.

In dogs, the symptoms of the disease are as follows:

• Fever
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea
• Refusal to eat / loss of appetite
• Severe weakness / lethargy
• Depression
• Stiffness
• Eye / nasal discharge
• Changes in amount of urine
• Jaundice
• Severe muscle / back pain
• Kidney failure

The CDC notes that cats rarely show symptoms of the disease, though they may shed it in their urine for years to come. If ever they do show symptoms, however, the Mooresville Animal Hospital recommends looking out for the following:

• Depression
• Runny nose
• Weakness
• Spontaneous coughing
• Dark red, speckled gums
• Increased thirst, urination
• Rapid dehydration / Inability to urinate
• Lack of appetite
• Sore / stiff muscles
• Gait / reluctance / inability to move
• Fever
• Shivering
• Yellow skin / eyes
• Swelling of mucous membrane / lymph nodes
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Difficulty / fast breathing
• Irregular pulse
• Bloody vaginal discharge

How to treat it

If your pet contracts leptospirosis, don’t panic. There are many ways this disease can be treated.

The best thing to do is to bring them to your vet as soon as you think they may be exhibiting signs of the disease. Your veterinarian will then prescribe you some antibiotics to treat your pet which, in all honesty, can get a little expensive. You will have to shell out a few thousand pesos for their treatment.

These antibiotics will have to be administered to your pet for at least four weeks, with the type of antibiotic given varying depending on the severity of the disease.

Your pet may also need other forms of medicine to remedy the other symptoms brought on by leptospirosis. Well Pet Humane, for example, notes that your pet may need fluid therapy for dehydration, medication for anti-vomiting and appetite boosters, or even a gastric tube for their inability to eat.

It’s also important to remember that if your pet has leptospirosis, you can also contract it from them. In the time that they are recovering, avoid coming into direct contact with their urine or saliva.

Be sure to clean any surfaces your pet may have urinated on – and wear gloves while doing so – and always wash your hands after handling your pet.