My Breeder Said Not to Get the Lepto Vaccine...(aka what to say to make your veterinary team consider going into accounting instead...)

Barry White wasn't his tiny happy-go-lucky self. He was lethargic and vomiting, and his human was worried. We sprang soulfully into action, checking his blood work and giving him fluids to rehydrate him. And then, he tested positive for the lowest diagnosis on our list! We started life-saving antibiotics, decorated his kennel with WARNING: ZOONOTIC signs, and warned his human to take precautions to avoid infection too such as wearing goggles and gloves if she needed to clean up his urine. 

I promise not to drink your urine, Maya...

We asked Barry White where he picked up the leptospire bacteria, but he just licked our noses with thanks. Barry White may have been infected through a cut or irritated skin by contaminated water or soil or urine, or by eating infected tissue (difficult to resist with a magical dog nose). Leptospirosis can be more widespread after it's rained and lives in the soil and environmental water.  

Do you promise not to eat dead things? No? Perhaps we should vaccinate you...

Remove standing water in the environment and controlling rodents, avoiding feeding raccoons, as well as vaccinating our beloved dogs, are some of the best precautions we can take. With aggressive treatment, your pet can survive Leptospirosis, but may be left with permanent liver or kidney damage, and it's more dangerous to puppies! Humans get Leptospirosis too, and it's also harmful or fatal to us! 

Leptospirosis vaccine is now considered a Core ('considered vital to all dogs based on exposure risk, transmissibility to people, and disease severity') vaccine in California. Protect your furbaby and yourself today!