Health
A week of rain, a puddle, then a flat dog who won't stop drinking. Leptospirosis starts out like a tummy upset, goes for the kidneys and spreads to people.
Caution. A lethargic, feverish dog who is vomiting, drinking a lot or barely passing urine, has yellowish eyes or gums or is breathing hard, especially after puddles, floods or rodents: see your own vet the same day. Only touch his urine with gloves.
Do not look for the answer in a Facebook group, on TikTok or on a forum. Look for someone trained for this: your dog's own veterinarian, the only person who can examine, investigate and treat them.
Use this page to know what to observe, what to note and what to ask at the appointment, not to treat at home. If you still have doubts after a consultation, ask another vet or a specialist (dermatologist, internist) for a second opinion, not a group. And if you do not have a regular vet yet, find one now, while your dog is healthy: how to choose a veterinary clinic.
It rained for a week, and your dog had the time of his life splashing through the big puddle at the edge of the woods. Maybe he drank from a water-filled rut. Maybe you live on the edge of town and have seen rats round the bins. Now he is flat, off his food, drinking constantly, and he has been sick twice. You came across the word "leptospirosis" and it frightened you. Fair enough: ring your own vet today. Until you leave, here is what to watch for and how to protect yourself, because this disease spreads to people too.
Leptospira is a bacterium that lives in the kidneys of rats, other rodents and some wild and farm animals, and leaves their bodies in urine. In standing water and damp soil it survives for weeks. Dogs pick it up by drinking or wading in contaminated water, licking wet grass, or through a scratch in the skin. From the bloodstream it heads mainly for the kidneys and liver, sometimes the lungs.
Signs usually appear one to two weeks after exposure. At first they look like a cold or a tummy upset, and that is what makes the disease dangerous. Ring your vet the same day if you see:
Any combination of those counts in a dog who, over the last three weeks, has been near standing water, floods, rodents or rubbish.
If he is struggling to breathe or has stopped passing urine, don't wait for tomorrow's appointment. Go to a clinic that is open round the clock.
Say in your first sentence on the phone that you suspect leptospirosis. The practice needs to know, because the dog's urine can make the staff ill.
"He's been poorly for two days" doesn't give your vet much. A few short notes give them a lot.
Where he has been. Lakes, puddles, ditches, woods after rain, a yard with rats, flooded fields, kennels, a day's shooting. With rough dates, for the last three weeks.
Vaccination. Bring his vaccination card. Your vet will want to see whether his annual jab includes leptospirosis and when the last booster was. Protection from this vaccine lasts about a year, not three like some others, so one missed booster leaves him uncovered.
Urine. How much and how often. What colour: very pale, dark like strong tea, reddish. If you can, count the walks where he didn't wee at all.
Water and food. Put a known amount of water in his bowl and see what is left in the evening. Note what he ate and what he refused.
Temperature. If you have a digital thermometer and he tolerates it, normal rectal temperature is 38 to 39.2 °C. If he fights it, leave it; your vet will take it.
Colour. Photograph his gums and the whites of his eyes in daylight, not under the yellow kitchen light. Tomorrow's photo next to today's shows whether anything is changing.
Other dogs at home. If they went to the same places, keep an eye on them too.
| What you see | Leptospirosis? | What else it could be |
|---|---|---|
| Fever, lethargy, vomiting after a puddle | Possibly | Gastroenteritis, parvovirus in puppies, poisoning |
| Heavy drinking and lots of urine | Possibly, kidneys affected | Diabetes, chronic kidney disease, urine infection, hormonal disease |
| Yellowish gums and eyes | Possibly, liver affected | Liver disease, destruction of red blood cells (after a tick, for instance) |
| Small red spots, bleeding | Possibly | Rat poison, tick-borne diseases |
| Laboured breathing, cough | The lung form, serious | Heart disease, pneumonia, heatstroke |
Nearly every row has three or four explanations, some of them just as urgent. From home, by eye, you can't tell them apart.
People catch leptospirosis through urine as well. Until the diagnosis is clear, and for as long as treatment lasts:
Many dogs treated in time make a full recovery. Others are left with weaker kidneys for life and need regular check-ups. The form with bleeding into the lungs is the most serious. Ask about your own dog's outlook after the first results, when your vet has the numbers in front of them.
The vaccine, at the same visit. There is a leptospirosis vaccine and it is usually part of the annual jab. The first time round he gets two injections a few weeks apart, then a booster every year. It covers the most common types of the bacterium, not all of them, so it cuts the risk a great deal without taking it to zero. International vaccination guidelines recommend it for dogs who live in or visit areas at risk, which in practice means almost any dog who gets out into the countryside. Ask whether yours is up to date.
At our training sessions out in the countryside, every dog has his own bowl and water brought from home, and after long spells of rain we steer clear of routes with big puddles. Together with an up-to-date vaccine, that is all it takes, and his kidneys will thank you.
What dog owners search for most often on the internet about this problem, with the short answer. The answers are a guide only: the decision belongs to your dog's own vet, after an examination.
At first it looks like a tummy upset: fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting. Once it reaches the kidneys and liver you may see heavy thirst or, the other way round, very little urine, muscle pain, a hunched back, yellowish eyes and gums, small red spots on the gums and sometimes laboured breathing. Signs usually appear one to two weeks after exposure.
From the urine of carrier animals, mostly rats and other rodents. The bacterium survives for weeks in standing water and damp soil, so puddles after rain, lakes, ditches and flooded ground carry the most risk. Dogs get infected by drinking, wading, licking wet grass or through a scratch.
Yes, it passes from animals to people, again through urine. While the dog is a suspected case or on treatment, clear up urine with gloves, wash your hands, keep small children and vulnerable people away from him, and tell your GP if anyone at home develops a fever or muscle aches.
It cuts the risk a great deal without taking it to zero, because it covers the most common types of the bacterium, not all of them. The first course is two injections a few weeks apart, then a booster every year, because protection lasts about a year. A missed booster leaves the dog unprotected.
Many dogs who reach the vet in time, usually admitted to hospital on a drip with treatment chosen by the vet, recover completely. Some are left with weaker kidneys and need check-ups for life, and the form with bleeding into the lungs is very serious. The sooner he gets to the practice, the better his chances.
The information on this page is educational and does not replace an examination. For full details and a diagnosis, consult your dog's own veterinarian.
They often come together: the same causes, plans that complement each other.
A stamp with no date on the record card, a seven-week-old puppy, a rescue dog with no paperwork. The schedule is simple once you know what was done and when.
The whites of his eyes have gone yellow, his gums look lemony, his urine is like strong tea. Jaundice is a sign, not a disease, and needs a vet the same day.
He drinks more, wees more and slowly loses weight. Chronic kidney disease shows late, acute failure is an emergency measured in hours. Tests reveal both.
The bowl filled three times a day, requests to go out at two in the morning, a puddle in the hall. Sometimes it is just summer. Sometimes it is the first sign of illness.
We work with your dog's behaviour, not its health. For any sign described here, book an appointment with your own vet; the related services page explains how to choose a clinic.