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The canine leptospirosis vaccine is probably one of the more confusing vaccinations pet owners and veterinarians need to discuss.
What is Canine Leptospirosis?
Canine leptospirosis is a bacterial disease caused by a spirochete organism called Leptospira interogans. There are many different strains, or serovars, of Leptospira interogans that can infect dogs, with the most common being L. icterohaemorrhagiae, L. canicola, L. grippotyphosa and L. pomona.
Leptospirosis infection can affect either the kidneys or the liver of the infected dog, resulting in kidney failure, liver failure or both. It can be a life-threatening disease for an infected dog.
Another potential issue with leptospirosis is the fact that the disease is also contagious to people. The most common method of exposure for both dogs and people is through contact with infected urine. Rodents are frequent carriers of leptospirosis and water (lakes, puddles, etc.) contaminated with urine is a potential source of infection for both you and your dog.
Leptospirosis Vaccination in Dogs
There are vaccinations that provide protection against leptospirosis for dogs. In fact, there are several different types of vaccines available. Some of the vaccines only protect against two serovars (strains) of leptospirosis while others provide protection against four different serovars. Though these four serovars account for a large percentage of the cases of leptospirosis seen, there are other serovars that can cause disease also. There is no vaccination that protects against all potentially infectious serovars of leptospirosis.
Another concern with the leptospirosis vaccine is that it is one of the more reactive vaccinations that we use in dogs. This vaccine is more likely to cause an allergic reaction for your dog than many of the other vaccines we routinely administer. However, even though the risk is increased in relation to other vaccinations, there are still only a small percentage of dogs that suffer allergic reactions resulting from leptospirosis vaccine administration.
Deciding Whether Your Dog Should Receive a Leptospirosis Vaccine
The leptospirosis vaccine is considered to be a non-core vaccination. As with any of the non-care vaccines, you and your veterinarian need to decide whether the risk of administering the vaccination outweighs the risk of not administering it. In other words, how likely is the possibility that your dog will become infected with leptospirosis? If the risk is low, the vaccination may not be appropriate for your dog.
That being said, leptospirosis is more common in some areas than in others. Knowing the incidence of leptospirosis in your area can help you decide whether the vaccine is an appropriate choice for your dog or not. Your veterinarian should be able to provide information about the frequency of disease in your community. That information, combined with an evaluation of your dog’s lifestyle, will be necessary to determine whether vaccination against leptospirosis is worthwhile for your dog or not.
Medical Disclaimer: All advice offered is general, and the Pet Health Care Gazette is not responsible for any problems arising from the use or misuse of the information. Since each animal and each situation is unique, we recommend that you contact your own veterinarian for help with any health or behavior problems in your pet.
Photo Credit: annrkizst/Flickr.com
About Lorie Huston, DVM
Lorie Huston is a veterinarian, pet health and pet care expert, professional writer, blogger, social media and blogging consultant, and SEO strategist.
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Jasmine is a ‘bush dog’. She spends a lot of time outside, in the woods, at the farm …
She also is a ‘puddle junkie’. If there were a million puddles she has to walk into and sample each one of them.
Lepto is present in our area. We are vaccinating for lepto.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Jana. I agree with you that Jasmine is probably a pretty high risk dog. In her case, the risk of her getting sick from leptospirosis is pretty high and probably makes the risk of the vaccine worthwhile. I commend you for thinking it through though and making a thoughtful and informed decision. Jasmine is lucky to have you to look out for her.
That’s a great question, Jack. I would start by asking if your dog is already receiving the leptospirosis vaccines, if you don’t for sure which vaccines are being given. Many of the distemper/adenovirus/parvovirus vaccines (commonly called DAP vaccines) also include leptospirosis. If your dog is getting yearly vaccinations, he may already be receiving the vaccine.
If you know your dog is not receiving the vaccine and wonder whether he should, I would simply be honest and forthright with your veterinarian. Tell her (or him) that you’ve read about leptospirosis and would like to know more about it. Ask if she sees many cases of the disease in her practice and ask for her honest opinion about whether your dog should be vaccinated or not. And ask her why or why not. Approach the subject as a concerned pet owner. You’ll probably find that your veterinarian is more than willing to discuss the issue with you.
I have a 2 yr old Aussie girl, and I am getting her nephew in 2 days, he is 10 weeks. I had never heard of Lepto until my breeder asked if I get my dogs shots for it. I live just outside Vancouver, Canada and walk my dog 4 miles a day in an old growth forest a.k.a. a Watershed. I’m sure this spooked the breeder.
I called our Vet and talked to one of the Techs and she said it’s not common in our area and not part of the core vaccinations that our dogs get. I will take the new puppy in next week for a check over and talk to my vet and ask her opinion then. I will not take pup into “danger” zones until at least 6 months. I will go with what my vet suggests, but for my own knowledge and perhaps hers too, is there some kind of Lepto map where I can see where the majority of cases are?
I’m not aware of any leptospirosis maps though they may exist somewhere. I think your veterinarian is probably the best source of information about how prevalent the disease is in your area and how much of a risk exists for your pet.
Good luck with your new addition
Is it true Leptospirosis vaccines may only protect dogs for six-to-eight months.
There are some people that believe that and there is some evidence that may be true, at least in some cases. Some veterinarians do recommend vaccinating every 6 months rather than every year for dogs that are high risk. The currently available vaccinations are labeled to be given yearly though
Thank you for the info on the frequency in which this vaccine needs to be administered. I have a 3 year old mix (Peyton) and he loves to kill small animals (mice, squirrels, etc.), which can be nice when there is a mouse in the house, but disturbing when he brings a dead one to our door. We also have a swamp past our backyard which has a lot of still water, so he seemed like a prime candidate for the vaccine.
He received it about 3 months ago and now I will have a discussion with our vet about when he needs to have the vaccine again. I don’t know how prominent the Lepto is in Connecticut but any risks in our case seemed outweighed by the benefits.
Thank you for your site! As a family with 3 dogs ranging from 6 months to 14 years old, I have found a lot of useful info!
Thank you, Laura, for your kind words. I’m so glad you’ve found useful information here and seeing that here makes all the work that goes into the blog worthwhile.
It does indeed sound like your guy is a prime candidate for the leptospirosis vaccine.
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I’m sorry you had that experience, Ellen. Thank you for sharing it with us!
My Mini Schnauzer puppy got the vaccine and had a severe reaction. His blood pressure dropped and he vomited continuously and became lethargic within 5 minutes. His regular vaccines, no reaction at all. We almost lost him but we had an amazing quick thinking vet. My other dogs have gotten it (both mutts) with no issues, but in small breeds even the vet tech said do your research. Usually doxies and chiuaua’s have issues.
Yes, small breeds and very young puppies are more likely to have adverse effects, Jenn. I’m glad your little guy is okay. It sounds like it may have been a close call for him.
I just wanted to comment on this, as I had the same issue with my miniature schnauzer. She was about 3 years old when we decided to get the vaccine, and we actually managed to leave the Vet and she seemed fine. About 10 minutes into the ride, she started vomiting and then nearly passed out. She couldn’t open her eyes, or do anything. I rushed her back to the vet, where they had to administer her steroids and monitored her for a good 4 hours as she almost died as well. They had told us it was from that vaccine. I wish I would have done my research before deciding to give her this vaccine.
I just took my 75lb German to get his rabies shots and they insisted I get this vaccination here in southern CA. He immediately started drooling, panting, got really lethargic, could barely walk puked and had diarrhea. The vet gave him Dexamethasone and since (5 hours later) he has been just out of it. Not just small breeds, all breeds can have an adverse reaction.
Yes, all breeds can react (as you’ve unfortunately discovered) but small breeds are more sensitive. I hope your dog is feeling better!
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