A report issued by veterinarians at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine identified a significant increase in the amount of leptospirosis cases.
“In a typical year, we see almost no cases of leptospirosis in dogs at UF,” Dr. Carsten Bandt, an assistant professor of emergency medicine and critical care at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine, said in a university release posted by DVM360.com. They have now seen 12 cases within the past six months, the post said.
That has veterinarians from Tampa-based BluePearl Veterinary Partners urging dog parents to make sure their pets are vaccinated and precautions are taken.
“Leptospirosis is a dangerous bacterial infection that can cause kidney and liver failure, as well as death,” according to a release it issued. “It is also zoonotic, which means it can be transferred from animals to other animals and also from animals to humans.”
The disease usually spreads by contact with another animal’s urine or body fluids.
Dogs can get the bacterial infection by sniffing an infected animal’s urine or drinking water out of an unclean source that has been exposed to the infected animal’s urine or body fluids.
Rats are one of the most common carriers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But animals capable of carrying and passing along the disease also include buffaloes, cattle, dogs, goats, horses, opossums, raccoons, sheep and swine.
BluePearl is advocating regular veterinary care and check-ups.
While the volume of visits to vets is down, veterinary care is still big business and growing,with $14.37 billion in spending in 2013, second only to food category spending, a post at petfoodindustry.com said.
“While the number of veterinary visits is down, spending on care is rising,” the post said. Pet insurance is also expected to increase in 2014. “Included in the veterinary care figures, pet insurance is estimated at $650 million and projected to grow to over $870 million by 2015.”
Pew Research showed in a study of pet owner demographics that nearly 70 percent of households with a family income above $100,000 are dog owners.