The likelihood of humans and pets being exposed to transmissible diseases is on the rise. One reason for this is the expansion of housing developments into habitats that were formerly occupied only by wildlife (so that wildlife is now in our backyards). Another reason is the mobility of our society and the increasing number of pets who join their family on vacation (so that we go into the ‘backyard' of the wildlife). Serious transmissible diseases that pose a potential threat to our pets include rabies, Lyme disease, and Leptospirosis - all three of these diseases are also a threat to people.
In North America, raccoons, skunks, foxes or bats may carry the rabies virus, depending on the specific geographic area. With expansion of housing developments, the potential for exposure to rabies has increased in urban and suburban locations.
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. This bacterium is transmitted to people and pets through tick bites. Lyme disease was originally only found in northeastern United States, but it has now been diagnosed throughout Canada and the United States. This emerging disease is thought to be increasing in incidence due to an expansion of the range of the ticks that carry the disease.
However, in recent years there has been a marked increase in the number of positive cases of Leptospirosis, as well as a most dramatic change in exposure patterns for this disease. This is believed to be due to a combination of factors - an increase in wildlife populations such as raccoons and skunks in urban and suburban locations, climate change that is influencing survival of the bacterium in the environment, and increased testing for the disease. Leptospirosis used to mainly be a disease of rural dogs, particularly large-breed hunting dogs. However, over the past decade there has been a shift so that more cases are being diagnosed in small-breed dogs, and the majority of cases are now being diagnosed in dogs living in suburban or urban environments. In 2008, surveys were conducted in the some of the fastest growing counties of Florida and Colorado. These surveys revealed that 40 percent of leptospirosis-positive dogs weighed less than 25 pounds (11.5 kg), and that more than 60 percent of dogs with the disease lived in urban or suburban environments. In addition, the Colorado survey showed that the death rate in Leptospirosis cases approached 40 percent.
Rabies vaccination is considered to be part of the ‘core' series of essential vaccines for all pets - indeed most jurisdictions in Canada and the United States require pet owners to immunize their dogs and cats against this disease. Vaccines against Lyme disease and some strains of Leptospirosis are also available, but are not considered to be part of the ‘core' or routine vaccine series. Because wildlife doesn't always move out of a neighborhood when we move in, our pets may be exposed to multiple transmissible diseases just by going into the backyard. Many of the symptoms of both Lyme disease and Leptospirosis are non-specific and can occur with other medical conditions, so the diagnosis is not always obvious. Thus, it is important to discuss your pet's environment and lifestyle (including vacation travel) with your veterinarian in order to determine the relative risk of exposure and pros and cons of adding either of these non-core vaccines to your individual pet's vaccination series.
Caution: These news items, written by Lifelearn Inc., are licensed to this practice for the personal use of our clients. Any copying, printing or further distribution is prohibited without the express written permission of Lifelearn Inc. Please note that the news information presented here is NOT a substitute for a proper consultation and/or clinical examination of your pet by our clinic veterinarian.
