Another Dog Bug Hits the City
Monday, July 6, 2009 Leptospirosis—a potentially fatal infectious disease found in dogs—is on the loose in New York City. According to a story in the New York Daily News over the weekend, the illness is hitting the city more aggressively this year. This is largely because “lepto,” as it’s called, thrives in warm, wet weather, which we’ve had for basically a month straight.
East Villager Traci Schiffer with her dogs, Fenway and Clementine, who were afflicted with the illness. Michael Ip/Daily News
Some symptoms, says the story, include: weight loss, vomiting, lethargy, depression, muscle pain, and sometimes diarrhea or bloody urine. Lepto is spread by bacteria in the urine of animals such as rats, skunks, and raccoons.
The disease can be fatal because it can result in kidney failure, but luckily, it’s highly treatable. A vaccine is available, but it doesn’t work 100 percent of the time.
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