 Health & related issues
LEISHMANIASIS/KALA-AZAR DISEASE
WHAT IS IT?
Leishmaniasis, also known as Kala-azar disease, is a protozoic infection that infects cells related to blood cells and attacks the immune system. It primarily infects dogs, wild carnivores and rodents but can also infect humans; those with an immature or weakened immune system and children under 3 are especially at risk.
HOW CAN YOU TELL IF A DOG HAS THE DISEASE?
At first there are no symptoms, only a blood test can detect it.
The progress of the disease is slow with the time between infection and appearance varying between a few weeks and a few years.
HOW IS IT SPREAD?
The disease is carried by the zoophilic sand-fly, a type which bites animals, not humans. The sand-fly sucks blood from an infected animal, ingests the parasite, bites a healthy dog and infects it. From then on, any healthy sand-fly that bites the infected becomes infected; it is therefore easy to understand how this infection can spread so quickly.
ARE ALL DOGS VULNERABLE TO THE DISEASE?
Yes. If an infected sand-fly bites your dog, it doesn’t matter what breed it is, how old it is or how healthy it is, it will catch the disease AND, if an infected sand-fly bites a pregnant dog, the puppies may also get the disease.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
Early stage:
· smell – definitely musty
· claws – overgrown, long, rounded, causing the dog to limp
Later stage:
- loss of weight – even if the animal eats properly
- dandruff – on the head, the back and the ears (in advanced cases the ear edges become thickened)
- fur – dull with patchy hair growth
- hair loss – some areas will have total hair loss (alopekiosis)
- eyes – hair lost around the eyes makes the dog look as if it is wearing glasses
- skin – scabs appear on the body
- nose and eyes – excrete a white discharge, sometimes there are nosebleeds
- muscles – atrophy, especially the temporal muscle
- bleeding – around the ears, nose, joints
- kidney and liver problems
- enlarged lymph nodes, spleen and liver
- anaemia
- loss of appetite or bulimia
- fever
- difficulty walking
- animal looks old
IS THERE ANY TREATMENT?
YES. At this time there is no cure but your dog may go into remission and cases of self-healing have been reported. Prof. Haralambidis states that dogs are not contagious during treatment and for as long as the parasite does not show up in the blood. If you choose to treat your dog you will have best results if the diagnosis is made early in the disease. Treatment combining antimony compounds with Zylorik tablets have shown good results. If the disease has already affected the liver, spleen or kidneys, treatment may extend the dog’s life but he will suffer. The Greek law states that dogs that test positive should be quarantined or euthanized, however, the final decision is that of the owner.
CAN PEOPLE GET LEISHMANIASIS?
Yes, but not from the sand-fly that bites dogs. People are bitten by a type called anthropophilic; humans cannot get the disease from a sand-fly that bites dogs; nor can they become infected directly from the dog – not if the dog licks or drools over them or even bites them.
IS THERE TREATMENT FOR PEOPLE?
Yes. New drugs that act directly on infected cells give very good results. Diagnosis is made by a blood test.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PREVENT YOUR DOG FROM GETTING THE DISEASE?
- use insect repellent on the dog’s skin after sunset (Autan, Antiphlebotome or Citronella) and around the area where your dog lives to protect it from being bitten
- If your dog sleeps outside, provide protected and clean sleeping quarters off the ground.
- Have your dog’s blood tested every 6 months.
POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Leishmaniasis is spread by an infected sand-fly, not the dog; but if the sand-fly bites an infected dog it then becomes the carrier and infects every dog it bites
- Cats cannot get Leishmaniasis; humans get it from a sand-fly that bites only humans.
- Research of this disease continues at the University of Thessalonika and it is hoped that someday soon a prevention and cure will be found.
THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE COMES FROM REPORTS ISSUED BY PROF. HARALAMBIDIS, VETERINARY DEPT. UNIVERSITY OF THESSALONIKA AND OTHER ANIMAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS.
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU FIND A POISONED ANIMAL
BECAUSE OF THE RECENT SPATE OF POISONING OF DOGS AND CATS IT HAS BEEN NECESSARY TO ISSUE THIS INFORMATION AS A MATTER OF URGENCY.
POISONS COMMONLY USED:
Insecticides, warfarin (rat poison) and ground glass.
These are usually mixed with strong tasting foods. They cause incredible pain to the animal and they die in agony. Insecticides and warfarin have antidotes, ground glass does not.
HERE ARE THE SYMPTOMS THAT AN ANIMAL HAS BEEN POISONED.
Insecticides – liquid or powder
Salivating at the mouth, excessive tears, diarrhoea, twitching muscles, trembling, asthmatic breathing, convulsion and coma.
TREATMENT:
Take the animal to a vet as soon as possible.
To give the animal the best chance of survival administer first aid as follows:
- Induce vomiting: give salt or baking soda dissolved in warm water into the mouth.
WARNING – do not do this if the animal shows signs of nervousness such as trembling, staggering or collapse because an emetic can cause inhalation pneumonia. Continue to the next step.
- Give an injection of atropine – 1 vial for a cat or small dog, 2 to 3 vials for larger dogs – injected into the vein (absorbed most quickly), into the muscle (absorbed less quickly) or under the skin (slowest absorption. Atropine can be obtained from your vet.
Warfarin (Rat poison)
Sometimes there will be no symptoms for 2 or 3 days. Then red/purple/dark blue patches will appear on the body or gums, a sign of internal bleeding, and the gums will be very pale in colour. Warfarin damages the clotting mechanism and the animal can haemorrhage from the nose, mouth, penis, vagina or rectum as well as internally.
TREATMENT: Konakion (vitamin K) injection to help clot the blood, 5-20mg, depending on the size and weight of the animal.
Ground Glass
This is the deadliest of all methods and there is no antidote. It is essential, however, to get the animal to a vet as soon as possible to try and save its life.
IMPORTANT:
An animal that has been poisoned with insecticides or ground glass is very sensitive to light and noise so protect it from both; this is not the case with Warfarin. However, you may not be aware of the poison used so always keep the animal covered and as quiet as possible when transporting it to the vet.
HOW TO AVOID ANIMALS BEING POISONED
*Neuter your animals so that new victims are not born.
*Do not put puppies on the street; they will not survive.
*Neuter your own pets to prevent unwanted puppies and kittens being born; abandoned animals come from homes. Who abandons them? Certainly not the mother!
*Protect your own animal. Animals have been poisoned inside their own yards or while on a walk.
*Do not abandon your pet; it is against the law; it will not survive on the street; it will probably be poisoned.
BE PREPARED
Carry a first aid kit with you: bottled water, package of salt, atropine and syringes and a copy of this information. Talk to your vet about how to administer first aid and what amounts to give. It can save an animal’s life.
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