Dr. Courtney Show

BIO:

MICHELLE EVASON is a small animal internal medicine specialist. She is currently working on a PhD in infectious disease at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph in Canada and as an independent medicine and nutrition consultant through her own business. Michelle has worked as a veterinarian in general practise, specialty clinical practice at large private referral centres, in academia as clinical faculty and in the animal health industry. Her clinical and research interests focus on the role of 'anything and everything’ that aids increased veterinary (and pet-owner) awareness and understanding of various canine and feline medical disorders, with a slightly more specific focus on infectious disease, nutrition and pet-owner and veterinary perceptions regarding health and disease.




 

Transcript:




Announcer [00:00:00]:
Pet Life Radio.

Announcer [00:00:02]:
You're listening to PetLifeRadio.com. The Dr. Courtney show is brought to you by Novovac vaccines essential protection for essential bonds.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:00:23]:
Hi, welcome to Dr. Courtney show. I'm Dr. Courtney Campbell. Dr. Courtney people call me. For everybody who has joined the podcast before, thanks for coming back. And if there's new listeners to this excellent podcast, well, thanks for joining us.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:00:37]:
This is a podcast just dedicated to amazing people doing amazing things on behalf of pets everywhere. This could be scientists, this could be veterinarians, this could be boarders, groomers. Just regular pet parents, pet lovers in general. That's what this podcast is just dedicated to. So I'm dedicated my life to veterinary surgery. I'm also the host of Pet Talk, Anatgio Wilde, and just all around pet lover in general. I always forget to mention where you can reach out to me if you have any questions. So it's at Dr.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:01:07]:
Courtney DVM on Twitter Instagram. Please don't hesitate to reach out for any questions. I'm just really pumped about this podcast today. We've got just powerhouse guests joining us today. And I really want to talk about this because, and I don't mean to be alarmist, but this is an important discussion. This is going to be extremely salient and germane to everybody out there in the nation because we are dedicating the entire podcast to one whole condition, one whole disease. And actually, this disease has been all over the news recently. We've seen it in New York.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:01:45]:
I just saw a case of this disease yesterday. We just diagnosed a dog yesterday, and I practiced in Los Angeles, Connecticut. And the story I'm about to tell you, this was an experience I had in Los Angeles. So everybody listening to the podcast, they know I always like to do something called set the scene. And we're going to set the scene because this is my experience in Los Angeles with an eight year old alaskan Malmute named Dory. And the word that we're thinking of, that we should be thinking of, is the word jaundice. Now, I think a lot of people understand what that word means. They may even understand the literary definition to have like a jaundiced opinion or a negative opinion or resentful opinion about something.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:02:24]:
But I'm actually talking about the medical definition. It's that yellowing of the mucous membranes and the whites of the eyes and that sort of thing that a lot of people can recognize as poor health. There's something wrong. And Dory, an eight year old alaskan male mute, usually runs to the door every morning. And when I was speaking to her pet parents, they know when she woke up, she was so lethargic, she didn't run to the door. And she tends to sing right along with an ambulance when it's passing by. One passed by that morning. She didn't say a word, and she went out really mopey.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:02:58]:
And when she came back to them, they started to pet her. And when they lift up her lip, they could see that she was yellow. They could see that something was wrong. She was jaundiced. And it prompted them to immediately come to our practice. And through a series of tests, we ended up finding out that Dory's liver was compromised. And then further tests, we found out that what she was being diagnosed is what was wreaking havoc on her was actually leptosporosis. So this is what the topic is about today.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:03:27]:
It's about a bacteria called leptosporosis. This is a major issue, and this is something that I want to talk to an expert about. This is something that I want to talk to somebody who's extremely knowledgeable about. And we have that person here today. If there is somebody that you want to talk to about leptospirosis, about infectious disease in general, then you want to talk to Dr. Evanson. She is a veterinary internist with many interests. She's interested in infectious disease and just improving the life of pets everywhere.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:04:00]:
And the health of pets everywhere. I want to welcome Dr. Evison to the podcast today. Welcome, Dr. Everson. Thanks for joining us.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:04:07]:
Oh, it's my pleasure, Courtney. And please, call me Michelle.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:04:11]:
Okay. Absolutely. Can I call you Dr. Michelle? Just makes me feel so much better.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:04:16]:
Whatever makes you feel better. We're.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:04:18]:
Oh, fantastic. Fantastic. Like I said, thanks for joining. I don't want to be alarmist about this, but there is cause for alarm when you have pets and people dying from this condition.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:04:35]:
Absolutely. And getting sick. And it's a funny thing, right, because lepto has been in the news quite a bit lately, and definitely the media is great for raising awareness, but I think that also needs to be tempered. Lepto is not new. It's been around for a while.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:04:53]:
Well, yeah, not only that, not only has it been around for a while, it can affect a variety of mammals everywhere. And so I guess when people are listening, they say, okay, you're mentioning this word leptosporosis. You're saying this name, number one. What is it, and who can it affect?

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:05:12]:
You're absolutely right, Courtney. That's our Dr. Courtney. I'll do the same.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:05:16]:
No.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:05:17]:
Back to you, Courtney. Well, I think that's the very first question to ask. What is it? So leptosporosis is caused by a bacteria. The longer name is leptospira interrogans. And in dogs, it's actually usually diagnosed at a veterinary hospital when dogs present with kidney or liver disease. But the most common presentation in dogs is just ADR ain't doing right. So some vomiting, not wanting to eat, and just feeling kind of blah.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:05:51]:
And I think that's what those pet parents recognized. When I was in Los Angeles, they just said, she's just not doing right. Now, these are pet parents. I call. I have a term for them. I call them tuned in. They are very focused, and they see what's happening with their pet at all times, and they are tuned in. And I really want to celebrate pet parents like that, too, because early intervention can really help.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:06:17]:
Now, obviously, and I don't want to be hyperbolic here, but there is really no other term to use but breaking news. This is kind of breaking news in that the veterinary journal just literally came out with showing a map of where they're starting to see an increase in leptospirosis. They were describing the Midwest, the east, and the southwest of the country, and even some spots in Appalachia. What has been your experience with these endemic areas, or for listeners who that word endemic or areas where we're seeing this pop up, what's been your experience with that?

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:06:51]:
Yeah, and I completely agree, and it's great to have some scientific literature to support what veterinarians across the United States and also in Canada have been telling us that they're seeing more clinical disease or dogs coming in with leptospirosis that they're diagnosing. So it's nice to have some backup for that. For what veterinarians have been telling us, definitely leptosporosis. Again, it's not new. It's been around for a while, and there's multiple papers. And for your tuned in pet parents, there's also some great online resources that they can go check out that have been put together by the College of Veterinary internal Medicine. They have a consensus statement on leptospirosis, as well as the european college, too. So for folks that really want to be tuned in and in the know and get a little bit more background on it, as well as what they can do, those are great resources to check out.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:07:44]:
Yeah, the information is key, and I'm so glad that you and I are on the same page with that. And that's part of the reason why I'm just so amped and pumped to speak with you, because it's all about that information and getting some clarity on things. One of the things that I think a lot of people listening right now who want clarity on it is, okay, you're kind of scaring me here, Dr. Courtney, how does my pet get this disease? Where does it come from? So help us out. Where would a pet actually get this disease?

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:08:11]:
Well, it's not very sexy, but they're getting it from pea, so from urine. We're both veterinarians, and we're used to talking that talk. And so urban wildlife, so things like animals like raccoons, skunks, rats, mice, opossums, they're the ones that are carrying the leptospirosis or the leptospira bacteria and spreading it into the environment. And that's why we get these sort of hotspots popping out, because we have this urban wildlife carriers that have it in their urine, and then dogs are splashing in puddles or they're swimming in lakes and they're getting contaminated with this lepto urine that's in the water, and that's how they're picking it up and getting it.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:08:56]:
Yeah, I will definitely agree with you. There is nothing less sexy than rat pee. I will definitely say, honestly, you know, when we say something like, know, I say it tongue in cheek. But that was a very serious concern in that instance that I mentioned in New York City, in the Bronx. Obviously, they're still doing investigation, they're still learning what took place. But there have been reports that that particular environment was heavily infested with rats. And so I think that when you talk about wildlife in general, rats, skunks, raccoons, then it's important to know that the wildlife can be anywhere. And so because you're in the city, you're certainly not protected from it.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:09:38]:
No, absolutely not. And, in fact, some of the other literature, scientific literature on leptosporosa shows a predisposition or an increased likelihood of being infected in dogs that live in cities for that reason. Toronto and Canada is a great example of that because they. Well, we kind of laugh a little bit about it, but it seems like the city is being overtaken by raccoons. And again, that's what is carrying the leptospiro bacteria in their urine. And then dogs are splashing through some of those urine contaminated puddles and picking up leptosporosis, as well as their owners. Sometimes, sadly.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:10:15]:
Yeah, I listen, these raccoons I'll be honest with you, Dr. Evanson. They are so bold. I walked around the corner. I was living in Los Angeles. I walked around the corner and he just stood there, this raccoon, he just stood there and just looked at me. Didn't move, didn't run away. Just said, basically saying, hey, I live here, too.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:10:32]:
So are you going to go in your apartment or what? So we basically had a staring match and he won.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:10:39]:
You're wise to walk away.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:10:42]:
Just walk away from the raccoon strike. And we'll be right back right after these messages.

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Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:12:10]:
One of the keys about this that really definitely grabs my attention is the idea of shedding. And I think for all of our listeners, I just wanted to make sure that we clarify what that means because there are times in which your pet may be affected with leptosporosis or have the leptospira bacteria and continually shed it in the environment, but is showing no outward signs of the condition.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:12:37]:
And that's an excellent point, and I appreciate you bringing it up because I think that's one of the things that gets lost in translation with leptosporosis, is that we tend to focus on sick dogs. But the reality is there are probably a lot more dogs that have what we call subclinical disease. So exactly what you just described, which is they don't have any obvious sick signs. Right. And those dogs can shed the bacteria in their urine and spread it into the environment as well. And we call that, and they spread it through their kidneys and their pee, and we call that a renal or a kidney carrier state. And there are specific dog adapted strains, or cerevars, of lepto that can do that and shed it into the environment. And I think backing up even further, that's probably the most important thing that I would like to get across with this disease, is to think about it.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:13:30]:
Right. Leptosporosis is something that you need to be thinking about. Otherwise, you'll never find it because you'll never look for it. And many of these dogs have quiet or no clinical signs associated with having this bacteria present.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:13:47]:
I think that's excellent for our listeners out there. You mentioned the word ciravars. We're going to really talk about that in terms of prevention, but help clarify for us what you mean when you say the word syruvars.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:14:00]:
Yeah. And so that's one of the things where people start to hate me as soon as I start talking, because we've taken a fairly complex medical disease process, and now we're going to make it even more complicated.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:14:12]:
So I mentioned, everybody, stay with us. We're about to get heavy medicine.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:14:17]:
Hang on to the train, and don't hesitate to interrupt. So, as I mentioned, leptosporosis is caused by a bacteria that's called leptospira interrogans. However, it can then be subdivided further into certain strains or syruvars, beyond that, and there are certain cerevars or strains, depending on what area you might live in or depending on which animal. So raccoons, skunks, or even dogs happen to have the bacteria present within their body system. And that's important information for when you're thinking about leptosporosis, where it is. That's kind of step one. But step two is what Serovar or what sort of strain of leptospira do you have in your area? Because that makes a difference as far as clinical signs of disease, whether it's kidney disease that we're seeing in a dog or liver disease. And it also makes a difference as far as what we all want to know, which is how do we stop our own dog from getting lepto? And it's important there that we're using vaccine products, or veterinarians are using vaccine products that cover the strain of lepto that may be present in your specific area or part of the country or North America at large.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:15:39]:
Does that help? Was that okay?

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:15:41]:
It's unbelievably helpful. There's a lot to unpack on what you just said there. And again, thank you for being patient because so much of what you said is crucial and vital. We're going to repeat some of it. You mentioned subclinical disease, and that means that certainly there are dogs who have this leptospirosis. They're shedding it, but they are not showing signs of sickness. What about, there are people listening right now and say, okay, well, that's subclinical disease. What's clinical disease? Why is this so important? What is going to take out my dog with this condition? What's so dangerous about it?

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:16:13]:
Yeah, and great question. And that's what I want to know, too. And I'm going to sort of reemphasize what you said earlier because we recognize it and we usually, we, being veterinarians and pet owners, diagnose it or figure out that it is leptosporosis when dogs are sick. So when they have signs of vomiting, feeling blah, ain't doing right or adR, sometimes some diarrhea, that's when we think to bring them into the veterinary clinic. They can also have things, especially if they are infected with a strain of leptospira that attack their kidney or their liver specifically. So things like drinking more or peeing more or what veterinarians sometimes call PUPD polyure, polydipsia. So those are probably the most common sort of spectrum of signs for a dog that is sick with leptospira. But I really wish that we were being even more proactive instead of reactive and starting to pick it up in dogs that weren't sick or were carrying it.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:17:14]:
And we can only do that if we're looking for it and thinking about it. And so this show is a great way to get that message across, too.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:17:21]:
Oh, wow. I love that. Just the sort of screening or surveillance is what I think that is in great need. Speaking of trying to find it, a lot of pet parents may be listening right now and saying, all right, well, this is exactly what I'm seeing in my dog. Or maybe a week from now, God forbid, they see this in their dog. They're saying, my dog's gums are yellow, my dog's whites, their eyes are yellow. They seem to be having issues peeing. If I bring my dog to the veterinarian, what kinds of tests are they going to run? What do they want to know? So what would be, in your opinion, the most important tests for a veterinarian to run? Or at least to talk with the pet parent that, and tell them we need to run these tests.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:18:05]:
Well, I think the most important thing is communication, and pet owners are the best source of where their dog has been and what their dog is doing. So knowing that you are from or have traveled to an area where we know leptospira is so one of these aka type hotspots is really useful information, as well as the things you mentioned, peeing, more drinking, more vomiting, just kind of feeling blah. Those are all things that will make a veterinarian hopefully start thinking about leptospirosis as a possible cause. And then once a veterinarian starts thinking about leptosporosis as a possible cause, they need to be acting. Because here's the thing about leptospirosis, and this is also, as you mentioned right at the beginning, why we're all thinking about it. It's not just dogs that get leptosporosis, right? It's people. And the last thing that we want, because this is a collaboration, we talk about one health, and for me, one health is a term that gets used a lot, but this is one health in action. We want, as veterinarians, to help prevent this disease from getting spread into the environment.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:19:16]:
And also, we don't want people to get leptospirosis right now.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:19:22]:
Yeah, I mean, listen, this is so important. If you're doing something, just pause for a second and just listen to Dr. Avison, because this is really important, especially if you're in front of the Google, go ahead and Google the word zoonotic disease so that you understand what's going on. But please continue. This is a disease that can affect people as well.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:19:42]:
Absolutely. And I don't want to scare people, that's not my intent, but I think there's a lot to be said for thinking about it. And when dogs are in areas where we know that there is urine from urban wildlife, like raccoons, skunks, rats, mice, that has contaminated the environment, dogs are usually with people, so people are likely going to be in the same environment. And so we want, as veterinarians for when we have a dog that we suspect has lepto, instantly we're going to be making a recommendation that their humans, their people are talking to their doctors so that they can get some good recommendations for themselves and their kids. In the veterinary hospital, it's critical as well, because there have been cases in veterinary staff where they are getting leptosporosis from ill dogs that are shedding this urine into the environment. And so we also need to be careful in the veterinary hospital as well. It's a message that needs to go out. Once we're thinking leptosporosis, we should be treating leptosporosis.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:20:50]:
And we should also be letting everybody in the veterinary clinic, as well as those pet owners know that we suspect this is leptosporosis so that we can stop infection from incurring and stop people and other animals from getting sick.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:21:06]:
Yeah. This is so great. Thank you so much for saying that. You mentioned you don't want to scare people and about treating leptospirosis, and we're not going to get into treatment before we take a little break here, but I just think it's important to mention this disease is treatable, right? I mean, it is not necessarily a death sentence.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:21:26]:
Absolutely, it's treatable. And it's like almost every other clinical illness that occurs in dogs. The sooner we know about it that we're aware, and the sooner we start treating, the more likely therapy is going to be successful. It's a lot harder to make a dog better when they come in really sick. So again, putting it on your radar, which one of the things these news reports are helpful for really helps us as veterinarians work to prevent this? Make sure that treatment is successful. Treatment can really range depending on how sick some of these dogs are. Dogs that come in really sick are going to need more care, and those are dogs that might need advanced care, like things like dialysis or being admitted to an ICU, a critical care facility. But not all dogs will require that.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:22:21]:
Yeah. Listen, obviously, the health of the dog and the health of the person, the pet parents are by far the most important things to consider here. But as a secondary consideration, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that when we talk about treatment, we're talking about a significant financial commitment here. I mean, it can be very expensive. And so again, we're not going to get really heavy in the medicine as far as treatment because I want people to listen to the rest of the podcast. But listen, when we come back, we are going to talk about prevention because Dr. Aberson mentioned prevention, and I want everybody to focus on that because that is going to be the key to defeating leptosporosis. So let's pause for a message, and when we come back, we're going to talk about how to keep your pets and you free from this disease.

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Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:24:04]:
And we're back. We're here with Dr. Aberson. We're talking about a condition that has been in the news a lot lately and can affect pets, it can affect humans. It's called leptospirosis. We've covered a lot of ground. We've talked about what it is, the fact that it's a bacteria. We talked about what systems in the body it can affect and why this disease is so dangerous.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:24:25]:
And during the course of our discussion, we mentioned the word cerevars, or strains, and that becomes extremely important when we're talking about prevention. Dr. Evans, I really want to talk to you just about vaccines in general, particularly for this condition. Do you think that they're worthwhile?

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:24:44]:
Absolutely. That's an easy one for me to answer in areas question yeah, exactly right. Because here's the thing. I became a veterinarian because I wanted to help animals, and that's why we do this job. But along the way, and particularly as I've gotten older, my focus has switched to even more importantly, preventing them from getting sick at all. And this is a condition that can be prevented, and that's through vaccination. And so if you're from one of these hotspot areas, an endemic area is the terminology that's often used, then getting a vaccine for your dog. That is what we call quadrivalent, or contains four of the more common cirovars of strains of leptosporosis, is what needs to be done to help prevent your dog from getting this disease.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:25:41]:
And it's something to speak to your veterinarian about if they haven't brought it up to you.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:25:46]:
So quadrivalent, obviously, the word quad signifies that it will at least protect their pet from at least four strains or four ciravars of this particular bacteria. Now, my understanding is that these four strains, if you say, well, doc, you're saying it prevents my dog from possibly getting affected by these four strains. There's two other strains, and is my dog unprotected. And from my understanding, over 90% of the conditions are caused by those four strains. Do you feel that we are leaving dogs unprotected by not having a vaccine that protects against those two additional strains, or do we get some cross reactivity there?

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:26:28]:
There is and there isn't, right? And so I think the jury is still out. And much as I always like to be black and white and give a firm, conclusive answer, I think we just don't know. And that's hard for people.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:26:41]:
Wait, time out. You're telling me there's something in science that we don't know. Is that what you're saying?

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:26:47]:
Yes, I am. So I think right now, you're right. The vaccine contains the strains that we believe are the most common. But we're still figuring out a lot of things with this bacteria, and we're still figuring out a lot of things with respect to these various strains or serovars of leptospirosis and also where they are. And I would never say that similar to your weight. We don't know everything. Well, here's the thing. There's still a lot for us to learn, and this is not a simple pathogen or bug that we're trying to treat.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:27:23]:
And no treatment is perfect in every single biologic system which a dog is. So there are things that we can try where if we know that there is leptospira in the area that we live, then avoiding known contaminated environments. So not letting your dog walk through the puddles or swim in the pond, those things can be helpful, as well as keeping them away from raccoons and rats, if that's practical, and also doing vaccination that your veterinarian will recommend to you based on what area that you live in. So it's never just one thing that we do to try and prevent disease. It's usually a couple of different things and shows like this where we're raising awareness. Honestly, that's probably the best thing we can do to get people thinking about it.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:28:09]:
Well, that's beautiful. We could talk about leptospirosis for semesters if we wanted to, but unfortunately, we don't have unlimited time here. It's interesting, through our entire discussion about we've offended 85 million members of the pet population, and those are cats. They're like, how come you haven't mentioned us lately? What is going on here? And are cats basically too much of a diva, too much high maintenance to get leptosporosis? Or have you, in your experience, recognized leptospirosis affecting cats as well. 85 million people have them. So it's so important to at least mention it.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:28:46]:
No, and I couldn't agree with you more. And I think many cats are walking around chronically offended anyhow, so it's best to address that early. Yeah, of course. Right. And that's why we love them. Right. Because they have catitude. So, yes, we have found leptospira present in cats, but they don't seem to be affected clinically.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:29:13]:
Definitely not the way dogs are, or even humans are. So they can be infected with the bacteria, but clinical disease appears rare. Does that help?

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:29:24]:
That helps tremendously. It sounds like there's still more we can learn about the bacteria in cats as well. So sounds like there's so much that we know and there's so much that we're continuing to know about it. This is unbelievably helpful. Your knowledge and your conversation, I think, is going to go a long way in helping to clarify for a lot of people this disease and what's out there in the news. And I couldn't ask for anything more in terms of spreading awareness and making sure that people aren't afraid of what they're seeing popping up in the news. So I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for joining us today and talking about this incredible disease.

Dr. Michelle Evason [00:30:04]:
It's been a real pleasure, Courtney. Thank you.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:30:06]:
Thank you so much. All right. Wow. That was riveting stuff from Dr. Evison. She's fantastic. I could have talked to her all day about this condition. I mean, she mentioned what it is.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:30:18]:
We know what leptosporosis is. We know it's a bacteria. We know that it can be very dangerous to both pets and people. We know that it's out there. It's out there particularly in the urine of wildlife, raccoons, skunks, rats. And we know that we need to do a better job in terms of surveillance. And I definitely don't want to scare people. It is treatable, but there's significant expense.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:30:40]:
And so I think the focus, just like what Dr. Evanson was mentioning, is that the focus has to be on prevention. And one of the keys is avoidance. Making sure that there's not vermin in the neighborhood, making sure your dogs aren't splashing through puddles. Of course, vaccination, having a conversation with your veterinarian about that. And part of the prevention is doing exactly what we're doing right now. Tuning into this podcast are part of the prevention because you are learning about it and spreading awareness. So again, thanks for joining podcast today.

Dr. Courtney Campbell [00:31:14]:
I think we had a riveting discussion with Dr. Evison, and there's going to be more, more high powered, stellar guests joining this podcast. I'm just pumped and excited about it. Until next time, join us. And remember one thing, there's nothing stronger than the human animal bond.

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Timestamped overview:




00:00 Diagnosed dog with jaundice in Los Angeles.
06:17 Urgent: Leptospirosis spreading across specific US regions.
06:51 Veterinarians nationwide see increase in leptospirosis cases.
12:37 Leptospirosis can be asymptomatic and spread.
14:17 Leptosporosis caused by leptospira interrogans bacteria strains.
18:05 Communication key for pet owners and vets.
22:21 Dog and human health are crucial. Treatment costs.
24:44 Veterinarian emphasizes importance of prevention through vaccination.
27:23 Preventing dog diseases involves various strategies.
30:40 Focus on prevention, avoid vermin, vaccination. Tune in.

Key topics and bullets:




**Introduction to Leptospirosis**
- Overview of leptospirosis and its relevance to pet health
- Dr. Courtney Campbell shares the story of an Alaskan Malamute named Dory with leptospirosis
- Introduction of guest Dr. Michelle Evason, a veterinary internist
**Understanding Leptospirosis**
- Explaining the causative bacteria, leptospira interrogans
- Identifying the most common symptoms in dogs: kidney or liver disease, vomiting, appetite loss, lethargy
- Increase in leptospirosis cases in specific regions: Midwest, east, southwest, Appalachia
**Resources for Pet Parents**
- Availability and importance of resources to learn about leptospirosis
- Discussing the importance of understanding how pets contract the disease
**Prevention Strategies**
- The critical role of disease prevention in pets
- Discussion of vaccination against leptospirosis, particularly in endemic areas
- Efficacy issues surrounding the quadrivalent vaccine and cross-reactivity concerns
**Appearance in Different Animals**
- Unique impact of leptospirosis on cats compared to dogs and humans
**Importance of Public Awareness**
- Using platforms like the podcast for raising awareness about leptospirosis
- Emphasizing the role of education in preventing the disease
**Dogs in Urban Environments**
- Discussing the risk of urban wildlife transmitting leptospirosis to dogs
- Highlighting the contamination of water sources in city environments
- Understanding the heightened infection risk for city-dwelling dogs
**Wildlife as Leptospirosis Carriers**
- Identifying raccoons and other urban wildlife as common carriers of leptospira bacteria
- Examining the issue of high raccoon populations in urban areas like Toronto as a contributor to the risk of infection
**Subclinical Infections and the Challenge of Detection**
- The problem of asymptomatic dogs with subclinical leptospirosis
- The complexities in detecting and preventing the spread of the disease without obvious signs
**Regional Variations and Vaccination Impact**
- The significance of regional leptospira serovars on the clinical signs and vaccine effectiveness
- The need for geographically appropriate vaccines
**Diagnosing Leptospirosis in Dogs**
- Common symptoms leading to a leptospirosis diagnosis
- The proactive detection of the disease to prevent severe kidney and liver effects
- The importance of considering leptospirosis in symptomatic dogs from high-risk areas
**Zoonotic Considerations**
- Acknowledging the zoonotic nature of leptospirosis, affecting both dogs and humans
- The imperative of preventative measures to protect all parties
**Treatment and Financial Considerations**
- Discussing the availability and urgency of treatment options
- Addressing the financial burden on pet owners for treatment
**Conclusion: The Essence of Prevention**
- Reinforcing the message of prevention through vaccination and awareness
- Final thoughts on avoiding the inflictions of leptospirosis on pets and humans

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