Dash, a 5 month old Golden Retriever, presented to our clinic at the beginning of November for vomiting, not eating and lethargy. She was very jaundiced when she came in. Numerous lab tests were performed, including an in-house test for Leptospirosis, which came back negative. Result of the initial bloodwork found her liver and kidney values to be very high, indicating damage to these organs. Her platelet count was also dangerously low, putting her at risk for spontaneous bleeding. All of these findings together are common to see with Leptospirosis infection.

After investigating her history and vaccine status further, it was noted that she had not yet been vaccinated for Leptospirosis. Leptospira is a bacteria that is spread through the urine of many different wildlife species. A sample of her blood was taken and sent to the lab to test for Leptospirosis which came back positive, leading to her two week journey with us.

During her hospitalization, Dash received antibiotics to eliminate this bacteria as well as intravenous fluids to rehydrate her and protect her kidneys from further damage. She was on many treatments to help alleviate her symptoms while she was fighting the infection and required a feeding tube because her appetite took a long time to recover.

During the two weeks she spent with us, the staff and her family had the chance to see her respond positively to her treatments in hospital. Every day she started to act more like a puppy and thanks to the efforts of many of our staff and the dedication of her family, she was able to be discharged. Dash is now happy and healthy as ever at home!

A big shout out to all of our staff for such great care of Dash while she was in hospital!

If you would like more information on Leptospirosis check out this article. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951453