Lepto Vaccine For Dogs?

Question

Does Anyone Have any experience with the Lepto (abbreviated) Vaccine with their dogs? I read one animal was killed. has this happened to anyone?

Answer 1

Unless you have hunting dogs or dogs that will be in contact with farm animals it is probably better to not vaccinate them with lepto. If your dog is small the risk of reaction is greater than if the dog is larger too. All vets have an opinion. I know an older "large animal" vet who swears by the vaccine because it does cross species. Most younger vets won't use it. You just have to inform yourself of the risks and make a choice for your dog depending on where you live (farm or urban) and how large your dog is. If you own a yorkie in a penthouse in NY, don't get a lepto vaccine. If you have coondogs that regularly run at night or a working herder who drives stock then get one.

Answer 2

As a veterinary professional I choose to vaccinate my dogs against leptospirosis
I choose to because I have seen lepto kill.
I also live in an endemic area.
A lot of trash talk goes on when it comes to the vaccine.
Whats often over looked is that it is a zoonotic deadly disease.
The lepto vaccine was once was given within the distemper vaccine.
When an animal had a reaction to the vaccine it was blamed on the lepto.
Now the vaccine is given separately and vaccine reactions are not as significant as once thought.
Every vaccine causes a reaction
The smaller the dog the more likely they will have a vaccine reaction.
The way I look at it is if my pug has a reaction to the vaccine it can be treated.
Animals can be pre medicated with benadryl and or dexamethasone to hinder a reaction.
Leptospirosis on the other hand can kill my dog and possibly spread it to me and my other dogs.
I can't afford to have that happen.
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease.
Which means humans can get it by cleaning up infected urine.
Dogs can get lepto by drinking water infected with the bacteria or coming in contact with infected urine.
The bacteria is commonly found in standing or stagnant water.
Such as tires,puddles and flower pots so keep your pooches away.
Antibiotics and intravenous fluids is the treatment for the disease.
Permanent renal and hepatic dysfunction can occur
Dogs who get really sick have a guarded prognosis.
So prevention is essentail.
If you are in an endemic area seriously think about getting your dog vaccinated.
In my 10 years of being a vet tech I have seen one serious reaction and it was not from the lepto.

Answer 3

Leptospirosis is a disease that is transmitted by wild animal urine. So if your dog goes around sniffing in the backyard, and comes across infected animal urine, he can get infected. And from there it can be transmitted to humans. So the vet clinic where I work always recommends vaccinated for it. But your veterinarian might have different recommendations, based on where you live.

SOME dogs have a reaction to this vaccine (some may have a reaction to other vaccines as well.) So it is a good idea to hang around at the vet clinic for 10-15 minutes after your puppy/dog gets his first lepto vaccine. If a dangerous reaction was going to happen, it would happen within that time frame. And then your veterinarian will be able to give him medication to stop the reaction. It is quite rare that there is a reaction, but there is always the risk.

You can ask your veterinarian more about it when you take your dog in.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1556&articleid=454

Answer 4

My experience was a personal one with my pup./ after receiving this shot he blew up like a blow fish! I had to rush him back into the vets! It was not a combo shot It was a single dose shot. Lepto is not a threat here where I am so it will be a cold day in you know where before any of my dogs get this vaccination again. I almost lost my pup the saving grace was that I live 5 minutes from my vet. I got him back very quickly. The swelling in his little face was so sever that he looked just awful. It took the vet 2 hours to stabilize him enough so I could get him back home.

I can't agree with you this time Get'em. I've seen and lived what Lepto reaction can do!

Answer 5

I do not and will not vaccinate for Lepto. It is one of the vaccines that causes many side effects. It doesn't cover all the starins of Lepto, and need to be done every 6 months to be effective against the strain that it does cover.

I get a distemper combo in a 4 way. Not 5 or 7 way. Most people ge the combo yearly, or every three years, but them the Lepto is not very effective since it really needs to be given every 6 months. So why include it in the yearly vaccine??

And the AVMA and AAHA does not advise routine vaccination for it.

Answer 6

The Lepto vaccine does have a high rate of severe reaction especially in toy breeds and Great Danes.I have seen a lot of reactions to this vaccine in 35 years even when given alone.
It is also a vaccine that isn't needed by every dog and should only be given to those at high risk of exposure. ( this is by recommendation of the AAHA/AVMA and ALL vets in the US received this information and need to be following the current recommended protocol).

I do not vaccinate any of my dogs for lepto..they are not at high risk of exposure and the risk of severe reaction is far greater then their exposure.

Answer 7

That is a vaccine that is given very regularly. Most dogs get the standard vaccines which are DHLPP and Rabies. Then there's Parvo but some do get that, and some don't...though it's darn important. (Parvo is the second 'P'). The vaccine is an 'all in one' type thing. Generally you don't just get Lepto on it's own.

The 'L' in the above vaccine stands for Leptosporosis. I've never heard of a dog dying from that vaccine and I've worked in animal hospitals for YEARS. The only thing you may want to ask the vet, is whether or not it's a modified live virus. I would refrain from giving a very young dog a live virus of any type.

Answer 8

The Lepto vaccine is known for causing a lot of side affects and horrible reactions. I don't think the benefit of this vaccine outweighs the risks.

Answer 9

Unless the disease is rampant in your area (HIGHLY unlikely), housedogs really NEVER need the Lepto vaccine. Dogs that live outdoors AND may come into contact with feral animals that carry the disease should be vaccinated...ask your vet.

Answer 10

The duration of immunity on vaccines is years and years. A study was done and published in 1999 by Dr. Ron Schultz of Wisconsin University. Here's the link
http://svmweb.vetmed.wisc.edu/articles/68/5/39
If your dog is an adult and has had vaccines past the age of 6 months, then don't do anymore!