Client importing dog with Leishmaniasis!

RE: Client importing dog with Leishmaniasis!

Sam — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 11:13:18 GMT

[quote user="Lucy Fleming"]Or go to a breeder and buy a puppy instead![/quote]

I quite agree!

RE: Client importing dog with Leishmaniasis!

Lucy Fleming — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 11:02:06 GMT

[quote user="Sam"]We have had really lovely, caring clients turned away by local rescue centres, who then become frustrated and go to the charities who import rescue dog[/quote]

Or go to a breeder and buy a puppy instead!

RE: Client importing dog with Leishmaniasis!

Sam — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 09:55:11 GMT

Many of my clients are finding it easier to rescue dogs from Romania, Greece etc than to obtain a dog through our local rescue organisations.

We have had really lovely, caring clients turned away by local rescue centres, who then become frustrated and go to the charities who import rescue dogs. It seems to be a crazy situation.

RE: Client importing dog with Leishmaniasis!

Lucy Fleming — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 12:29:59 GMT

I think keeping it on allopurinol makes relapse less likely (from my limited knowledge, diagnosed a case recently but owners elected not to treat so no further experience sorry!).

I agree with adopting locally being a better option! Never mind though...

RE: Client importing dog with Leishmaniasis!

Stephen Courtney — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 17:36:10 GMT

People here tell me that they rescued their animals from the RSPCA, which always makes me think of midnight raids by masked animal rescuers, breaking into the kennels and rescuing the animals from the rescue...

Yes there is considerable kudos in some minds being able to say their animal was rescued from Romania or Cyprus etc. Much more common now with the pat passport system but even in quarantine days people used to bring street dogs and cats in from unhealthy parts of the world. I never understood why - the cost of doing that was considerable - and the money spent locally would have done much more good, but once i saw such animals for myself it nearly broke my heart so yes, I now know why!

RE: Client importing dog with Leishmaniasis!

Hannah Wynne Richards — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 12:55:44 GMT

It's posher to say "I rescued it from Greece"

Wynne

RE: Client importing dog with Leishmaniasis!

Julie Innes — Sun, 17 Jul 2016 13:07:13 GMT

Thanks all, it's reassuring! Just don't understand why people can't just adopt from our local shelters, which are bursting to the seams!

RE: Client importing dog with Leishmaniasis!

Silvia Maldonado — Sun, 17 Jul 2016 08:05:23 GMT

[quote user="David Mills"]

Recent thread on it here

https://www.vetsurgeon.org/uk/small_animal/f/169/p/23723/159028.aspx#159028

Milfetosine seems to be a better option than the injections.

I had one a couple of years ago which was managed on allopurinol alone (cheap as chips human generic about 5p per 300mg tablet online) and did fine. Looked into milfetosine but was about £120 a bottle, way beyond our clients.

If it's any consolation, I've done a fair bit of neutering in Greece and seen dogs with Leishmania. They tend to cope fine with it in the chronic stages, I suspect there is some genetic selection for resistance to the parasite as most dogs go untreated out there.

[/quote]

Miltefosin is deffo a better option, with most dogs not needing treatment all life, but just one course of PO meds SID for a month, perhaps needs repeating it again.

To be contagious from dogs to humans, you meed to have phlebotomes in the environment, and UK weather is not the ideal at all for them. I wouldn't worry much about it.

RE: Client importing dog with Leishmaniasis!

David Mills — Sat, 16 Jul 2016 14:29:44 GMT

Recent thread on it here

https://www.vetsurgeon.org/uk/small_animal/f/169/p/23723/159028.aspx#159028

Milfetosine seems to be a better option than the injections.

RE: Client importing dog with Leishmaniasis!

Francisco Gomez — Sat, 16 Jul 2016 14:05:43 GMT

[quote user="Utlendigur"]

[quote user="Francisco Gomez"]Now, your dog cannot give Leishmaniasis to your owner or other dogs unless the vector (mosquito phlebotomus) is present. Since the vector doesn't live in the UK, transmission is not really a worry[/quote]

Theoretically, but I'm sure I did read a paper about a infected case imported into the UK where it was transmitted to the other dog in the household - and that dog had never travelled abroad. Will try to find the reference

[/quote]

I've read this too - suspect is a very unlikely thing to happen. But yes, it should be taken into account.

RE: Client importing dog with Leishmaniasis!

Utlendigur — Sat, 16 Jul 2016 14:00:26 GMT

RE: Client importing dog with Leishmaniasis!

Michael Woodhouse — Sat, 16 Jul 2016 13:47:46 GMT

We have one of these dogs - on allopurinol. I've never seen it (the practice has) and can offer nothing more - only reassurance you are not alone.

RE: Client importing dog with Leishmaniasis!

Francisco Gomez — Sat, 16 Jul 2016 13:43:33 GMT

OK, I've got a client (or two?) who's dog has Leishmaniasis. No need to fret.

In Spain they live amongst population and children. It is a very common condition in dogs and it used to be a large part of our every day consultations. We used to tell owners about the zoonotic implications being more likely if a person is immuno-compromised.

Now, your dog cannot give Leishmaniasis to your owner or other dogs unless the vector (mosquito phlebotomus) is present. Since the vector doesn't live in the UK, transmission is not really a worry.

Most dogs will be in allopurinol (a tablet) for life - there are ways to get it in the UK. Don't remember if expensive or not. Whenever your patient has a flare up, it'd be important to have Glucantime at hand, which is the treatment of choice for it. Currently the way Leishmania is being monitored is changing in Spain and they advise (as far as I can remember), a full haematology/biochemistry panel and a blood sample for detection of the parasite q6 months. I think it used to be a antibody essay, and now they try to detect antigen?? I can't remember, don't quote me on that one.