News

In the last week Ringwood Vet Hospital has had a confirmed diagnosis of Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni in a dog living local to the Maroondah area. Although he and his family fought hard, sadly the dog was extremely unwell due to both liver and kidney failure and unable to be saved.

We do not know of other confirmed cases in Eastern Melbourne, however, it is possible that the disease is being seen but not confirmed.

Leptospirosis can cause severe illness in people, can be lethal in dogs and cats and infect many different mammals

Because of the severity of disease this bacteria causes, as well as its ability to spread between people and animals, all cases must be reported to the Department of Agriculture immediately.

This bacteria is more commonly seen in the humid conditions of Northern Queensland, and quite rarely seen in the southern states. However, in the past few months, there has been a spike of cases confirmed in central Sydney and now the Bayswater and Maroondah area.

A brief infographic has been created to help you reduce the risk of exposure to your beloved pet – see attached.

Our thanks to Ringwood Vet for producing this document and sharing this information.