I chose to not vaccinate for Lepto, due to all the controversy, and lo and behold, one of my older boys has now been diagnosed…but I question the diagnosis. He had a "spell" a year ago, we though it neurological and he improved so fast.
Then we just did a routine blood panel and found he has Lymes (about 2 mos ago)…so we treated for that for a month with doxycycline…now they did another test this week and say its Lepto…I hate when my vet seems so inept…now they want him on Amox for another month. His kidneys have been affected…does anyone have some light they could shed on this for me? He's otherwise a happy, healthy, 8 year old who acts like he's three, and seems to have more play in him than ever, but I'm so concerned for my baby boy :(
They are doing a urinalysis this week.
I think the doxy should have knocked it out. A positive test for Lepto can be seen with vaccination and exposure too. I don't think a "routine blood panel" will show Lyme, make sure you know what tests they are doing and research them. Good luck.
This is a very thorough article that could help:
http://www.2ndchance.info/leptospirosis.htm
We had a Lepto outbreak 2 years in our area around a lake surrounded by pricey homes just 4 miles from me. I was so glad I had vaccinated for Lepto! We like to take a dog or 2 boating and swimming in that lake. I heard some dogs died at the time. I always vaccinate for Lepto and always will.
Our vet says if you are near any stagnant water, a lepto vaccine is extremely important. He says if you never have any stagnant water, it is not a critical vaccine.
Some plants prefer flowing water, while others, such as lotuses, prefer stagnant water.
Various anaerobic bacteria are commonly found in stagnant water. For this reason, pools of stagnant water have historically been used in processing hemp and some other fiber crops, as well as linden bark used for making bast shoes. Several weeks of soaking makes bast fibers easily separable due to bacterial and fermentative processes known as retting.
Denitrifying bacteria
Leptospira
Purple bacteria (both sulfur and non-sulfur)
Fish
Lepisosteidae (gar)
Northern snakehead fish
Pygmy gourami
Siamese fighting fish
Spotted barb
Walking catfish
