Bert was a well loved, working labrador, the fifth generation to live at Mistletoe Farm with the Dell family. He would regularly help Mr Dell on the shoots, picking up and retrieving just like he was bred to do. But the Dell’s lives were about to get turned upside down.

Table of contents

One blustery weekend in October, Bert just didn’t seem himself. It had been very wet recently and he seemed to find the muddy ground tougher than usual; lagging behind and not running out with his usual enthusiasm. Mr Dell decided to bring him home early, thinking he was just tired. But when Bert turned his nose up at his supper, took himself off to his basket and just flopped down, he knew something wasn’t right. The following morning, he came down to find Bert had rather a severe tummy upset in the night, was still not keen to eat and seemed to be drinking rather a lot. So he called his local vets to make an appointment. 

If in doubt, it’s always best to get a vet check sooner rather than later

Vet Michael was on duty that Monday morning. And when he called Mr Dell through, with Bert trailing behind, it was obvious that Bert was really not well. He could barely manage a tail wag as Michael checked his gums, heart and temperature, and point-blank refused the proffered treat. 

Michael explained to Mr Dell that he was concerned that Bert appeared dehydrated and jaundiced and was running a fever. Looking at Bert’s clinical records Michael could see that Bert, now 4 years old, had not had any vaccinations since a puppy. Mr Dell admitted that he had kept forgetting to bring Bert in. And had heard from other dog owners that the vaccinations last longer than vets claim; so he would be OK to miss a few years.

Grimly, Michael shook his head and explained that although the core vaccinations of distemper, hepatitis and parvovirus can now be given every three years after their first initial booster vaccination, vaccinations against Leptospirosis must be given every year in order to maintain immunity. Michael went on to explain to an ashen-faced Mr Dell that sadly, Bert was showing many of the symptoms of Leptospirosis. And he would need to be admitted for further testing and intensive treatment. 

Although not a rich man, Bert meant a lot to Mr Dell, so he signed the paperwork without hesitation and left Bert with Michael. 

While treatment was expensive, the alternative was to humanely have Bert put down. And Mr Dell wasn’t ready to do that yet. Unfortunately, Michael explained that Bert’s pet insurance might not cover the cost of treatment; because his vaccinations had lapsed, making this likely to be an insurance “exclusion”.

Learn more about pet insurance

Michael and his nurse immediately placed a cannula in Bert’s leg and began intravenous fluid therapy. They also took a blood sample from Bert. Some to run in house to measure his organ function and electrolytes, and some to send away to an external lab to test for Leptospirosis. Unfortunately, the external test would take around a week to yield results. 

Bert also had to be placed in their isolation ward and all staff had to ‘barrier nurse’ him to prevent any potential infection spreading to other patients or even the staff themselves; Leptospirosis could be dangerous. 

Get a quick quote from one of the UK’s leading pet insurers…

Learn more about them on our Pet Insurance page

What is Leptospirosis?

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that commonly affects dogs. But it can also affect humans, where it is more commonly known as Weil’s disease. Leptospirosis is most often contracted from contact with infected wildlife, specifically rats, or from places where rats often go – wetlands, woods and farms. It is spread via contaminated urine. And it can enter the body through the mouth, nose or through wounds in the skin. 

Leptospirosis can cause severe liver and kidney damage, breathing difficulties and bleeding. And unfortunately, it can be fatal, though with early and prompt treatment, many cases will recover. 

Bert’s bloods showed many abnormal findings. He was anaemic, had a high white blood cell count, low platelets, high liver enzymes and high kidney parameters. A urine sample confirmed that the high kidney parameters were a sign that his kidneys were beginning to fail. In combination with his symptoms, and though still awaiting confirmation from the external laboratory, Michael feared that Bert did indeed have Leptospirosis. He immediately started him on antibiotics and painkillers, gave him medications to reduce his nausea and vomiting and started liver support enzymes. 

In a phone call to a very worried Mr Dell, Michael explained that they were doing all they could for Bert and hopefully, being a fit and strong dog usually, he would pull through

Mr Dell felt awful, knowing that he could have prevented this. Michael explained that it wasn’t an uncommon opinion that ‘over-vaccinating’ by vets was widespread; especially when a newer, more protective Leptospirosis vaccination came out a few years ago. And was subsequently blamed for a number of vaccination reactions, thus far unproven to be significant. The risk of a severe reaction to the older L2 vaccination being 2 in 10,000 compared to the risk in the newer L4 vaccination being 7 in 10,000. 

Over the next few days, Bert did indeed start to recover. By the second day, his temperature was down and by that evening, he was beginning to show an interest in food. His liver enzymes started to show signs of improving too but the kidney parameters took a few days longer. Bert remained hospitalised throughout this period and soon became a firm favourite with the staff. To the relief of Mr Dell, Bert was able to go home just shy of a week after he came in. His recovery wasn’t over though. He was to remain on antibiotics for at least 4 weeks and the family had to be very careful with managing him at home; no contact with other dogs, wearing gloves to handle his faeces and thoroughly disinfecting anywhere he had toileted. 

The day after his discharge, Michael called Mr Dell with the external laboratory results. Bert had indeed tested positive for Leptospirosis. And to a type that would have been covered if he had been vaccinated. 

What happened next…

For the next 6 weeks, Bert had regular blood and urine tests to ensure his liver and kidneys were working normally again. He was one of the lucky ones and went on to make a full recovery. Mr Dell had learnt his lesson though. He regularly preached to his fellow gundog owners on the merits of vaccinations; ensuring Bert was vaccinated as soon as he was able to and diligently remembering to bring him every year for his booster. And Bert never said no to a treat again. 

Further information: