ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Why Not To Take Your Dog On Holiday To The Mediterranean - Leishmaniosis Could Kill Him

Updated on April 17, 2016
Image: Maggie Smith / FreeDigitalPhotos.net http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=172
Image: Maggie Smith / FreeDigitalPhotos.net http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=172

Have Dog Will Travel

With the introduction of the pet passport scheme many families coming to the Med for a holiday now think it´s a great idea to bring faithful old Fido too.

WRONG !!

Canine Leishmaniosis is prevalent throughout the Mediterranean basin, northern Italy, and all countries with a continental climate.


Canine Leishmaniosis is transmitted by Sandfly bites, Is incurable and often fatal.


But I´m Not Going Near The Beach !

Makes no difference. Sandflys are everywhere.

I live 40k from the sea and both my dogs have it.

The disease can be transmitted from Sandfly to dog , from dog to dog, and also to humans.

Because there are now so many dogs carrying the disease it´s even more likely for your dog to become infected.

It only takes one bite from a sandfly to infect your faithful hound with a horrible incurable disease.

A dog with Visceral Leishmaniasis
A dog with Visceral Leishmaniasis | Source

Can I Protect My Dog From Getting Infected ?

A new vaccine has just been launched but it´s not 100% effective.

You also need to have your dog blood tested before vaccination to make sure he´s not already infected.

Then he will need 3x doses at 3x weeks apart.

Deltamethrin impregnated collars can be used but again not 100% effective.

Keeping your dog inside at dawn and dusk when sandflys are most active may also help.

But bringing your dog to a sandfly infested region is still putting him at serious risk, and the disease and it´s effects are often fatal.

Both my dogs are now infected and one of them was so seriously ill the vet thought he wasn´t going to make it or may have to be put to sleep.

I´m pleased to say he did eventually respond to treatment and now is bouncing around fit and well.


Leishmaniosis Signs and Symptoms

The first thing you will probably notice is your dogs loss of appetite and usual playfulness. We can usually spot when our dog is under the weather.

He may have some scaly scabs on his elbows and dandruff in his fur.

Other syptoms include.

Diarrhea. Vomiting. Ulcers. Swollen lymph nodes. Eye problems. Swollen and painful joints. Lumps or spots on his skin. Fever. Fur loss. Nose bleeds. Kidney failure. And weight loss, even if he is still eating ok.

If you live in a sandfly infested area or have visited one with your dog and he starts to become unwell GET HIM TO THE VET RIGHT AWAY. With early diagnosis and treatment you are more likely to keep your dog alive.

The Last Word

Once your dog has contracted leishmaniosis and if he lives. He will need regular treatment for the rest of his life to control the disease.

My own dogs have survived for years with the disease but have to have a blood test every year, or if they are looking off colour before the year is up their blood is always checked for signs that the leishmaniosis is overwhelming them. When the results from the blood test are back with the vet, she then works out what treatment is best. There are now 2 treatments available, one is a medicine which you add to the dogs food and the other is daily injections for however many days the vet feels is necessary, and it could be up to 30 days. They also have Alopurinol in pill form daily to help protect their Kidneys.

Still think it will be fun to bring Fido on holiday to the Mediterranean ? No I didn´t think so.


Better To leave Him At home
Better To leave Him At home | Source

A Little About bac2basics

Hi I am bac2basics and write on lots of different topics here on Hubpages.com. Some of my favorites are the spirit world and visits from those we have loved and lost, recipes, gardening hints and tips plus lots of money saving ideas, health problems and cures, travel destinations and my own happy holiday memories, the odd poem or two and whatever takes my fancy at the time. Please do check out some of my other topics , you may be pleasantly surprised.

Your comments are always really appreciated so please do leave some..Thanks

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)