A rare disease has reportedly found its way into a New Beith waterway.
It’s killed Lexi the labrador. And while it can be harmful to people, experts say there’s no reason to be alarmed.
It often goes undetected and vaccines are available.
Vet Nigel Thomas said there were nine variants of the tricky disease spread by rats and other vermin. It’s hoped Lexi’s death was a one-off case brought on by recent wet weather, but pet owners are warned to be vigilant when monitoring the welfare of their animals.
Lexi the golden Labrador was five years old when she suddenly lost her life last week to a disease rarely found in Australia called leptospirosis, which can be harmful to people.
Veterinary reports state she likely contracted the disease from water running in a creek behind a family’s property in New Beith.
Two days later, Lexi died.
“She was a fit, healthy, loving dog, chasing balls in the pool every day, and then I came home one day and she was acting really strange and was refusing her food,” Lexi’s owner Jon Guaschi said.
“That’s when my wife took her to the emergency vet, and the vets rang to say her kidneys and liver were failing and there was nothing they could do for her.
“The vet initially thought it was cancer because Lepto is very rare in southeast Queensland.”
The loss immediately prompted him to install a fence stopping his other three Labradors from accessing the creek.
“Now, we have to keep an eye on our other three [dogs] because it can take 30 days for them to show symptoms, and it’s just as bad in humans,” he said.
He and wife Caroline must also monitor themselves over the coming weeks to ensure they have not contracted the disease in their final interactions with Lexi.
Leptospirosis is zoonotic and can easily go undetected in people. Symptoms mimic those of the common cold and flu.
It transmits through the urine of infected animals, especially mice, rats, cattle, and marsupials.
Lexi was vaccinated for the disease back in 2017 when Mr Guaschi and his family moved over from England. Protection only lasts for a year before a new dose is needed.
Since Lexi’s passing, Mr Guaschi has tried to get his other dogs vaccinated, but finding a vaccine has been difficult given how rare the disease is.
Park Ridge Animal Hospital Owner Dr Nigel Thomas said it is hard to vaccinate for a disease with such a low incidence rate in a particular area, and pet owners should discuss their situation with their vet.
“We haven’t diagnosed a case for a number of years however we need to be aware that these diseases do occur,” he said.
“And after all the rain, we’ve probably seen an explosion of vermin and rodents, which may be increasing the risk of leptospirosis.
“It can present in lots of different forms and can be even a vaguely off-coloured animal, so it’s not always obvious, and does need a specific blood test to diagnose.”
