Dogs Disaster
 

Hello everyone,

What do we do, my partner and I, plus our 2 dogs were due to fly to Australia on the 19th September, our Vets rang this morning with the blood tests results for the dogs, one dog can go and the other has failed the test by lots and cannot go, and all that can be done is that the dog is retested in 4 weeks time, when we are in Australia.

Nightmare. :mad:

Re: Dogs Disaster
 

What are they testing for?
I feel for you. HAve you got friends that can look after the dog until you know the outcome?
ALi

Re: Dogs Disaster
 

Leptospirosis, which one of our dogs have at a high level.

We have had some progress though, our Vet is saying no export, and our Animal Airlines Agent is saying that we can still export, with a second test. I hope the later is true. Just have to wait and see.

Jo

Re: Dogs Disaster
 

Lepto....? I'm none the wiser- but assume its a virus. WE left a cat behind (he was FIV) so can empathise. He's happy and settled in his new home. I've my fingers crossed for you.
Ali

Karma sent

Re: Dogs Disaster
 

Jo I'm so sorry to hear that - must be extremely stressful for you. Were you aware that the dog shouldn't be vaccinated with the Leptospirosis vaccination within 6 months of travelling? I never knew that until somebody told us on this website (just as well as poppy was due her yearly lepto booster jag). My pet shipping agent (pet travel services, Dunfermline) also made me aware of this. I am sure that as long as the dog DOSEN'T HAVE Leptospirosis but its only that its levels are high it will be able to fly when the levels have came back down to normal range again - however if the dog has actually contracted the Leptospirosis disease it could be a different story - please don't give up - there must be a way round this - you might have to put the dog into kennels until blood levels are normal agin then get the pet trevel agent to send the dog as soon as its ready.

Lynn x

Re: Dogs Disaster
 

It comes from rats' urine and in humans presents as Weils' Disease. I thought it was bacterial, but not so sure now I think about it. If it was, then presumably it could be treated with a/bs.

As I understand it, a dog has to be free from antibodies for a minimum of 30 days before they can be shipped, but don't quote me on that.

Good luck - I can't imagine how upset you must be feeling. :(

Sue

Re: Dogs Disaster
 

Hi Jo_west,

The same thing happened to us and right up untill we were boarding we were unsure if one of our dogs was going to be allowed to fly.Both were at the Airport! Another last minute blood test showed the levels as lower than before but still high and so that was OK. I feel for you. Sending our dogs over was the most stressfull thing thats ever happened to us but I will tell you all that went wrong after you get here so as not to unduly worry you.

Suffice it to say that they both arrived safetly and well even though they had just had an unexpected trip to Bankok.

As long as the blood retest shows no increase in levels the dogs will be allowed to fly. And you don't have to wait 4 weeks. 4 weeks is the normal procedure but you can force the vet to skip the wait and do it again a few days later. but the longer you leave it the better. Karma to you.

Re: Dogs Disaster
 

Thanks everyone,

Our dogs test show 1:800, where the limit is 1:400, so we are not sure what is going to happen, our Animal Agent said retest and everything should be fine, and our Vet says not. So our vet is ringing our agent today, fingers crossed are agent is correct.

Jo

Re: Dogs Disaster
 

OKIES I have spoken with friends in dog circles, and mates on another forum i use : Lepto results can be f****D up by the testing LAB !!

READ BELOW

Canine Leptospirosis:

Current Issues on Infection and Vaccination

Leptospirosis, a contagious disease affecting both animals and humans and spread by infection with a bacterial pathogen called Leptospira, may result in chronic liver and kidney disease and fatality in the dog. Over the past 30 years, preventative vaccination against two of the most common Leptospires, L. canicola and L. icterohaemorrhagiae, have nearly eradicated clinical disease associated with these strains among the inoculated population. Though not without potential side effects associated with allergic reactions to inoculant in a small number of dogs, the risks of not vaccinating for Leptospirosis once far outweighed risks of vaccine-reaction. In recent years, however, new outbreaks of Leptospirosis have been reported in the population of vaccinated dogs. Clinical evidence now suggests that these new cases are associated with the once, less-common Leptospires for which current vaccines do not protect against. In light of these findings, the process of vaccinating dogs with the current Leptospirosis vaccines is being seriously questioned.

The following article provides a detailed examination of infectious Leptospirosis in the canine and the recent clinical findings and misconceptions surrounding the controversy of using current vaccines to immunize dogs.



Infectious Leptospirosis

The Leptospira Organism. Leptospires are known as "aquatic spirochetes": they thrive in water and appear long and helical with a characteristic hook on one or both ends. These organisms are divided into two species, Leptospira biflexa and Leptospira interogans, the latter of which is pathogenic in animals and humans. L. interogans is divided into strains, or serovars, based upon the types of antigens (cell-surface markers against which the infected host will make antibodies) on their surface. These cell surface antigens provide little cross-immunity against one serovar and the next; that is, a dog that has developed immunity to one strain by either previous infection or vaccination will not be able to immunologically fend-off an infection of a different, subsequent strain. Despite this, however, these antigens may be cross-reactive in serological testing; that is, diagnostic testing to differentiate one serovar infection from another may lead to false-positive results because some antigens from one strain may have similarities to antigens from another strain.

Re: Dogs Disaster
 

When my husband dropped our dog off at the Animal shippers we were still awaiting our test results and the guy put the fear of god into him so much about the dog failing the Lepto that we were convinced we were going to fail. As it was, in the batch Mungo was in he passed and the other two dogs failed, so it obviously happens quite often. I was so relieved but had already made back up plans from Perth if he was to fail.

In retrospect, I don't think enough is made about this test and the potential failing of it, and the implications of failing, in any literature. Good luck, I would go with the retesting and I hope all will be OK. (The agents/shippers just retest and retest until all OK). Another hiccup could be if you lose your place at the destination immigration pound.

Fingers crossed for you and some karma to get you through.

Re: Dogs Disaster
 

Cant say much to help, but am keeping my fingers crossed for you. ;)

Re: Dogs Disaster
 

Please do not panic and be positive. We were faced with a similar situation when one of our retrievers failed the leptospirosis test, was re-tested after the required time and no traces found. Aparently if the second test shows lower than first it is OK.
Roger

Re: Dogs Disaster
 

One alternative would be to use another vet.
Good luck

OPTUS

Re: Dogs Disaster
 

Another point to all this is, when you realise you will be coming out here when your dogs vacinations are due don't get the lepto vaccine done. You can ask your vet not to do it as it will cause a positive result months later.

jenny

Re: Dogs Disaster
 

No you cant do this, I'f you skip the lepto jab you won't have an up to date and complete vacination card in the eyes of the Ausie vets and even the official UK gov vet will reject it. You need to give the jab a good six months before leaving and make sure the vacination card gets all its correct stickers and signatures on it.