Leptospirosis: Second dog catches deadly disease in Erskineville, after dog dies on northern beaches

Dog owners on the northern beaches are rushing to get their beloved pooches vaccinated against a deadly disease – as a second dog has been diagnosed with leptospirosis in the inner west.

A second Sydney dog has been diagnosed with a deadly blood infection.

The latest case of leptospirosis, a rare but mostly fatal disease, was in Erskineville on Friday.

Dr Christine Griebsch, a specialist in leptospirosis at the Sydney School of Veterinary Science, said the Erskineville dog had a chance of surviving because it was diagnosed at a very early stage.

The dog is currently being treated at the vet hospital at Sydney University.

Another dog from Elanora Heights on the northern beaches died from leptospirosis last week.

It was the first time a dog had acquired leptospirosis locally on the northern beaches and it has caused a rush of people to get their dogs vaccinated.

The University of Sydney Veterinary Teaching Hospital Specialist for Small Animal and Internal Medicines Dr Christine Griebsch, with Labrador Stich. Picture: Dylan Robinson

The disease, which can also be passed onto humans, is spread through contact with the urine of an infected animal, mainly rats and possibly mice.

“It is often hard to trace back to the source of infection,” Dr Griebsch said.

“But it is normally through stagnant water where rats have excreted urine. But it can also be anywhere a rat has been as they constantly excrete urine.

“So it could be on a blade of grass and the dog can pick it up just by licking the grass.”

She also advised dog owners to keep their pets away from ponds or waterways until they have been vaccinated.

Rats spread the disease which can be deadly to dogs.

Northern Sydney Local Health District confirmed there have also been two cases of the disease among people living on the beaches in the first six months of the year.

However, they had traced those infections back to trips to rural NSW, which is currently suffering from a mice plague, and is being blamed for a spike in leptospirosis among humans.

Last week vets put out an urgent alert to dog owners on the peninsula to get their pets vaccinated.

One vet said he had heard the dog that died in Elanora had frequented Narrabeen Lagoon. Picture: Julian Andrews

They also cautioned dogs that until they have had the first of their two course jab to keep their dogs on the leash, stop them sniffing other animal’s urine or going near stagnant water and to consider keeping their pets away from waterways such as lagoons and lakes.

One vet said he had heard that the dog that died in Elanora Heights had frequented the Narrabeen Lagoon area.

Dr Kalil Mahmood from Northern Narrabeen Veterinary Hospital said the best prevention was vaccination, but otherwise to keep the dog on the leash when out walking. He was advising his clients to be cautious around allowing their dogs near water, including the lake.

The vaccine uptake has been enormous with clinics reporting mass vaccinations since last week.

Dr Natalie Slade, owner of The Beaches Vets in Manly Vale, said her team had vaccinated hundreds of dogs since the Elanora Heights death.

“We have been very busy and under pressure to fit everyone in,” she said, estimating that they had vaccinated around 50 per cent of the dogs on their books.

A dog being vaccinated against leptospirosis.

Eva Buchler, from Allambie Vets said they had been “swamped” too.

“We are seeing 60 to 80 extra vaccinations a day,” she said. “It’s pretty full on.”

Even in Avalon, further up the coast which is an area which in the past has consistently failed to meet government targets in terms of child immunisation, dog owners were keen to get their pooches jabbed.

Hannah Melchiorsen, a nurse at Avalon Veterinary Hospital, said they were “under the pump”, confirming that close to 100 dogs, if not more, had been vaccinated against leptospirosis at the clinic so far.