Advice desperately needed

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FinkleyAlex

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Posting this on behalf of my aunt in France who is going out of her mind. Her four year old Heinz 57 rescue dog went swimming in a brook about 3 months ago, which they later found out may be contaminated with sewage water. Two weeks after that the dog developed red gums as with gingivitis, a loss of appetite and generally didn't seem himself. Took him to vet number one who said it wasn't gingivitis but was at a loss as to what it could be - blood tests etc all normal. One week after that the poor dog developed ulcers on his gums, nose and his eyes became red and watery. It would seem all his mucous membranes have been affected by whatever he has. The ulcers cause him to foam from the mouth (which smells foul) and the poor thing looks like he has rabies. He is assisted with feeding so as to get food in him without going near his gums, and he can drink alright. He still enjoys walks which are short as his energy levels have gone to pot. So far the dog has seen seven vets in Marseille and Paris, all blood tests are normal, swabs have shown absolutely nothing other than vet number seven found Staphylococcus bacteria. They tested a number of antibiotics to see which was the most effective against it (Doxycycline - though he was given various other antibiotics prior to this finding). He was also prescribed a steroid. It has been three weeks since this discovery and he has finished his antibiotics and steroids and is only slightly perkier - all the symptoms are still ongoing. I would have PTS weeks ago as the poor thing looks and is a state, but my aunt wants to try all options before considering this. Has anybody heard of any cases like this?
 
Leptospirosis is an important world known zoonosis (an animal disease that can be transmitted to humans). Although there are many pathogenic serotypes, only two are considered as most important as far as dogs are concerned. Serotype Canicola, related to acute interstitial nephritis and Serotype Icterohaemorraghiaewhich affects the liver, provoking ictericia and hemorrhage. The way of contagion is probably by eating or inhaling infected material, especially the urine of a sick animal. In mild cases you will observe a slight disorder that will only last a couple of days. More severe cases present fever almost since the beginning of the infestation, with depression and extreme thirst. There can be vomits, abdominal pain and kidney inflammation. In uremic cases, you observe mouth &/or tongue ulcers, generally accompanied by bad breath. On occasions, the dog shows signs of ictericia although that is observed more frequently in the infection with the Serotype Icterohaemorraghiae.

The infection by Leptospira Icterohaemorraghiae follows a similar initial course than that of the Serotype Canicola, which lasts approximately 1 week. After that, they both follow different courses. Meanwhile the latter produces nephropathy, the first one is a hepathocellular degeneration with necrosis of variable intensity. Sudden fever, ictericia and extreme exhaustion often show up, as well as vomiting, thirst and diarrhea tainted in blood. There can be petechial hemorrhages in the mucous membranes of the oral or conjunctive cavity which can be very congested. The State of the dog deteriorates rapidly. The sudden appearance of victories yet and fever and a young animal can suggest that a disease is present. Vaccination is extremely important and the first shot can be applied when the puppy is 12 weeks old. This vaccination and the subsequent ones must be done under a strict veterinary control.
 
Thank you - I've never heard of this myself but many of the causes/symptoms ring true. However you'd have thought he'd present a high WBC count in his blood tests but he hasn't, bizarrely enough. Also they say CL is easily treated with antibiotics (ie isn't resistant) and given he's had about five different varieties you'd have thought it would be gone by now. Nonetheless I will forward my aunt some links and ask her to have him tested for it at the national Paris Vet School (her next port of call). Any more ideas are welcomed!
 
Im not a vet but would think Lepto is highly unlikely, having had a vaccinated dog die of this the onset was so fast, symptoms on the Sunday, straight into vet where he stayed and had pts on the Monday.

Ive no idea what is wrong with your aunts dog but If it was my dog I would be giving him something to boost his immune system and easily digested food so as not to put a strain on his body, also a probiotic.

Can the vets contact a big vet hospital in the Uk with a full history to see if anyone can help.

It might be worth pming Aru on here as she is a vet and maybe she can shed some light on this, I do hope the dog makes a complete recovery with no lasting affects. I would also think it would be a good idea if someone took some samples of the brook the dog swam in and test it, you might find the answers you are looking for.
 
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Maybe the sewage in the brook is a red herring & nothing to do with his illness - sewage would generally cause onset of diahorrea pretty quickly.
Cyanobacter poisoning sounds more likely so you are dealing with the effects of a toxin rather than an infection. The is usually fatal but the symptoms of survivors match.
Not good news I'm afraid.
 
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