My dog has leishmaniasis. Can he be treated instead of put down?

Yes, cutaneous leishmaniasis should be treated. The problem here is that the dog will infect more phlebotomus flies as they sting and take up her infected blood. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is also a zoonosis which can infect humans via the sand fly (phlebotomus). Here is an article by a leishmaniasis group of veterinarians which details treatment options, etc. : https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1756-3305-4-86 Unfortunately the prognosis is very guarded to grave and many will eventually die of renal failure. Treatments include medications such as sodium stibogluconate, meglumine antimonite, allopurinol and/or amphotericin B, most often in combination. Supportive treatments including intravenous fluid support, special diets and antibiotics if the skin lesions are infected.

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. So sorry that Gigi is having this issue. The lesion on her nose could sure be due to Leishmania which is prevalent in the Middle East however, it could be due to other causes. Was any testing done to confirm the leishmania? Cytology, biopsy, histopathology, serology? There is no cure for Leishmania however, treatment can often keep the disease at bay. Treatment is lifelong is most cases. If organ failure/involvement is already present then the likelihood the of the medications working is minimal. Also, treatment is often expensive and cost prohibitive for many people. The prognosis overall is not great. Here is a link to an article about this disease: ( https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/leishmaniasis-in-dogs ) If your cousin wants to seek treatment her vet will need to source the medications for her. They are not medications we use frequently, at least not here in the U.S. as we rarely see this disease. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If you are referring to the infection leptospirosis, then yes this can be cured though it normally requires a long course of therapy and patients unfortunately can die from this condition if not treated appropriately and in a timely fashion. Some patients need to be in the hospital if they are doing poorly most of the time when the liver is severely affected. Good luck and have a great day!

If he was diagnosed early enough, there is a chance at recovering. It depends on the severity of the infection as well as Leo's overall health. Without a physical exam, it would not be prudent to offer up a prognosis. You can read more about the condition below. https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/pythiosis/

I would have Hera re-examined by the vet and perform x-rays of the lungs and throat area and do a CBC to check for anemia. I am not quite sure what to think of the fluid sounds you described as it isn't a common issue. It's also hard to say if the exercise intolerance is related to the Leishmaniasis or a separate issue, which could be caused by heart disease, lung disease, anemia, myasthenia gravis, among a few rarer things.

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach to address your concerns. In regards to treatment for Neospora caninum, it is treated similarly to Toxoplasmosis. Either Clindamycin or sulfa drugs are used for prolonged periods of time to treat either one of these infections. You can test for Neospora caninum by sending out a blood sample to the laboratory for confirmatory purposes. I would suggest having her tested for this disease to rule out this condition definitively to see if the medication is even warranted. If this is degenerative myelopathy, unfortunately there is not much successful treatment for this condition. The ultimate outcome of degenerative myelopathy is death. There is no cure. The good news is that intensive physical rehabilitation and properly fitted and selected assist equipment can extend a dog's survival time by almost 3 years versus 6-12 months for dogs that do not receive physical therapy. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns I can help you with.

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach, I am sorry to hear of Cooper's diagnosis. This can be very hard to say without seeing Cooper first. The prognosis does depend on if the disease was caught early or late, and what treatments Cooper is currently receiving. Younger animals generally fair a bit worse with a leptospirosis infection than older animals. Typically, prognosis is better if caught early and not so good if caught late in the game as the leptospirosis bacteria can cause organ damage in late or advanced stages. Best wishes to you and Cooper and best of luck!