What is leishmaniasis?
Found mainly in the south of France and around the Mediterranean, leishmaniasis is a serious, chronic disease that affects both dogs and humans!
Symptoms:
This disease is difficult to detect because the symptoms are multiple, not always present at the same time and sometimes not very specific:
-Weakness, weight loss
-Increased lymph node size
-Hair loss, dandruff
-Truffle damage, claw lengthening
-Dermatitis
-Lameness
Beware: once declared, leishmaniasis is an incurable disease.
Diagnosis and treatment:
Tests (urine, blood, skin sample, lymph node puncture, etc.) are necessary to confirm the infection and disease, and to assess the impact on the body before treatment is started.
Unfortunately, no treatment can eradicate the parasite once the dog is infected. Although treatment is often long and restrictive, it can relieve the animal, slow down the evolution of the disease and prevent relapses.
Where and when?
With global warming, we're seeing an increase in sandfly activity:
-The period of activity can extend from March to November, depending on the region.
-Over the past few years, there has been a sharp increase in the west and north of the country.
-Located in the south.
So remember to protect your pet even when you're away on vacation!
How to protect your dog
- Pest control:
Its aim is to combat the sandfly that transmits the disease. To achieve this, it is recommended to:
. Limit your dog's access to sites where the sandfly can develop (dry stone walls, damp, sheltered areas).
Keep dogs indoors from dusk until dawn.
Protect your dog with a suitable veterinary antiparasitic product throughout the risk period (March to November).
Caution: Not all antiparasitics are effective against sandflies.
-Vaccination:
. It reduces the risk of developing the disease. However, as it does not provide 100% protection, it must be used in conjunction with pest control.
It can be administered to your dog from the age of 6 months, independently of the usual vaccinations.
Depending on your geographical location, your veterinarian can carry out a preliminary screening.
Did you know?
. Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by a parasite called Leishmania infantum. The multiplication of this parasite forms deposits that spread to different parts of the body, eventually leading to severe kidney damage and death.
Leishmaniasis is transmitted to dogs by a biting insect called a "phlebotomine". Often confused with mosquitoes, sandflies are actually hairier and half their size.
Their behavior is quite different from that of mosquitoes.
Protective measures must be taken during the insect's active season. The risk is greatest on windless and rainless nights, when temperatures are between 17°C and 40°C.
