Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by a protozoan parasite of the Leishmania genus, transmitted through the bite of an infected sandfly. This insect can pose a risk to both humans and animals.
Female sandflies act similarly to common mosquitoes: they bite repeatedly, draw blood from infected animals, and then transmit the parasite to domestic dogs and cats. These insects are typically active from May to the end of September, but due to rising global temperatures and prolonged warm seasons from climate change, their life cycle is extending into other times of the year.
How Does Leishmaniasis Affect Dogs?
Canine leishmaniasis is a complex and potentially serious disease. However, with early diagnosis and proper management, affected dogs can enjoy a good quality of life.
Symptoms vary greatly and may take months or even years to appear after initial infection. There are two main types of leishmaniasis in dogs: cutaneous and visceral, meaning the disease can affect various parts of the body.
Cutaneous leishmaniasis presents as crusts, scaling, and hair loss (alopecia), typically around the snout, ears, and eyes, although elbows and knees are also common sites.
Visceral leishmaniasis affects internal organs, including the liver, kidneys, and bone marrow. Symptoms like weight loss, lack of appetite, and chronic diarrhea may indicate organ damage.
Dogs with leishmaniasis often show ocular signs such as:
Oral signs may include nodules or ulcerative lesions on the tongue surface and oral mucosa.
How Does Leishmaniasis Affect Cats?
Feline leishmaniasis is a chronic disease with clinical signs and abnormalities similar to those observed in dogs. The most common skin lesions are ulcerative and nodular dermatitis.
The most frequent ocular manifestation is uveitis.
Oral signs include nodules on the tongue and/or gingival mucosa, or chronic stomatitis.
How to Address This Disease
The best protection against leishmaniasis is prevention. It’s advisable for your pet to be protected using repellent collars or spot-on treatments against sandflies. Another option is the leishmaniasis vaccine—although it is not preventive in the traditional sense, since it requires the sandfly to bite the dog for it to be effective.
While there is no definitive cure for leishmaniasis, the disease can be treated and managed, allowing affected animals to maintain a good quality of life. Diagnosis can be challenging, but at IVeM we recommend that if you suspect your dog may have this disease or shows any of the symptoms described, you visit us as soon as possible so we can perform the appropriate tests.
