Dogs on the small side are thought to be the ones who tend to have adverse reactions to leptospirosis vaccinations, but “at Tufts,” says clinician Mary Labato, DVM, DACVIM, “we recommend lepto vaccination for all dogs, not just medium and large dogs.” In fact, she says, 50 percent of dogs treated for leptospirosis at Tufts weigh less than 25 pounds. And a Michigan study reported that while almost 25 percent of more than 1,200 dogs examined had tested positive for lepto bacteria, terrier and toy breeds in that group tested positive about 30 percent of the time. “That was a higher percentage than large breed and hunting dogs,” Dr. Labato says.
