The Sooke Veterinary Hospital is reacting to the death of a dog from leptospirosis by providing an all-day vaccination clinic at its 6520 Sooke Rd. facility today.

The dog died Tuesday after a week-long battle for its life.

The case in Sooke had been the latest in a string of cases that had popped up around the Greater Victoria region, raising concerns the illness may spread further.

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Dr. Deborah Lambert of the Sooke Veterinary Hospital decided yesterday, in light of the overwhelming public demand for inoculations for the disease, she would give up her day off to give dogs the vaccination.

Leptospirosis is a bacteria that can be life-threatening. It spreads through the urine of infected animals and, although itB次元官网网址檚 rare, it can be transmitted to humans, putting people at risk for kidney damage and liver failure. The bacteria largely survives in stagnant water which has been contaminated with an infected animalB次元官网网址檚 urine.

As the disease is relatively rare, it has not been included in the regular panel of inoculations generally given to dogs.

B次元官网网址淭he vaccine can cause some soreness as well, so we hadnB次元官网网址檛 as a rule, included it in the regular vaccinations,B次元官网网址� Lambert said.

B次元官网网址淪till, this is a very serious illness and, now that we have some cases here, people have to realize that the vaccination is far better than the disease.B次元官网网址�

At the Otter Point Veterinary Hospital, spokesperson Katie Reynolds reported that the clinic has been overwhelmed by requests for vaccinations as well.

B次元官网网址淟ots of people are calling and weB次元官网网址檝e reduced the price of the vaccinations and boosters to make the vaccine more accessible,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e pretty much booked up right now and into next week, but we urge people who are wanting the vaccine to give us a call and make arrangments to get the examination and shot.B次元官网网址�

Anyone wanting to protect their dog from the disease should contact their veterinarian for further information.

editor@sookenewsmirror.com
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