My Golden Retriever, Lucy, is definitely a water dog. In fact, when there is a lake, creek – even a puddle – within the range of her super sniffer, Lucy seems to forget all of her training. She becomes very focused on a single mission; getting wet!
My husband Jeff and I started putting Lucy in the water when she was a young pup. Retrievers do love to swim after all and our Lucy would be no different. So getting wet and learning to swim was part of her socialization. It worked. Swimming is probably at the top of Lucy’s list of favorite things to do.
In the past month, I’ve added a new dog to our family; a Cockapoo puppy we’ve named Jagger. During a recent trip to the vet’s office for young Jagger’s check-up and vaccinations, my vet spoke to me about Leptospirosis, a bacteria that can be found in slow-moving, stagnant water. A bit surprised that I was hearing about it for the first time though she has been treating Lucy for almost 6 years, I immediately questioned the Lepto vaccine for Lucy given the amount of time she spends in water. Also, if I vaccinate Lucy, does that require the same for Jagger since they’re housemates, never mind that I would also like to see him become a fan of the water?
Time to do some research, Maryanne. And, time to spread the word to other owners about Leptospirosis. While the fact that Lucy loves to roll around in streams and puddles is a risk factor for her, she is also a daycare dog which makes her susceptible to transmission of the bacteria by her playmates. Oh the things to consider (including, the realization that I may be a hypochondriac when it comes to my pets)!
There is a ton of information available online about the disease. As always, I first encourage you to talk to your vet. If you’d like to read some of the info available online, please stick with reputable resources such as Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and Penn Veterinary Medicine (University of Pennsylvania).
