Leishmaniasis in dogs ?

[frumpety]

Trying to figure out if this condition is transferable to humans and other dogs. Some info says not, but other info says it is zoonotic and can be transferred if the lesions are active ? I know it isn't curable and can be managed with allopurinol medication quite easily.

Does anyone on here have a dog that is leish positive and can give me a definitive answer ?

[OverFedStanley]

Is this a dog from abroad?

My limited understanding is that it can be transferred to humans from dogs but only via blood?

Have you already adopted the dog?

[OverFedStanley]

Not medical so could be talking bollocks but bump for more knowledgeable poster

[frumpety]

Overfed no not adopted a dog, I am on a few breed specific rescue sites and the dogs are from the med, some are negative and some are positive for Leish, they all get tested. I have been thinking of offering to foster.

[Costacoffeeplease]

I live in the algarve, we have a lot of leish here. I haven’t heard of transference to humans, or other dogs actually

[Veterinari]

Yes leishmaniasis is zoonotic and can transfer to humans. In January we also had the first confirmed case of transfer to another dog, despite the sandfly vector not being present in the UK so whilst unusual it seems direct transmission is possible too. There’s also been a case of direct transmission in Germany.

I’d be very cautious. If dogs are being imported with active leishmaniasis i’d Be concerned as to what other diseases they may be harbouring

[Gorse]

We lived in a Leishmaniasis hot spot, our then rescue dog had it. After the diagnosis and (horrendous) initial treatment the condition was easily managed. The vets and dog owning community at large were unfazed by it, it's extremely widespread in many countries. Personally, I would not reject a dog with this condition, and I think you would be desperately unlucky to contract it yourself.

[mrsjoyfulprizeforraffiawork]

I had a dog in Greece that I then brought to UK after a few years (I would not have brought her if the sandflies had reached mainland UK - they were in the Channel Islands but no nearer). She was found to have leishmaniasis in Greece and had a year or so of allopurinol. Then the local vet (in Greece) told me that a new treatment had come onto the market, still at that time in the experimental stage but they were getting good results and, as my dog was in the earlier stages, he thought we should try it. It was miltefosine and, as far as I can gauge, is still unavailable in the UK but available in Europe. She never had any problem with leishmaniasis after that and started testing negative - this was one of the reasons why I felt safe to bring her to the UK. She lived for a further 10 years. When I brought her to the UK, the new vet here was very interested and asked for the name of the treatment she had which he then recommended to another client for their Spanish dog - they were willing to travel back to Spain for the treatment in the hopes of saving their beloved dog. I would be quite surprised if it was proven that leishmania could be transmitted from dogs to humans except by sandfly bites as it is rife in dogs in Southern Europe but I have yet to meet a resident of S. Europe who has contracted it (and I have a house in Greece and have had for 29 years). What eventually finished my dog off was renal failure probably secondary to leiomyomata in her vaginal wall, which had been diagnosed a couple of years before and could not be removed- nothing to do with parasitic infection - just bad luck. She was 13 years old which was one year beyond her average life expectancy for a Greek collie crossbreed.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

I would also add to @Veterinari comments management of a dog who is positive for leshi is an expensive, complex and long term commitment. It is not just a course of treatment and job done. It is at least months and months of treatment, then regular blood tests and the likelihood of flares ups long term.
If we continue to import dogs with leshi in the UK it is highly likely that our vectors in the U.K. Will start to transmit it to humans.