How leptospirosis left a pet dog fighting for its life in a Hong Kong vet’s clinic and its owner with a US$50,000 bill
- Leptospirosis, a bacterial disease spread in rat urine, can seriously damage pets’ liver and kidneys, in some cases killing them. People can get it too
- One Hong Kong dog owner sees his infected pet recover; another is not so lucky. Vets warn owners to keep dogs on a leash around watercourses to avoid the bug
When Tong Jun-wan moved to Hong Kong from New York in 2020, he chose to live in Tseng Lan Shue, a small village in Sai Kung in the New Territories.
The rural environment was perfect for his active lifestyle – and his dog Buchi, a Labrador retriever he had relocated from the United States.
“My village house is on section four of the Wilson Trail,” says Tong, referring to the 78km (48-mile) south-north footpath that runs through Hong Kong country parks. “There are streams for Buchi to run through … he loves jumping in the water with a frisbee.”
But in early September, Buchi, two, contracted leptospirosis, a bacterial disease that can cause serious damage to the kidneys and liver. In severe cases it can be fatal. The disease can also affect humans.
“There are more than 200 different strains of this bacteria, but only six to eight of them can infect dogs,” says Joshua Steinhaus, a specialist in internal medicine at Hong Kong’s Veterinary Specialty Hospital. “The bacteria can infect many organs, including the kidneys, liver, spleen and brain,” he says.
Usually spread by rat urine, leptospirosis is most commonly caught in Hong Kong during the summer rainy season, when dogs splash through tainted rivers, streams and puddles, or worse, drink from them. Infected dogs can also spread the disease through their urine.