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No. Grafton, Mass. – Tufts veterinarians, and others around the country, are working to explain the steady increase in the number of dogs diagnosed with leptospirosis -- a potentially deadly disease spread by bacteria. The Boston Globe reports that in 1995 and 1996, Tufts' Small Animal Hospital didn't see any cases of the disease -- by 1999, the hospital's veterinarians had treated 17 cases. According to Tufts' Dr. Linda Ross, veterinarians have discovered three new strains of the disease -- which may indicate a growing problem. Despite the unexplained rise in dogs diagnosed with leptospirosis, Ross explains that the disease is not likely to jump over to human populations, as West Nile encephalitis virus did last summer. She told the Boston Globe that the disease is not spread by contact with dogs, but by poor sanitation. "You are far more likely to get it from a rodent in Nicaragua than a dog in Natick," the Globe wrote.
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Canine
Bacteria Infections On Rise, Tufts Vets Say