Canine leishmaniasis: preventing infection in the Mediterranean basin

The sandfly is only a few millimetres long, does not buzz audibly and is active mostly from dusk to dawn in the warm months. It bites the dog, takes blood and, if infected, deposits the parasite in the skin. From there Leishmania spreads through the body over a period ranging from a few months to years. The dog does not directly infect people or other dogs by contact: the insect is always needed as the bridge, with very rare exceptions linked to transfusions or passage from mother to puppies.

No single measure removes the risk, but layering several cuts bites sharply. The cornerstone is the use of parasiticides with a repellent action against sandflies, which not every product has: effective spot ons and collars contain specific molecules and should be chosen with your vet, respecting the stated duration and reapplication timing.

• Repellent collars and spot ons registered against the sandfly, applied continuously through the whole risk season rather than only after the first bites.
• Keeping the dog indoors during the vector's peak hours, from dusk to dawn, especially in endemic areas and near vegetation.
• Fine mesh screens on the windows of rooms where the dog sleeps, because ordinary mesh lets an insect this small pass through.
• Fans and moving air in sleeping spaces: the sandfly flies poorly and lands less where air circulates.
• Care of the area around the house: removing damp leaves, standing water and organic matter where larvae develop.
• Discussing the available vaccine with your vet, which does not replace repellents but adds a layer in suitable dogs that have already tested negative.

Leishmaniasis has a slow course and highly variable signs, which owners often put down to age or to something else. Not every infected dog becomes ill: some control the infection for years, others develop disease. That is why periodic testing matters even in a dog that looks healthy, because it catches the problem before it damages the kidneys and other organs.

• Skin lesions: hair loss around the eyes and on the muzzle, crusts, heavy dandruff, wounds that will not heal.
• Claws that grow abnormally long, a sign as typical as it is overlooked.
• Progressive weight loss, tiredness, reduced appetite and activity.
• Enlarged lymph nodes, felt under the jaw and behind the knees.
• Nosebleeds, increased thirst and urine output, signs that may point to kidney involvement.
• Lameness and joint pain with no obvious traumatic cause.

The right time to test a dog living in an endemic area is at the end of the sandfly season, usually between late autumn and winter, so as to catch infections picked up over the summer just gone. A dog adopted from endemic regions, or before travel or a blood donation, should be checked regardless of season. The reference test measures antibodies and is interpreted by the vet alongside blood and urine work, because a single figure is not enough to decide.

A diagnosis of leishmaniasis is not a death sentence. Many dogs, caught in time and followed consistently, live long with good quality of life. Management is chronic and built on monitoring: treatment is decided by the vet according to stage, kidney function and the signs present, and it goes hand in hand with scheduled checks.

Keeping a diary of values and signs helps tell a real deterioration from a passing change, and makes follow up visits more useful. Consistent vector prevention still matters after diagnosis: it cuts new bites and limits the chance that the infected dog feeds the cycle toward other animals.