What leishmaniasis is and how it is transmitted
This article is part of our guide to Travelling with a dog.
Leishmaniasis is a chronic disease caused by the single-celled parasite Leishmania infantum. It is transmitted through the bite of infected sandflies of the genus Phlebotomus. The parasite lodges in certain cells of the immune system and can burden the body for years.
Affected are mainly dogs from southern Europe and dogs that were there on holiday. Due to climate change, the vectors are now occasionally detected in Germany and Austria too. In our data leishmaniasis comes up regularly: among the evaluated treatment incidents from 50 euros, 74 were for leishmaniasis, from the blood test through the check-up to the treatment.
Where the risk lies and which dogs are at risk
The main risk areas are the Mediterranean countries, especially Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, southern France, Croatia and Turkey. Sandflies are widespread there, and they are especially active in the warm season and at dusk.
Dogs that come from animal rescue in the south and dogs that travel along on holiday carry an increased risk. If you are planning a trip to a risk area, protection against sandflies is crucial. You can read about which other diseases lurk in the south in the guide on Mediterranean diseases in dogs.
Focus on the cuddles, we'll focus on the costs.
Spotting symptoms, including in the early stage
Leishmaniasis often develops insidiously and with non-specific signs. Typical ones are:
- Skin changes and flaking, often around the eyes and ears
- Hair loss, especially as a so-called spectacle pattern around the eyes
- poorly healing skin spots or ulcers
- strikingly long, brittle claw growth
- weight loss despite a normal appetite
- listlessness, swollen lymph nodes and recurring nosebleeds
Early stage and coat changes
Especially at the start, much of it plays out on the skin and coat. Typical are flaking and bald patches around the eyes, the so-called spectacle pattern, along with a dull coat and small, poorly healing skin spots. Because these signs also fit allergies or a parasite infestation, they are often overlooked in the early stage. For a dog with a travel history to a risk area, an early look by the vet is therefore worthwhile.
For orientation on how the signs change with the stage:
| Stage | Typical signs |
|---|---|
| Early stage | Flaking and hair loss around the eyes and ears, dull coat, mild listlessness |
| Advanced | poorly healing ulcers, long claw growth, weight loss, swollen lymph nodes |
| Late stage | involvement of internal organs, especially the kidneys, markedly reduced general condition |
In the early stage the signs are easy to overlook because they also fit many other conditions. With the following check you can quickly place travel history and signs in context:
Is leishmaniasis contagious?
Direct transmission from dog to dog or from dog to human is rare in everyday life, because the parasite generally needs the sandfly as a vector. Stroking, playing or sharing a household does not normally transmit the disease.
Leishmaniasis is, however, a zoonosis, which means humans can also become infected through sandfly bites. If you live with people who have a weakened immune system, discuss the situation openly with the vet and, if appropriate, your family doctor.
How the vet diagnoses leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis can only be reliably confirmed at the vet. Most commonly a blood test is done that looks for antibodies against the pathogen, often reported as a titre. In addition or for confirmation, a PCR test or a tissue sample can be used, with which the parasite is detected directly.
Because the incubation period is long, a test right after the trip can still be unremarkable. After a stay in a risk area it therefore makes sense to repeat the test after a few weeks or months, ideally after consulting your vet practice.
Treatment and therapy
Leishmaniasis is not fully curable but can be managed well. The treatment of choice is allopurinol, which inhibits the growth of the parasites and is usually given over a long time, often for life. Depending on the stage, further active substances such as miltefosine or an antimony-based agent are added, alone or in combination.
Alongside this, a low-purine diet is usually needed, because otherwise allopurinol can promote the formation of urinary stones. If the kidneys are already affected, kidney protection is treated in addition. It is important to continue the therapy consistently and keep the check-up appointments, because the disease can return in flare-ups.
Focus on the cuddles, we'll focus on the costs.
Life expectancy, course and end stage
How leishmaniasis progresses depends heavily on the stage at diagnosis and on how early treatment begins. If the disease is detected in time and treated consistently, your dog can live many years with a good quality of life.
If it is left untreated, however, it progresses and damages organs such as the kidneys. In the end stage there is a risk of serious complications and the outlook is poor. This is precisely why early diagnosis and ongoing support from the vet are so important.
Preventing leishmaniasis, sandfly protection and vaccination
The best protection is preventing sandfly bites. This is achieved with several building blocks:
- a repellent as a collar or spot-on with a repelling effect, recommended by the vet
- avoid walks at dusk and at night, because sandflies are active then
- use fly screens and mosquito nets indoors
- a leishmaniasis vaccination, which can lower the risk of severe courses but does not prevent infection and requires a prior negative blood test
Discuss the protection with your vet practice a few weeks before a trip, so that everything takes effect in time.
What the treatment costs and how Dalma provides cover abroad
Because leishmaniasis is usually treated and monitored over a long time, recurring costs arise. In our data the reimbursement for the relevant cases is around 230 euros at the median, while individual cases with extensive diagnostics or inpatient treatment reach around 1,730 euros. Over the entire treatment period this adds up.
With Dalma's pet health insurance, treating a condition such as leishmaniasis is covered within your tariff, provided it did not already exist at the start of the contract and the waiting period has been met. Reimbursement is up to 4 times the GOT rate; you choose 80 or 100 percent and an annual benefit limit from 1,500 euros to unlimited. Your cover applies worldwide except for the USA, the US territories and Canada, also during a temporary stay abroad of up to five years. The sandfly protection and the vaccination can be submitted through the health insurance's precautionary budget (up to 100 euros a year).
Sources
- Dalma consumer information
- Dalma table of benefits
- ESCCAP Germany, leishmaniasis in dogs
- ESCCAP Germany, testing correctly for leishmaniasis
- ESCCAP Germany, Recommendation No. 5 on vector-borne diseases
- Dalma DE internal claims database, dogs, cases from 50 euros, evaluated at incident level (74 leishmaniasis incidents, aggregated analysis, reproducibly documented)
Sources
- Dalma consumer information
- Dalma table of benefits
- ESCCAP Germany, leishmaniasis in dogs
- ESCCAP Germany, testing correctly for leishmaniasis
- ESCCAP Germany, Recommendation No. 5 on vector-borne diseases
- Dalma DE internal claims database, dogs, cases from 50 euros, evaluated at incident level (74 leishmaniasis incidents, aggregated analysis, reproducibly documented)
