Wednesday 28 March 2012

Kalazaar


It sounds like one of the biblical Magi...  Caspar, Melchior, Balthazar ....but I think that anyone who has owned a dog in this part of the world knows that this will bring no great gift. Kalazaar is a potentially fatal disease that has struck many Athenian pets in the past.

Known in medical terms as Leishmaniasis, it is transmitted by the bite of a carrier mosquito or sand fly. At first there are little or no symptoms, but left untreated this horrible disease wreaks havoc on the internal organs or skin of the unfortunate animal and leads to a painful death.

Why am I writing about this bleak subject? Well, I would like all pet owners to be aware of the latest updates in the fight against this disease.

Yesterday was time for my much loved dog, Louis, to have his biannual blood test to determine whether or not he has been exposed to Kalazaar.

Luckily, he was fine and his test was negative. While I was waiting for the results, the vet told me about a new anti Kalazaar vaccine that has just come out.  Apparently, it is expensive (€100 a shot) and has to be administered in a specific way. The first time you use the vaccine,  the animal has to receive three shots spaced out at twenty day intervals. The following year it is just one shot along with the other routine vaccinations. 

As there are obviously no long term studies done on possible side effects and long term efficacy, I'm afraid I decided to wait till next year at least before trying it out on Louis. This decision has already made me anxious and I might change my mind.  Vets say it is advisable to do the shots early on in the year as they need three months to fully take effect, so time wise the window of opportunity for this year is narrowing.  In Greece, the most dangerous months for possible Kalazaar infection are June, July, August and September so be prepared either by vaccinating, or by using products such as ©advantix plus nightly anti mosquito sprays.

A friend of mine has gone through the nightmare of dogs with Kalazaar and has chosen to vaccinate her dogs this year.  She told me it gave her peace of mind and added that, although expensive, it is nothing like the huge cost of Kalazaar treatment which can run into thousands of Euros.

♥LOUIS♥





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