Leishmaniasis in Dogs: Everything UK and Northern European Owners Need to Know
Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by Leishmania infantum, transmitted through the bite of sandflies (genus Phlebotomus). It is endemic across the Mediterranean basin, North Africa, the Middle East, and much of Latin America. Dogs are the primary reservoir host. If you take your dog on holiday to southern Europe, understanding this disease is not optional — it's essential.
Where Is the Risk?
High-risk areas include Spain (particularly the south and east), Portugal, Italy, Greece, the Balkans, and Turkey. Climate change is pushing the sandfly range northward — sporadic autochthonous cases have been documented in southern Germany and Switzerland. The risk season runs from late spring to early autumn.
Symptoms — Slow, Insidious, Systemic
- Weight loss and muscle wasting despite normal or increased appetite
- Scaling skin, alopecia (hair loss) — characteristically around the eyes and ears
- Abnormally long, brittle claws — one of the most specific signs
- Nosebleeds
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Eye inflammation (uveitis, conjunctivitis)
- Kidney disease in advanced stages
Incubation can range from months to years — symptoms often appear long after returning from an endemic area.
Diagnosis
Serology (IFAT or ELISA antibody titres) combined with PCR from blood or lymph node/bone marrow aspirates. Serum titre levels correlate with disease severity and serve as treatment monitoring markers.
Treatment
- Meglumine antimoniate (Glucantime) + allopurinol: the standard protocol — 28-day injectable course of antimoniate, then lifelong allopurinol
- Miltefosine + allopurinol: oral alternative, no injections required
- Goal: clinical remission and titre reduction. Complete eradication is not achievable — the parasite persists in a controlled state
- Six-monthly monitoring of titre and kidney function is standard
Prevention
- Sandfly avoidance: sandflies are crepuscular and nocturnal. Keep your dog indoors from dusk to dawn from April to October in endemic areas.
- Deltamethrin collar (e.g. Scalibor): repels and kills sandflies — apply 2–4 weeks before travel
- Permethrin spot-on: effective repellent. Fatal to cats — never use in multi-cat households
- Vaccination (CaniLeish / Letifend): EU-licensed vaccines reduce severity of disease if infection occurs — not 100 % protective but significantly reduces risk of clinical disease
Log every titre result and medication dose in Purzi. Leishmaniasis management is a long game — years of monitoring, with dose adjustments based on trending numbers. Having the full history at your fingertips at every vet visit makes that process dramatically easier.