The first two cases of a deadly dog disease were reported in Island County last week. Two German shepherd dogs from the South End contracted leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that affects the blood, liver and kidneys. It can be fatal to dogs if they are not treated in the early stages of the disease.

Robben Jones, a Clinton veterinarian, reported the first two cases of the disease in two dogs from the same house. She is treating both dogs.

“We don’t routinely test for it, but the symptoms of these two dogs alerted me to the possibility,” Jones said.

The dogs in Jones’ care are being treated aggressively with antibiotics and are recovering so far.

The disease is often transmitted by contaminated rat, raccoon, swine and deer urine.

Local veterinarians are advising owners to have their dogs vaccinated against this sometimes fatal disease.

Clinical signs of dogs with the disease include fever, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, depression, lethargy, weight loss, urinary incontinence and acute renal failure.

Veterinarians have not routinely vaccinated for the disease for a number of years because cases were rare and potential side-effects from the vaccine can be harsh.

Because more cases of the disease have been reported recently David Parent, a Freeland veterinarian, said he has been on the lookout for it among his clinic’s patients.

“I am advising my patients to have their dogs vaccinated,” Parent said.

“We got away from vaccinating for the disease first, because it was very rare, and because some dogs had an allergic reaction to the vaccine, including swelling to the face, hives and in some rare cases … anaphylactic reactions requiring medical treatment,” Parent said.

Both Jones and Parent said they have been assured by the manufacturers that the vaccine is safe to use.

The vaccine does not provide 100 percent protection, however. That’s because there are many strains of leptospirois.

“It is important to get your pet vaccinated again, even if it gets leptospirosis, because it can still get infected with a different strain of leptospirosis,” Jones said.

As a precaution, the animal shelter in Coupeville vaccinates their dogs for the disease.

“Because of the number of dogs housed in one location and because they come from all over the island, WAIF dogs are routinely vaccinated against the disease,” said Shari Bibich, shelter manager at WAIF.

“We have not seen any side-effects from the vaccine,” she added.

Leptospirosis is spread through the urine of infected animals such as raccoons and rodents, which can get into water or soil and can survive their for weeks to months.

“The disease is not passed dog to dog, because it needs a host in another animal,” Jones said.

The time between exposure to the bacteria and development of disease is usually five to 14 days, but can be as short as a few days or as long as 30 days or more.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, all animals can get become infected with the disease, although it is very rare in cats. Humans can contract the disease too, though that, too, is rare.

“I have never seen or heard of a case leptospirosis in human beings in this country. I have only seen one case in a person, many years ago, on an island off Guam,” said Roger Case, medical officer for the county.