Testing for Leishmania

[Campo Steve]

I am wondering if anyone has any experience of false results from the Leish test that vets can do in their surgery.

As many will know, we lost one of our dogs to cancer a few weeks ago. He also had Leish.

We had our other dog tested at the surgery whereby they put a blood sample into a test kit and it shows positive or negative 15 - 20 minutes later. As it was negative we had him vaccinated against Leish.

However, we have been considering taking on a rescue dog. The dog was tested for Leish in a vets surgery and was negative. However, the vet apparently left the kit lying around and, a further 20 minutes later, noticed that the result had changed and now showed positive. They are sending a blood sample to a lab for full testing. The vet is paying for that test.

Our worry is that having had our present dog tested, could the result be unreliable? Should we arrange for a complete blood test in case we should be treating him rather than having had him vaccinated? I'm taking it up with our vet but wonder if anyone else has experience of this.

[Footprint]

No experience of it but it is concerning. Mine were tested prior to their vaccinations and that was done through a thorough blood test - even though they hadn't long been in Spain - 2 days in fact.

Advice I was given at the time by my vet would suggest that if your dog had leish, the vaccination would have made he/she ill. Best to be on the safe side though and I hope your rescue dog is clear.

[Beachcomber]

The vet I go to is a fairly large animal hospital. They will not do in-house tests for leishmaniasis because they say that they say they are not reliable. They send the blood sample to a proper laboratory and the results come back in a couple of days.

[Campo Steve]

Beach. Is that large animal hospital in Spain or UK? If Spain, whereabouts?

[Beachcomber]

It is this one:

http://www.veterinariodealhaurin.es/

[Campo Steve]

Thanks Beach.

[Footprint]

Yes - that is the vet I used. They are excellent and I still do the long drive from Jimena back to Alhaurin.

[Donz.]

I have heard this is possibly the case, best to check with your vet how the testing is done I think

[Campo Steve]

The sample sent to a lab to be tested has come back as negative for Leish. We will be adopting the dog next week.

As we will be seeing our own vet to get her chipped we will bring up the subject of our current dog at the same time.

[Donz.]

great news!

[peteroldracer]

Our vet - the 10-9 365 days one on the Velez bypass - has a big poster up advertising a syrup to be given with the food to prevent leishmania infection.

[Campo Steve]

That's the vet that did the initial test with the changing result.

[v.dubber]

Theres some interesting news about the treatment of Leishmania here... http://caveliving.forummotion.com/t5273p15-poochie-ii