This week Pluto came back. I’ve known Pluto for some time and I was looking forward to seeing him again.

Classic signs are slight loss of weight and energy, lymphnodes a bit larger than normal, and a dry, shiny, exfoliating skin

A couple of years ago while still a puppy of barely nine weeks, Pluto fell into one of our traditional water reservoirs and almost froze to death. As his owners told me, he was saved by their other dog and archrival, a female labrador who, up until that critical moment, had steadfastly resisted the arrival of this canine newcomer into her family.

But on seeing Pluto in dire straits, she went howling to her owners to draw their attention.

They had found Pluto limp and stone cold. A piping hot bath and lots of tender loving care had brought him back to life and here he was again.

Pluto is a basset hound and a beautiful specimen at that; tan and white with lovely geo-graphical markings across his face.

Because of their long bodies I always feel I have to be extra careful when lifting these dogs onto the examination table as they are so long and quite heavy when fully grown.

Generally referred to as ‘hush puppies’, the pseudonym came about because a bassett hound, whose real name is Jason, features prominently on the logo of a brand of footwear with the same name. It is interesting to note that their sense of smell is second only to its ancestor, the bloodhound.

This time, I was seeing Pluto for his first check-up after having been diagnosed two weeks previously and starting treatment for the sandfly disease (Leishmaniasis).

In his case the signs were easy to spot: slight loss of weight and energy, lymphnodes a bit larger than normal, and a dry, shiny, exfoliating skin.

We had caught the disease in its early stages because he was brought in as soon as it was evident that something was not right.

He was also fortunate that his symptoms were so classic, which made diagnosis easier since, depending mostly on the immunology (natural defence of the body), we could have been facing a vast array of different symptoms, with the disease possibly affecting only the skin, or even only internal organs such as the kidneys.

Unfortunately, most dog owners in Malta have had experience of, or have heard about Leishmaniasis (sandfly disease). The disease is endemic in Malta, typical of sub-tropical climates like ours where the sandfly transmittor of this disease thrives.

Leishmaniasis, which is potentially fatal, is prevalently a canine disease, and yet it may also occur in humans (whereby it is classified as a zoonosis), and particularly in those who have a compromised immune system, such as infants, the elderly, or Aids patients.

Up until now, protection from this disease has been based on reducing and preventing sandfly bites.This is mainly achieved by not letting our dogs sleep outdoors from dusk until dawn during the summer season, by using veterinary-registered products containing pyrethroids or derivatives in the form of collars or drops, as well as citronella-based products and UV lights in dogs’ sleeping quarters.

The good news is that for the first time, a Leishmania vaccine was recently approved in Europe for use in dogs, and which offers a good degree of protection.

The vaccine is very sophisticated and consists of a purified protein of the Leishmania protozoan parasite, therefore, it is also a dead vaccinie which can never infect the dog.

Vaccination is best done during the winter season for dogs to be well-protected before the summer months.

For further details, discuss with your veterinary surgeon. Hopefully and in time, there will be far less Pluto cases.

Dr Martin Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com