CLINICAL SIGNS

The incubation period of the disease until the onset of clinical signs is highly variable and can range anywhere between 3 months to up to 7 years. When present, seroconversion appears 1-22 months after infection (mean of 5 months).

Canine leishmaniasis is a systemic disease that may affect any organ, tissue or body fluid and that features non-specific clinical signs. While skin lesions are the most frequent clinical signs, renal disease may be the only clinical sign of canine leishmaniasis and may progress from mild proteinuria to nephrotic syndrome and then to end stage renal disease. Chronic renal failure further results from the progression of the disease and is the main cause of mortality due to canine leishmaniasis.

OTHER LESS FREQUENT SIGNS ARE:

Mucosal lesions, chronic recurrent colitis, meningitis, atrophic myositis or polymyositis of the masseter muscle, self-immune disorders, cardiovascular disorders (pericarditis), systemic vasculitis, thromboembolism, serum hyperviscosity syndrome.