When Tong Jun-wan moved to Hong Kong from New York in 2020, he chose to live in Tseng Lan Shue, a small village in Sai Kung in the New Territories. The rural environment was perfect for his active lifestyle - and his dog Buchi, a Labrador retriever he had relocated from the United States. 'My village house is on section...
After becoming infected with leptospirosis, Buchi spent nine days in hospital, including two days on kidney dialysis.When Tong Jun-wan moved to Hong Kong from New York in 2020, he chose to live in Tseng Lan Shue, a small village in Sai Kung in the New Territories.
"There are more than 200 different strains of this bacteria, but only six to eight of them can infect dogs," says Joshua Steinhaus, a specialist in internal medicine at Hong Kong's Veterinary Specialty Hospital. "The bacteria can infect many organs, including the kidneys, liver, spleen and brain," he says.
Common symptoms, he says, include lethargy, fever, sore muscles, shivering, weakness, increased thirst and urination, vomiting and runny nose. Hong Kong dog trainer Adrienne Lee saw three of her four dogs - G Dragon, a three-year -old Jack Russell Terrier and her two nine-year-old Malinois, Rocco and Canon - infected. Sadly, Rocco died.
Lee now faces endless and expensive medical treatment. "Some organs may never 100 per cent recover," she says.