The holiday season is just around the corner, and for many dog owners that means adventure, nature and freedom, ideally together with the four-legged friend. What many underestimate: serious health risks for dogs lurk from Lake Garda onwards already. Travel diseases like leishmaniasis or heartworm (dirofilariasis) are widespread, and their danger often goes unrecognised for a long time. Yet an infection can have severe, in some cases fatal, consequences.
I have to confess: before I moved to Italy, I’d never heard of such diseases, and only started looking into them when I adopted my dog from Sicily, who has leishmaniasis. Maybe I was lucky that my other dog wore the Scalibor collar from the start and therefore (so far) wasn’t infected? Who knows…
One thing up front: this disease doesn’t immediately mean “dog dead!”, it can be treated! Provided you inform yourself well and act correctly.
Leishmaniasis, the creeping danger
Leishmaniasis is transmitted by sand flies, which are mainly active in southern countries like Italy, Spain, the south of France or Greece. But there are already risk areas in northern Italy too (e.g. from Lake Garda onwards). The infection can appear in two ways:
- Cutaneous leishmaniasis: This form affects the skin. The first visible symptoms can be hair loss around the eyes, poorly healing wounds (especially on the elbows, ears or nose), flaky skin or thickened paw pads.
- Visceral leishmaniasis: This variant attacks the internal organs (especially the liver and kidneys) and often progresses unnoticed, until it’s too late. Symptoms can be general weakness, weight loss, fever or behavioural changes. Untreated, it can lead to death.
Particularly insidious: the disease can still break out years after a trip. There are documented cases in which dogs suddenly fell ill up to seven years after the holiday. That’s why it’s important to take changes in the dog’s behaviour or appearance seriously, even if the trip was a long time ago.
What’s more, many vets outside these countries aren’t sufficiently familiar with the disease, which can lead to misdiagnoses and incorrect treatments. Anyone who has been abroad should expressly point the vet to leishmaniasis as a possible cause and, if necessary, insist on a test.
I only recently saw a dog die within two weeks because the owners didn’t want to know anything about leishmaniasis: “But he was doing so well, he never had anything, and for a week now he won’t eat and drinks so much.” This dog was from Naples and had still tested negative as a puppy. At three years old he then died, end-stage leishmaniasis, kidney failure. Within those three years the owners had no further tests done, not even on my advice.
Even a few days of diarrhoea that won’t subside can be a sign that your dog has become infected with leishmaniasis or is already in a flare-up. Here it really is important to see a competent vet immediately, one who knows about Mediterranean diseases and doesn’t simply “experiment around”.
Heartworm (dirofilariasis), the silent threat to the heart
The heartworm too, transmitted by mosquitoes, is widespread in many Mediterranean countries. The larvae nest in the body and grow into worms up to 30 cm long, which can seriously damage the heart and lungs. Symptoms only show up late and are often vague, for example coughing, lack of stamina or shortness of breath. Treatment is lengthy and risky.
Prevent rather than treat, but properly!
Protective measures are essential to prevent these dangerous diseases. There are various options:
1. Spot-on treatments
These are applied to the skin and work against sand flies and mosquitoes.
- Easy to use, simply applied to the back of the neck
- Broad spectrum of action (often against ticks and fleas too)
- Have to be reapplied regularly (every 2 to 4 weeks)
- The effect can wear off with frequent bathing or heavy rain
- Possible skin reactions in sensitive dogs
- If the dog is allergic, it can’t simply be removed like a collar. Washing it off isn’t possible, as the agent is already in the bloodstream.
- You should avoid touching the spot where it was applied if possible
2. Collar (e.g. Scalibor)
The Scalibor collar works for several months against sand flies, heartworm, ticks and fleas and is especially practical when travelling. It can be worn while swimming, as long as the dog doesn’t stay in the water for hours (to protect fish and aquatic organisms). Important: please read the package insert before use. It may be that the collar should be put on a few days before the trip to develop its full effect.
Tip: I personally use it all year round and change it every six months, so my dogs are permanently protected, even on spontaneous trips to the south. Here in South Tyrol there’s a big tick problem in the woods too. Thanks to the Scalibor collar, my dogs have at most two ticks a year.
3. Vaccination against leishmaniasis
There are vaccines that lower the risk of an outbreak of the disease if a dog becomes infected.
Important: the vaccination offers no 100% protection, it has to be combined with mosquito protection (e.g. a collar or spot-on) to be really effective. Get advice from your (hopefully competent) vet.
Conclusion: vigilance and preparation save lives
Anyone travelling abroad with their dog, even if it’s “only” as far as Lake Garda, should find out exactly about the regional risks beforehand and protect their four-legged friend. The combination of vaccination and mosquito protection (e.g. a collar) currently offers the best protection against leishmaniasis & co.
After the trip, attention is called for too: know your dog, watch it closely, and if anything is off, bring in a veterinary expert in travel diseases. Because the best trip is the one everyone comes back from healthy.
Please don’t take this disease lightly! Here in Italy so many dogs are infected, my cocker spaniel too, whom I adopted from Sicily, came to us with this disease. He’s doing well. Every six months we do a blood test to see whether he has a flare-up. Luckily he only had one, when he came to us three years ago. Since then he’s been doing very well and his levels are really stable.
I personally don’t think much of amber collars or coconut oil applications as prevention against a leishmaniasis infection. I really do appeal to everyone to protect the dog “properly”!
An infected dog can later test negative again, but carries the pathogen for life, and under stress the disease can break out again.
Important: you, and other animals too, CANNOT catch it through contact with an infected dog! Leishmaniasis is only transmitted by:
- the bite of an infected sand fly
- during mating
- or through an infected mother dog during pregnancy
Only in extreme cases, with massive blood loss and direct contact of wounds, would transmission be theoretically possible, but in practice that’s extremely rare.
If you have questions, feel free to contact me!
About the author:
I’m Chloé, and 10 years ago I ended up moving from Berlin to South Tyrol, where I set up my own business at the start of 2025 with an (online) shop for van and camping accessories.
My speciality? I’d say the thermal mats (made to measure) made in Italy, suitable for any van, camper or off-roader. OK, they’re not super stylish with magnets, but they prevent condensation forming on the inside of the windows and cost less too.
Since I’m out and about a lot myself with my two cocker spaniels, it’s important to me to inform as many dog owners as possible about the insidious Mediterranean diseases that exist. One of my two adopted cocker spaniels is leishmaniasis positive, and I’d like to spare you and your dog this disease. Please rather spend the money on proper protection than later on the therapy and possibly the knowledge of losing the dog, just because you were maybe too stingy or thought “ah, nothing will happen”.
Even if you don’t buy from me, feel free to contact me if you have questions about the disease leishmaniasis.
You’ll find me here https://campzilla-shop.com/en/ or on Instagram: @campzilla_shop