[OwnedByJezebel]

We don't live far from a river, and there are all kinds of critters that I'm sure can get into my "safely" enclosed back yard. I've never seen rats in my yard, but I have seen one scurrying around vegetation in a greenbelt area, and our neighbor found on drowned in their pool. We also have deer around the development, and the occasional wild hog. Raccoons and skunks aren't uncommon, either. I wouldn't be surprised to see any of these in my back yard (except for the deer and the skunk), and I have to assume they all get there from time to time. Furthermore, my dogs go on walks where any of these creatures might be found only a short time earlier. I have to assume that my dogs are getting exposed to lepto. Mine get the vaccine, but I get nervous about it.

My cousin caught lepto 2-3 years ago. He's a large animal vet, so he's around a lot of herd animals out in the pasture. It was nasty, nasty, nasty. He was lucky to come out of it without major organ damage. It's nothing to fool around with.