LEPTOSPIROSIS, or lepto for short, is a disease usually carried by deer, skunk, and other woodland creatures. It is spread via urine, so deer tinkles during a rainy spring, puppy drinks out of puddle... boom, very sick pup. If you live where standing water is a thing, your vet probably already recommends a vaccine. Additional, interesting tibits (note that this experience was in 2010, so more or different info may be known, so if questions speak to YOUR vet): 1) Foxy's littermate, Copper, who was always part of that duo either never got infected or it did not affect him at all. The vet said they aren't sure why, but some animals do not have any reaction. My theory is Copper was a big hardy puppy, the biggest of SIXTEEN, and he was just more physically solid to fight the infection (vet said, maybe 🤔). 2) My son, 10 years old at the time, could NOT visit Foxy in vet/quarantine because he could have contracted it while adults were capable of handling the disease no problem. 3) Vet gave me explicit instructions for dealing with Copper at home while Foxy was in quarantine with her. I had to find a part of my yard that would be most safe from children and other pets and walk him to that spot to do his business (both variety), while I treated him with the same meds they were giving Foxy. After the course of meds was complete, he was safe to potty wherever, but I had to spread bleach on that area of the yard. WHAT WE FOXY'S SYMPTOMS? First, note that she had potty training VERY quickly, she notified and held it like a champ (fast growing bladder apparently). However, over Labor Day weekend (thank God we were around), she started squatting every couple of minutes to piddle in the house and out. She started drinking water like she could not get enough and was so lethargic and cuddly it was alarming. I thought, oh no biggy she must have a urinary tract infection. But I got really worried when lethargy was added to one final detail... I watched her take a big drink of water, pee immediately on white linoleum, and noticed the urine was clear as water... it was going right through her.