If you take your dog hiking, you should consult with your veterinarian and decide whether to have your pet vaccinated to prevent leptospirosis.

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does recommend vaccination.

However, it is important to note that a vaccination is not a fullproof safeguard. It doesn't protect from all strains and doesn't even last for a year. In addition, the leptospirosis bacteria is not confined to hiking areas.

Leptospirosis is a dangerous bacterial infection that is transmitted from contact with other infected animals, mud or fresh water bodies such as a river or waterfall. It can be transmitted through a cut or ingested. The disease can be serious for humans and animals. In people, the symptoms are often like the flu, but sometimes leptospirosis can develop into a more severe, life-threatening illness with infections in the kidney, liver, brain, lung and heart.

Many of Hawai'i's hiking trails post warnings about the spiral-shaped bacteria, which results from infected animal urine that leaches into the soil or is carried to rivers, lakes, ponds and streams through rain.

Prevention includes ensuring your dog has no open wounds, hiking when paths are dry and simply abiding by Hawai'i's leash law. Keeping your dog on leash will keep him out of ponds and other places of questionable sanitation.

The bacteria have been found in Waipi'o River and Valley on the Big Island; Maunawili Stream and Falls, Kapena Falls, Nu'uanu Stream and Kahana Stream on O'ahu; and in the Waimea, Wailua and Hanalei rivers on Kaua'i. However, Hawai'i's favorite hiking trails and waterways aren't the only place where this bacteria thrives.

After the campus flooding at University of Hawai'i-Manoa, the bacteria were found in classroom floodwater. It can also be found in a streetside puddle or taro patch. Rodents can carry and spread the bacteria around your home.

Sometimes pets do not have any symptoms, but common signs reported in dogs include fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, refusal to eat, severe weakness and depression, stiffness or severe muscle pain. Generally younger animals are more seriously affected than older animals.

If you suspect your dog has come into contact with the bacteria, contact your veterinarian immediately. Your veterinarian can perform diagnostic tests to detect the bacteria's presence.

Leptospirosis is treatable with antibiotics. If an animal is treated early, it may recover more rapidly and any organ damage may be less severe. Other treatment methods, such as dialysis and hydration therapy, may be required.

The time between exposure to the bacteria and development of disease is usually 5 to 14 days, but can be as short as a few days or as long as 30 days or more.

For more about the disease and your pet, go to www.cdc.gov.