Poorly Rottweiler to be vaccine 'guinea pig' after mystery illness

Yogi, a four-year-old Rottweiler, went temporarily blind, lost a lot of weight and suffered other significant health issues during a mystery bout of illness.

His horrified owner Lisa Chambers, of Sedgley, feared that it could have been triggered by the after-effects of the Lepto4 vaccination that the dog was given shortly before the problems started in November. He could not eat and lost four kilos in a week.

The 46-year-old from Sedgley said: "Within 24 hours he became very lethargic and listless and steadily deteriorated after that. He went off his food and water. The vet did not know what the problem was."

The condition of Yogi got even worse, losing four kilos in weight in a week and beginning to bump into things.

The dog has been on steroids for three months but is now being gently weaned off them so that he can be considered for further testing.

Mrs Chambers, aged 46, said: "I want them to do the tests and do not mind him being treated as a guinea pig because I would not want another dog owner to go through what I have had to endure."

There has been criticism of Lepto4 and its possible side-effects but nothing has been established definitively.

The vaccination is against leptospirosis, a bacterial infection spread through the urine of infected rats, wildlife and dogs.

It causes kidney and liver disease, and can affect other organs such as the heart or eyes, and even cause organ failure and death.