Seven years ago the Ellinas family learned that their two-year-old dog, Ada, had contracted Kalazar, a parasite carried by a type of sand fly. It commonly affects dogs in the Mediterranean and Greece, where about 500,000 housedogs have been diagnosed with the disease. It is unknown how many stray dogs have it.

The only way a dog can contract the disease is if it is bitten by the sand fly. Kalazar can be fatal, but with proper and immediate treatment a dog can live a long, healthy life.

Veterinarian Andria Stoitsui has had several patients with Kalazar in her 17 years of practice. “The thing with Kalazar is that you could decide to take your dog to the beach or mountains to play one afternoon, your dog could get bitten and you wouldn’t have any idea, because symptoms do not show up right away,” she said.

Once a dog is infected, the affects of the virus take about three weeks to show. Symptoms include skin lesions, weight loss, loss of appetite, swollen glands, diarrhea, kidney failure, hair loss and dandruff. However, some dogs show no symptoms at all, so the only way to know for sure if a dog is infected is a blood test, Stoitsui said.

In Ada’s case the Ellinas family noticed there was something wrong with her eye. “The white region around her eye started moving into the colored area of her eye; her entire eye eventually looked cloudy, but she could still see,” said Timmy. Watching the symptom worsen progressively over two months, the Ellinas family decided to take Ada to the vet.

“If the treatment goes well, and the dog doesn’t already have another threatening illness, it can lead a normal life,” said Stoitsui. In Ada’s case, her owners caught the symptoms early enough and she responded well to the treatment, which includes a series of injections and pills given to the animal at periods when the symptoms seem more apparent.

A flea collar available at pet stores can help prevent Kalazar infection. The collar repels the sand fly, decreasing – though not eliminating – the chances of a dog being bitten. A dog should wear it at all times, particularly during the warmer months. Special creams and sprays also exist to help prevent a dog from getting bitten. A blood test every six months can show whether or not a dog is infected.