Dogs from abroad: the brucellosis risk

By Lynwood Vets

Canine brucellosis is a disease of dogs which also causes disease in humans. It is not endemic in the UK, however, it has recently been identified in dogs imported from abroad, particularly from eastern Europe. This has led to concerns that it may spread to other pets and humans in this country, so if you have a foreign rescue dog it is really important to be aware of it.

Half a century ago a version of the disease in cattle was present in the UK and it was not an uncommon infection of farmers and vets. After a lot of hard work to eliminate this disease, the UK has been declared Brucella free. The new cases are a slightly different strain of the bacterium which primarily affects dogs.

Infected dogs may show no signs of illness but still be infectious. The commonest problems it causes are issues with reproduction, but it can also cause a wide variety of signs of ill health which wax and wane over time, and eventually can be life-threatening

In humans it can cause fever, weight loss and pain at first but can become more serious over time. The disease is not curable, and there is no vaccine to prevent it.

Testing is available to ensure any rescue dog is free of the disease and vets will request this is performed before doing any surgical procedures on imported dogs to prevent spread to the clinic staff.