Test all dogs entering UK for incurable disease that passes to humans, vets tell ministers

Currently, there is no legal requirement to test or screen dogs for this infection before they arrive in the UK, but vets have warned that if B. canis “is left unchecked, it could become endemic in the UK”.

The UK’s leading veterinary organisations also want the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and DEFRA to prohibit the importation of puppies and pregnant dogs as they can harbour diseases.

Improved data collection and a centralised, detailed database on the health of all imported animals would also be an invaluable resource to preventing disease spread and aiding the search for a vaccine or cure.

Lord Trees, an eminent veterinary professor and a Crossbench member of the House of Lords, backed the document and encouraged the government to adopt the recommendations.

He told The Telegraph that Brucella canis is “the latest exotic infection to be found in the UK in dogs”.

“Never before present in the UK, it is particularly worrying because in addition to being a cause of disease in dogs, it infects and causes ill health in people,” he said.

“I fully support the BVA’s recommendations. People proposing to buy dogs from abroad, especially from rescue centres, should consider very carefully the implications for dog and human health in the UK.”

Dr Anna Judson, British Veterinary Association President, said: “The key thing that we’re asking the government to do is to introduce appropriate, mandatory pre-import checks for dogs to reduce the risk of those infected dogs entering the country.

“There is an argument for saying that if we are doing more testing, the government does have the potential to actually restrict the movement of stray dogs from countries known to be endemic for Brucella canis until that appropriate pre-import testing is done, so we can better prevent the disease from entering the UK.”

The pandemic puppy boom preceded a surge in cases, leaving vets scrambling to give advice to owners.

There is no legal obligation to put a dog down if it tests positive, and officials are now encouraging vets to have a longer, more detailed discussion about the realities of living with an infected dog.

They will have to be medicated at the owner’s expense, be isolated from vulnerable people and other dogs, and be restricted in their activities.

“If a dog does test positive, we recommend that treatment options are always discussed with the owners on a case-by-case basis, contextualised to that animal in its specific circumstances,” added Dr Judson.

“These can be very upsetting circumstances. This is why we want to see fewer cases in the UK by looking at what we can do to prevent them from coming in.”

She said most people are more willing to consider euthanasia as an option after taking into account the severity of constraints that will be placed on both owner and pet.

“It needs to be a very careful, very sympathetic contextualised conversation with owners,” she said, adding: “Ultimately, the wider consequences of the UK dog population should outweigh the benefit to the individual animal being imported.”

More research is also needed after Covid revealed the value of testing, epidemiological data, tracking close contacts and understanding the movement of infected individuals, vets said.

A Defra spokesman said: “We take the risks posed by Brucella canis very seriously – which is why all cases must be reported to the APHA and we strongly recommend prospective owners ensure dogs imported from regions where this disease is present are tested before arrival.

“We continue to work closely with the veterinary sector – including the British Veterinary Association – to monitor the situation and minimise the risks posed. We will carefully consider this report’s recommendations.”