Brucella canis
What is Brucella canis?
Brucella canis is a bacterium that causes brucellosis in dogs. In dogs brucellosis mainly affects the reproductive organs but can also travel to the joints and spine, causing severe lameness and back pain.
Although rare, Brucella canis can cause illness in humans who have been in contact with infected dogs.
Before 2020 there were only three cases of Brucella canis in the UK, the numbers have risen since.
Brucella canis is more common in countries with a stray dog population due to how it is spread.
How do dogs catch brucellosis?
The most common way for a dog to catch brucellosis is by:
Mating with an infected dog.
Licking/eating infected birthing/abortion fluids from an infected dog – once an infected dog has given birth or aborted, she will continue to shed large amounts of Brucella bacteria in her vaginal fluids/discharge for 4-6 weeks.
Sniffing or licking the genitals of an infected dog, especially female dogs in season.
Puppies can catch it in the womb or through contaminated milk if their mother is infected.
It is possible for a dog to catch brucellosis from infected urine, saliva or snot, but this is much less common.
What are the symptoms of Brucella canis?
Brucella canis can present with a range of symptoms, or in some cases, no symptoms at all. The most common signs include:
Reproductive Issues:
Males: Swollen or shrunken testicles, infertility, scrotal dermatitis.
Females: Abortion, stillbirth, weak puppies, infertility due to an infection of the uterus.
Other Symptoms:
Lameness or stiffness
Back pain
Neck pain
Swollen lymph nodes
Fever
Lethargy
Decreased appetite and weight loss have also been reported.
It's important to note that some infected dogs may show no symptoms at all, but they can still transmit the bacteria to other dogs and, in rare cases, to humans.
Vaccine and treatment for Brucella
There is currently no vaccine and no cure for Brucella canis. This means that once a dog has been infected, they always will be. The only way to eliminate the risk of the dog transmitting the disease is euthanasia.
“Where owners do not wish to carry out euthanasia, we recommend that risk reduction steps are undertaken for positive animals to mitigate the risk of spread to other animals, owners and veterinary personnel handling these animals.
• Minimise contact of positive animals with other dogs and people to reduce likelihood of exposure of people and other animals to high levels of bacteria.
• Avoid breeding of positive animals and consider neutering.
• Use of effective PPE by veterinary personnel when handling or undertaking procedures on infected dogs.
• Antimicrobial treatment must also be considered, particularly before surgery, noting that antibiotic treatment may reduce the risk of spread of infection but will not clear Brucella canis infection.”
-Professor Christine Middlemiss CB UK Chief Veterinary Officer
However steps can be taken to reduce the likelihood of the infected dog transmitting the disease, these include minimised contact with other dogs and people and the use of PPE by vets when handling or treating infected dogs.
Letter to vets
In October 2023 the UK, Scottish and Welsh Chief Veterinary Officers published advice to vets in relation to Brucella Canis. This letter asks that rehoming organisations screen animals for Brucella canis before deciding to import or rehome in the UK.
Brucella Canis Blood test
Testing for Brucella canis is not always standard for rescue organisations or shelters. Due to how it is spread, and the high population of stray dogs in Spain, Spanish Happy Tails have made it a requirement that dogs are tested for Brucella canis before being rehomed to the UK.
Although the likelihood of infection may seem small, testing is a common sense approach and we encourage other organisations involved in dog rescue to incorporate the test into their procedures.
