Brucella Testing before and after adoption.
Before Adoption
All our dogs are now tested via the UK lab and a certificate will be sent to us at One paw stating a negative result, this has been enough for the UK vets that we work with. Sadly, some vets are wanting the dogs retested again after three months of them being in the country, but this can come back as positive but most likely be a false positive.
After Adoption
Is your vet asking to test your One Paw dog for Brucella Canis?
We were concerned about writing this information as it’s one of those subjects which may worry our adopters/followers and new potential adopters, when they really don’t need to be worried.
In recent months we have become aware of new policies being adopted by some veterinary practices in regard to rescue dogs imported to the UK. Many of these policies have been driven by an apparent rise in positive cases of dogs being exposed to Brucella Canis (BC).
These new policies mean that some practices are asking owners of imported rescue dogs to undergo a test for Brucella Canis before giving any treatment or care, regardless of whether they have already been tested and regardless of their health.
Some of our dogs pre 2023 have only had the snap test and before 2023 won’t have been tested as its only come about that we should be testing from now on (2024).
This is, of course, incredibly worrying for all of us and particularly for you owners. Your vet may never bring the issue up, but if they do we want to make sure that you are fully informed about BC, rather than just having to rely on the information from your vet.
We wanted to write this page to reassure you that while vets are, of course, at liberty to make their own policies, the information some give to owners can be misleading and disproportionately alarming. Sometimes we have found that it doesn’t even align with the most up to date government research.
There are some fantastic, easy to understand resources available which can signpost you to the most up to date and accurate information. We know a lot of it can be overwhelming but hopefully it will ease any worries about BC.
Facebook Groups:
Brucella Canis information / support group
Outlined below is how One Paw’s understanding and response to Brucella Canis has evolved in line with the concern that vets have raised. However, the main thing to take away from this post is ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ – if your vet hasn’t raised concern about BC then they are probably up to date with the most up to date guidance. If they do broach the subject with you then listen carefully for what is said and ask for their policy in writing before making any decisions.
At all times your One paw team is here to support you with an informed response to your vet and will help you make the right decision based on your situation.
Brucella Canis
Brucella Canis is a bacterium which can cause a disease called brucellosis in dogs. It is present in countries worldwide wide although its prevalence in the U.K. is not known. Between dogs it is primarily transmitted through reproductive means. In high-risk scenarios a dog infected with Brucella Canis can also pass the bacteria to humans (when undergoing neutering surgery or in assisting with birthing). These risks can be mitigated through the use of PPE, which we hope with any operation vets are wearing anyway!
Only 3 cases of BC in humans in the UK have ever been recorded. No human deaths have ever been recorded worldwide and in the rare cases of human infection it can usually be treated with antibiotics (with any disease the immunosuppressed may be worse affected in the unlikely event they contract it).
Despite BC being an ‘very low risk’ or ‘low risk’ disease we are in agreement with the UKHSA (their guidance can be found at the Gov.UK Brucella Canis information page) that, at the moment, with the apparent rise in cases, it is important that dogs brought into the UK are tested to see if they have been exposed to Brucella Canis.
Our dogs (2024) are now being tested with the blood being sent to the UK lab rather than the Brucella Snap test done in Romania. We will of course not bring any dog into the UK if the result comes back positive.
There is no requirement on rescue organisations to test for any diseases but, along with other common infections of concern, we have been testing for Brucella Canis prior to UK import since it became of note mostly to us this year, before was the snap test.
Originally, we tested with a lateral flow at our veterinary surgery in Romania but have recently been trialling, and have now introduced, the more thorough testing protocol recommended by the UK authorities. We send blood samples to the UK Animal and Plant Agency’s own lab where they are tested for the presence of the antibodies generated by the immune system after an exposure to BC. (iElisa and SAT tests)
If a dog tests positive it does not necessarily mean they are currently infected with the bacteria, just that they have been in the past. However, because the BC bacteria is known to linger and ‘hide’ in cells, they cannot rule out that the bacteria are lying dormant somewhere in the body with the potential for a future ‘flare-up’. As such, to err on the side of caution, a dog is deemed positive if these antibodies are present at significant levels.
Until more research and better diagnostic testing is available, we will not bring a dog into the UK if they have tested positive for the Brucella Canis antibodies.
However, as the BC concern has been a relatively recent evolution One paw dogs currently in the U.K. will all have various histories with regard to their testing – some may never have been tested (if they were imported before the current vet response), some may have had an LFT and more recently some will have had the iELISA and SAT tests done here in the U.K. If you need to know your dog’s test status then please reach out and we will try to help, but you should find in your dog’s passport if the test was done, as this would be noted on the back page. If your dog has had the most up to date test, we will have informed to you before adoption and the lab test certificate would have been sent to you either by email or on messenger.
Please, please do reach out to the team if this subject concerns you in any way, but also please be reassured that BC is not a common disease and in most cases is mild, if even symptomatic at all. It is also one that, despite the scaremongering that we are often subjected to as imported dog owners, needs a proportionate and informed response.
Please add yourself to the groups on Facebook that we would have sent you on the final stage email chat.
Please do not worry and contact us and the group Brucella help if you need any extra information.
More suppoprt
We have two Facebooks groups for One Paw adopters and fosterers:
One Paw Advice Facebook page – To ask for help and support about your One Paw rescue dog(s).
One Paws in Forever Homes – To share photos and updates of your rescue dog(s).
Get in touch with us
If you need any advice or support with your rescue dog, please contact us.