Brucella Canis – Our Policy for Imported Dogs

Keeping your pet, your family and our veterinary team safe

At The Grove Vets, we take the health and safety of our patients, their families and our veterinary team very seriously.

Brucella canis is a bacterial infection that affects dogs and can, in rare circumstances, be transmitted from dogs to people. Human infection can cause significant and potentially prolonged illness.

Importantly, infected dogs may appear completely healthy and show no obvious signs of infection.

Although the risk to the general public is considered low, veterinary professionals can have a greater risk of exposure because of the close contact they have with animals and their blood, urine, reproductive material and other bodily fluids. Human infection can cause prolonged fever, fatigue, sweating and muscle or joint pain and, in rare cases, more serious complications, including infection affecting the heart, nervous system, bones or joints, or severe systemic infection (septicaemia).

For this reason, we have introduced a precautionary policy for dogs imported into the UK from countries where Brucella canis is considered a significant risk.

Our aim is not to create unnecessary barriers to veterinary care. Instead, we want to identify potential risks early so that we can continue to provide your dog with appropriate care while protecting our patients, clients and veterinary team.

Which dogs does this apply to?

Our policy applies to dogs that have been imported into the UK from high-risk countries, including dogs imported through overseas rescue organisations as well as privately imported dogs.

If your dog originated abroad, please let us know when registering with The Grove Vets. We will ask about their country of origin, date of arrival in the UK and relevant travel history so that we can determine whether testing is required.

If you are unsure whether your dog's history means that testing is necessary, please contact us and we will be happy to discuss this with you.

The requirement for testing does not mean that we believe your dog is infected. An imported dog with an unknown status is considered a dog for whom the risk cannot yet be fully assessed.

Testing may also be recommended where there is:

a known or suspected history of contact with an infected dog;
previous breeding with a dog from a country where B. canis occurs;
unexplained infertility, abortion or stillbirth;
epididymitis or orchitis;
discospondylitis or unexplained spinal pain;
other clinical signs that raise suspicion of brucellosis; or
an intention to breed where there is relevant overseas travel or exposure history.

Our Testing Policy

For dogs imported into the UK from high-risk countries, The Grove Vets requires an APHA Brucella canis test following arrival in the UK, even if your dog has already been tested before travelling or entering the country.

We then require a second APHA test three months after your dog's arrival in the UK.
If your dog has been in the UK for longer than 3 months, we only require one APHA test.
If there has been any known or suspected exposure to an infected dog or potentially infectious material after arrival, the appropriate timing of testing may need to be reconsidered.

Why is a second test needed?

The timing of testing is important. A dog may have been exposed to Brucella canis shortly before or around the time of travelling to the UK. If testing is performed too soon after exposure, the infection may not yet be detectable.

For this reason, a further test is required at least three months after arrival in the UK. This gives us greater confidence that a recent infection has not been missed and allows us to make safer decisions about your dog's veterinary care.

This additional test provides the level of reassurance we require before considering the dog's Brucella canis screening requirement fulfilled. However, no test can completely exclude infection, and any subsequent relevant exposure or clinical suspicion may require further investigation.

This is a policy of The Grove Vets rather than a legal requirement for every imported dog in the UK. We have chosen to adopt a consistent approach for dogs imported from countries considered to present a significant risk because we believe this provides a clear and practical way of managing risk within our practice.

Why is Brucella canis testing important?

Brucella canis can be present in a dog without causing obvious illness. The bacteria can be found in reproductive tissues and fluids and may also be present in blood, urine, saliva and other bodily fluids.

It is a zoonotic infection, meaning that it can potentially be transmitted from animals to people. While human infection is very rare, the risk is particularly relevant in veterinary practices because our team may have close contact with potentially infected animals and their bodily fluids.

If infection is subsequently confirmed, Brucella canis is currently considered to be a lifelong infection because there is no treatment that has been proven to reliably eliminate the bacteria from an infected dog.

Our testing policy is therefore a precautionary measure designed to reduce risks to:

Your dog;
Other patients in the practice;
Our veterinary team; and
You and your family.

Why has our policy changed?

You may be wondering why The Grove Vets is introducing this policy now, particularly if your dog has been living in the UK for some time and has previously received veterinary care without Brucella canis testing.

Our understanding of the risks associated with Brucella canis has increased significantly in recent years. There has also been increased awareness of imported dogs as a potential source of infection, and cases have been identified within the UK.

Importantly, infected dogs do not necessarily appear unwell. Simply having lived in the UK for several years without showing signs of illness does not, by itself, rule out infection.

There has also been a laboratory-confirmed case of Brucella canis infection in a member of veterinary staff in the UK, believed to have been acquired while monitoring an infected dog during anaesthesia and providing postoperative care. The dog was not known to be infected at the time. This demonstrates that the occupational risk to veterinary staff is not simply theoretical and that exposure can occur during veterinary care when infection has not previously been suspected.

The Grove Vets has had precautions and an informal approach to Brucella canis in place for some time. However, our increasing awareness of the occupational risks has led us to recognise that a clear, formal and consistently applied policy is now appropriate.

As a veterinary practice and employer, we have a responsibility to consider the safety of our staff alongside the welfare of our patients. A formal policy allows us to make consistent decisions about testing, infection-control precautions and which procedures can safely be undertaken.

We also want our clients to understand why testing may be recommended or required, what a positive result means and why certain procedures may occasionally need to be delayed, modified or referred elsewhere.

We are not introducing this policy because we expect your dog to be infected. The vast majority of dogs undergoing screening will be negative. Rather, we want to identify potential risks when dogs are well, rather than discovering an unknown infection when urgent or complex treatment is already required.

We appreciate that this represents a change from the way things may have been done previously. However, as our understanding of Brucella canis develops, we believe that a consistent screening policy is the most responsible approach for our patients, clients and team.

Can my dog still see the vet during the three-month period?

Yes.

We understand that your dog may need veterinary care during the three months following arrival in the UK. Our policy is designed to allow us to continue providing appropriate veterinary care during this period while taking additional precautions where necessary.

During the three-month period following arrival, we will be able to provide treatment. However, we may use additional infection-control measures within the practice, appropriate personal protective equipment, limiting contact with other patients, and enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures.

Because false-negative results may occur with the initial test, we must still be cautious about the treatments and procedures we can offer during this period because of the possibility that the second test could subsequently return a positive result. We would therefore be unable to perform elective procedures during this time.

Depending on the circumstances, some procedures or investigations may need to be delayed, modified or referred to another veterinary facility until the required testing has been completed. As we do not have a fully isolated area suitable for the hospitalisation and management of dogs possibly infected with Brucella canis. Where we cannot safely provide the treatment required, we will arrange or recommend referral to a veterinary practice with appropriate isolation and infection-control facilities.

This is particularly relevant to procedures involving increased exposure to blood, urine, reproductive tissues or other bodily fluids, including some dental and surgical procedures.

Our veterinary team will always consider your dog's individual circumstances and welfare when making these decisions.

What about dogs that are already registered with The Grove Vets?

We recognise that some existing patients may have been imported into the UK before our Brucella canis policy was introduced, or that we may not previously have been aware of their overseas history.

If we subsequently establish that an existing patient originated from a high-risk country, we may ask you to arrange an APHA Brucella canis test.

If an imported dog's Brucella canis status is unknown, The Grove Vets reserves the right to delay or withhold non-emergency treatment or procedures where we consider that proceeding could present an unacceptable risk to our team, other patients or the public.

We appreciate that this may occasionally be inconvenient, but we believe that taking a precautionary approach is important to protect everyone involved in the care of imported dogs.

What happens if my dog needs emergency treatment?

Your dog's welfare is always our priority.

If an imported dog with an unknown Brucella canis status requires genuine emergency treatment, we will assess the situation and provide appropriate care wherever possible.

Additional infection-control precautions may be required. The Grove Vets does not have a dedicated isolation or infection-control area for dogs that are suspected or confirmed to have Brucella canis. We will therefore assess each situation individually and determine what care can be provided safely within our existing facilities.

Where appropriate, we may use additional infection-control measures within the practice, which can include separating the dog from other patients, limiting contact with other animals and people, using appropriate personal protective equipment, and implementing enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures.

In some circumstances, particularly where the treatment required cannot be safely undertaken within our facilities, we may recommend or arrange referral to another veterinary facility with appropriate isolation and infection-control facilities.

Referral centres may also have their own screening and infection-control requirements, which could affect how quickly investigations or treatment can be undertaken.

We will always discuss this with you and explain the reasons for any additional precautions or recommendations. Our aim is to ensure that your dog receives the treatment they need while also protecting other patients, their owners and our staff from potential exposure.

What about rapid in-house testing for Brucella canis?

In certain emergency situations, we may consider using a rapid in-house test to provide an initial indication of whether your dog may have been exposed to Brucella canis. Having access to a rapid test can be particularly helpful when an urgent decision about treatment, handling or referral needs to be made before laboratory results are available.

However, rapid in-house tests are screening tests and should not be considered definitive. The reliability of these tests can vary, and a result may not provide sufficient certainty about a dog's infection status on its own. Government guidance confirms that rapid or lateral-flow testing is less accurate than laboratory-based testing and recommends confirmatory testing where appropriate.

For this reason, if a rapid in-house test is performed, we would recommend that a blood sample is also submitted to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) for appropriate laboratory testing.

A rapid in-house result would therefore be used to help us make immediate clinical and infection-control decisions, rather than to establish a definitive diagnosis. The APHA result would provide the more appropriate laboratory assessment of your dog's Brucella canis status.

What about out of hours care?

The following policy has been released by our out of hours provider, Vets Now:

"If a dog has travelled in Eastern Europe or is in contact with a travelled dog, the owner may be asked whether their dog has previously undergone testing for Brucella Canis and they may be asked to provide proof of a negative Brucella Canis test to the clinician treating their pet.

If the dog has not undergone testing previously, but is considered a high risk patient for possibility of Brucella Canis infection based on a risk assessment, then the staff will be required to take additional precautions including wearing personal protective equipment whilst handling the dog, and limiting contact with other dogs in the clinic or hospital.

The owner may be offered an in-house test for Brucella Canis and will be advised this needs to be followed up with a test at an external laboratory for confirmation (or otherwise) of a positive or negative result. This may be done at Vets Now or with their normal daytime veterinary practice.

For a suspected or confirmed positive case the clinician will discuss with the owner the most appropriate options for treatment. Lifesaving surgery or treatment will not be refused, however additional precautions will be taken such as barrier nursing or isolation kennelling, and additional measures may need to be taken to protect pregnant or immunocompromised staff and patients on site. Non-life-saving and emergency procedures will be delayed where possible, and the owner may be asked to follow up with their usual daytime practice for routine treatments such as these."

What if my dog has already had a Brucella test?

We appreciate that many imported dogs will have been tested before travelling to the UK.

Unfortunately, a previous test does not necessarily replace the testing required by The Grove Vets.

The timing of testing is important because a dog can potentially be exposed shortly before or around the time of importation. An early negative test may therefore not detect a more recent infection.

For this reason, we require the APHA testing process outlined above, including the repeat test three months after arrival in the UK.

If your dog has already had a negative APHA test after 3 months of arrival into the UK, another test will not required.

Why do you specifically require an APHA test?

We require testing through the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) because it provides an appropriate and recognised laboratory testing pathway for Brucella canis.

If your dog has previously had an alternative or in-house screening test, please provide us with a copy of the result. We will advise you whether further APHA testing is required.

For the purposes of our Brucella canis policy, we require results from an appropriately accredited UK laboratory. This allows us to rely on a recognised and consistent testing standard when assessing the risk to your dog and our team.

We use the APHA laboratory because it provides an appropriate testing pathway and is a cost-effective option for our clients. We appreciate that some dogs may already have been tested overseas; however, we are unable to independently verify the accreditation and testing standards of laboratories in every country.

For this reason, UK laboratory testing will still be required where applicable, even when a previous negative overseas result is available.

How much does testing cost?

If you or your dog are new to The Grove Vets, a veterinary consultation is required before the initial blood test. This costs £62.50.

We do not make a profit from this testing. We apply no mark-up to the laboratory fee and make no charge for taking the blood sample. The cost passed on to you is therefore simply the laboratory testing fee. The APHA Brucella canis test costs £60.

The repeat test at three months can be performed during a nurse consultation, and we will only charge for the laboratory testing itself.

If only one test is required, this can usually be performed during a nurse consultation, but on occasion may require a veterinary consultation. You will be made aware of this prior to the appointment.

What happens if my dog tests negative?

A negative test is reassuring, particularly when testing has been performed at an appropriate interval following potential exposure. However, no test is 100% accurate and a negative result cannot completely exclude infection.

If there is a particularly strong suspicion of infection—for example, because of known exposure or compatible clinical signs—your veterinary surgeon may recommend repeat or additional testing even following an initial negative result.

It is important to understand that no test for Brucella canis can provide a 100% guarantee that a dog is not infected. False-negative and false-positive results can occur, particularly depending on the timing of testing and the individual dog's circumstances.

For this reason, a test result is interpreted alongside your dog's travel history, potential exposure, clinical signs and other relevant information.

A negative result three months after arrival provides a high degree of reassurance, but does not completely eliminate the possibility of infection.

What happens if my dog tests positive?

A positive or suspected positive result does not mean that decisions about your dog's future will be made immediately.

Your veterinary surgeon will discuss the result with you and advise you on the appropriate next steps. This may include further or confirmatory testing and contacting the relevant authorities.

Brucella canis is a reportable infection, and APHA should be involved where infection is confirmed or strongly suspected.

Until the situation has been clarified, additional infection-control precautions may be required. Some treatment or procedures may also need to be postponed or undertaken under specific infection-control arrangements.

If your dog is confirmed to be positive for Brucella canis, there are some limitations to the care we are able to provide at The Grove Vets. This includes but is not limited to elective surgical procedures, treatment of open or infected wounds and performing biopsies in an infected dog. We may also need to limit other aspects of their care depending on the circumstances.

This is because The Grove Vets does not have a fully isolated area suitable for the hospitalisation and treatment of dogs infected with Brucella canis. As a result, we cannot provide these services while adequately protecting other patients, our staff and our clients from potential exposure.

Where treatment or procedures cannot safely be provided at The Grove, we will discuss this with you and refer your dog to a veterinary practice with the appropriate isolation and infection-control facilities. We will work with you to ensure that your dog receives the care they require.

We understand that receiving a positive result can be extremely worrying. We will support you through the process, explain what the result means and discuss the appropriate next steps with you carefully.

Does a positive screening test mean that my dog is definitely infected?

Not necessarily.

Serological tests detect an immune response to Brucella canis, rather than directly proving that live bacteria are present. False-positive results can occur, particularly when testing dogs with a low likelihood of exposure.

If your dog has an unexpected positive screening result, we would therefore not assume immediately that they are infected. Your veterinary surgeon will consider the result alongside your dog's clinical signs, travel and exposure history and may recommend repeat or additional testing.

While this is being investigated, additional precautions may be necessary to reduce any potential risk of transmission.

Does a positive result mean my dog has to be put to sleep?

No.

We are aware that some owners are concerned that a positive Brucella canis result automatically means their dog will need to be euthanased. This is not the case.

The decision regarding the ongoing management of a positive dog is not made by The Grove Vets alone, and there is no general requirement for a dog to be euthanised simply because it has tested positive.

No test is 100% sensitive or specific. False-negative and false-positive results can occur, and serology alone does not definitively establish infection. Results need to be interpreted alongside exposure history and clinical signs.

However, there is no reliably effective treatment. A confirmed infected dog is considered a carrier for life, and euthanasia is currently the only way to eliminate the ongoing risk of transmission.

Management should therefore be individually risk assessed. Euthanasia can generally only be recommended rather than enforced, and the welfare of the dog, together with the potential risks to people and other animals, must be considered.

In a dog with confirmed infection, euthanasia may therefore be discussed because it is currently the only option that completely eliminates the risk of onward transmission. This is not a decision that is taken simply because a screening test is positive, and each case should be considered individually, taking into account the dog's welfare, the risks to people and other animals, and the practicalities of lifelong management.

If your dog tests positive, we will consider their individual circumstances and advise you regarding the safest options for their ongoing veterinary care. This may mean that we are unable to perform certain procedures where the risk of transmission to veterinary staff is considered unacceptably high.

We will always discuss this openly with you and help you understand the options available.

What if my dog already tested positive for Brucella?

If you are considering registering with The Grove Vets and your dog has previously tested positive for Brucella canis, we ask that you are completely transparent about this when registering. This allows us to understand your dog's circumstances and discuss how we can best support you and provide appropriate care.

We will do our best to care for your dog wherever possible. However, because Brucella canis is an infectious disease and we do not have dedicated isolation facilities, there may be limitations on the care, appointments and procedures we are able to provide.

The safety and wellbeing of our team is also important. Our staff are supported in making an individual decision about whether they feel comfortable treating a dog known to be Brucella canis positive. As a result, there may be circumstances where certain members of the team are unable to provide care, which may affect the appointments or treatments available.

If your dog requires investigation or treatment that we feel cannot be safely or appropriately provided within our facilities and available resources, we may recommend referral to another veterinary practice or referral centre with more suitable facilities. This would be to ensure that your dog receives the appropriate care while also protecting the health and safety of our team.

What can you do to help?

If you own a dog that has been imported into the UK, please:

Tell us your dog's country of origin when registering with us.
Let us know when your dog arrived in the UK.
Provide us with copies of any previous Brucella canis test results.
Arrange the required APHA testing when requested.
Tell us if your dog subsequently travels abroad, particularly to a country where Brucella canis presents a significant risk.
Tell us if your dog has had known contact with a dog diagnosed with Brucella canis.

Our priority is your dog's welfare

We understand that additional testing can feel like an inconvenience, particularly when a dog appears perfectly healthy.

However, many dogs infected with Brucella canis show no obvious signs of illness. Screening is therefore a precautionary measure and does not mean that we believe a dog is infected.

Our policy allows us to balance providing all dogs with the veterinary care they need with our responsibility to protect your dogs, all our patients, clients and veterinary team from a potentially serious zoonotic infection.

We would much rather identify and manage a potential risk when a dog is well than discover an unknown infection when they are already seriously unwell and require urgent treatment.

Thank you for helping us keep The Grove Vets a safe environment for everyone.

If you have any questions about our Brucella canis policy or whether it applies to your dog, please contact our team before booking an appointment.