07/10/2025
Brucella canis, is a gram-negative bacterium: some Brucella Sp, including B. Canis are infectious and zoonotic (which means it can spread from animal to human).
From 7 October 2025, new rules will require mandatory pre-import testing for Brucella Canis for all commercial dog imports from Romania into Great Britain.
Find out more: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/public-urged-to-buy-pets-from-reputable-sources
The Barriers?
1️⃣ Illegal Imports
2️⃣ Some tests have low specificity and sensitivity
3️⃣ Testing should be done at least 12 weeks after last possible 'exposure' due to seroconversion
We look forward to hearing more about the details of how this will be implemented.
Many dogs and puppies being brought into the UK are not via legal routes. Furthermore, the movement of puppies around Europe will make this implementation challenging. Nevertheless, this is still a big step forward in public awareness and being proactive and mitigating risk of B. Canis positive dogs being imported.
“The available estimates indicate that Europe’s pet trade (cats, dogs, exotic) is the third most profitable illegal trade in the EU, after narcotics and weapons,”
Importing puppies is often via illegal and unethical routes. Ongoing research has shown that there is an increasing trend in the number of puppies purchased with passports (i.e imported puppies), in 2021 at least 1 in 10 puppies were imported. In 2020, Dogs Trust found that 14% of all adverts reviewed online were for imported puppies (29% in England), at least 18% of the imported puppies were confirmed by the seller as being under the minimum 15 weeks of age.
Evidence shows a rise in low-welfare imports and smuggling activity with a 260% increase in the number of young puppies being intercepted for not meeting the UK’s pet import rules.
One of the saddest and most distressing increases is the rise in cropped eared dogs. Please DO NOT buy or import a puppy who has needlessly had its ears cropped. The RSPCA (England & Wales) reported a 620% rise in reports of dogs found to have had their ears cropped, covering from 2015 to 2020 - this is only getting worse.
Here are some TOP TIPS on how to stop a bogus puppy or rescue.
1️⃣ They have lots of puppies available at all different ages
2️⃣They offer a drop off service
3️⃣They aren't asking YOU questions about you home, lifestyle or experience
4️⃣They aren't providing proof of health checks and vaccine history
5️⃣They aren't thoroughly health testing imports from abroad
6️⃣Their importation paperwork isn't adding up!
Read more about these red flags below 👇
https://www.vetvoices.co.uk/post/is-my-rescue-a-red-flag
🎧 Want to listen about this?
Tune in to hear Robyn Lowe in conversation with Rowena Packer and Zoe Belshaw to discuss their research findings into the shocking reality of puppy sale scams and illegal puppy smuggling, where animal health, behaviour and welfare is hugely compromised for financial profit.
It is something we in the veterinary profession, and prospective puppy owners, need to know more about, and we hope that this podcast provides some insight and tools to identify when this is likely to be going on, for example any puppy who has been imported under the age of 15 weeks will have been done so illegally.
We also discuss the hugely damaging impact this has on the puppies, dams and sires from a behaviour, disease and welfare point of view. This issue is becoming more prevalent, and we have a responsibility to educate ourselves and our clients so that we can try and tackle this, ultimately by identifying puppy sellers who are part of the illegal puppy trade and boycotting these purchases.
https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/veterinary-voices/episodes/The-shocking-reality-of-the-illegal-puppy-trade-e32gmco
❓ Want to know more about Brucella Canis?
The article below aims to support the veterinary profession, the public and dog rescue organisations in our attempts to manage, test and recognise the disease in small animal practice.
In the UK in 2021 Public Health England released a Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance HAIRS risk statement that noted since summer 2020 there has been an unexpectedly high number of reports of Brucella canis infection in dogs, mostly directly imported into the UK from Eastern Europe.
B. Canis spreads predominantly via reproductive fluids. The risk of spread is particularly high if a pregnant bitch aborts a litter of puppies. Neutered dogs therefore pose a lower risk of transmission, but it does not eliminate risk. The disease can also be spread via blood, urine and saliva. People living with an infected pet will have prolonged exposure to these fluids and may therefore more at risk if in regular and direct contact with the infected dog. Those working with the bodily fluids of infected dogs may also be higher risk, such as laboratory workers, veterinary professionals and kennel professionals.
Read the article in full to understand more about the disease, and how you can reduce the risk of exposure whilst managing these patients in practice, and continue to provide outstanding veterinary care whilst protecting your team and having fully informed clients.
But remember, the most important option is not fuelling illegal puppy and dog trading in the first place.
https://www.vetvoices.co.uk/post/brucellosis-canis-in-the-uk-an-overview
