Rescues and shelters should consider B. canis screening prior to adoption or animal movement into the state. Dogs coming from areas where there are large numbers of stray intact dogs are at a higher risk of being from an endemic population.
Facilities that are licensed under PACFA and import animals must follow testing, surveillance and cleaning programs outlined by their PACFA Disease Control and Treatment (DCAT) Plans.
Guidance for Testing and Surveillance of Dogs in Breeding Kennels
Due to the increased concern for B. canis infection, CDA recommends that breeding kennels perform screening tests of all dogs over 6 months of age at least once every year. If there are any reproductive abnormalities within the breeding group, B. canis screening tests should be performed.
If an intact male or female has left the kennel for any reason other than a veterinary visit, the dog should be isolated for 8 weeks and then tested before being released from isolation. PACFA licensed facilities are required to follow appropriate cleaning, sanitation, isolation and disease control standards as referenced in PACFA rules.
If a positive result is obtained, that dog should continue to be isolated and classified as a Brucella suspect. The suspect dog should have a recheck after 30-60 days using CDA’s Animal Health Laboratory screening test or Cornell’s B. canis Multiplex Assay. If the recheck is still positive, then the dog is considered positive.
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has additional information on best practices for prevention and control of B. canis in a breeding kennel.
Testing and Management Recommendations
Brucella testing is a serial testing process that starts with a screening test followed by a confirmatory test of all non-negative samples. The purpose of a screening test is to detect ANY potential positive animal. This means there WILL BE nonspecific reactors, which require additional testing for definitive diagnosis. Serial testing improves diagnostic specificity and positive predictive value of a test process and asks the animal to “prove” it is affected by the condition being tested.
B. canis is not curable, not a benign disease in the dog, and is a zoonotic risk, because of this the primary management recommendation for positive B. canis cases is euthanasia.
An owner who chooses not to euthanize their B. canis positive dog has the responsibility to limit the spread of this disease. Read CDA’s Guidance for Owners of Infected Dogs, which outlines prevention and control measures.
Read more about testing and management recommendations on the Guidance for Veterinarians page.