Brucellosis in Dog (Summary)
Teresa McMahan
Brucellosis canis is a venereal disease with no cure. There are 6 types of Brucellosis from varies species
and canines can be infected with any of the various strains. This disease will cause spontaneous abortion
in breeding females, usually late in pregnancy (45-59th day of pregnancy). Chronic infection from the
disease can cause other serious disease states. i Due to the fact that it is highly contagious, non-curable
and causes fetal demise, any dog infected with the disease should immediately be removed from a
breeding program and isolated from other animals. Unfortunately, since it is also contagious to humans,
it is often recommended to euthanize the animal. Spaying and neutering can be an alternative, but since
it is contagious to human, this option must be taken with extreme caution in order that other species
(including humans) not be infected with the disease.
The test for Brucellosis is a simple blood test that can be drawn from you general veterinarian. Your
veterinarian may choose to send the blood sample to a private lab or may have an in-house test
available. This test is EXTREMELY important in all breeding animals and is required by most sperm banks
that store frozen semen. To reiterate, this disease has no cure and is highly contagious. All breeders
should verify testing prior to breeding. It is contagious through both sexual contact and casual contact
through excreted urine; therefore all dogs that are frequently exposed to other dogs should be tested
every six months. Since this disease can also infect humans, it is a reportable disease.
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