Brucella canis infections diagnosed in Calgary dogs
Posted Apr 1, 2014 3:40 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The University of Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is investigating several recent cases of brucella canis in dogs imported from the Southern US.
They’ve identified a total of five cases of the infectious disease that is rarely diagnosed in Alberta.
Dr. Serge Chaloub with the university tells 660News, they don’t know the true prevalence of brucella canis in the local population and believe it is low, but the bacteria is difficult to eradicate from dogs.
“For spayed and neutered dogs, the transmission is relatively low, but it is still possible,” he says. “For intact females and intact males, there is certainly a higher risk.”
The bacteria can infect a variety of different tissues in the body, but are most commonly associated with infections of the reproductive organs in dogs.
Alberta Health Services and Alberta Health have been notified and the owners of the infected dogs have also been told of the potential risk of contracting the disease from their animals.
