Breeders of pedigree dogs depend on the health and fertility of their breeding animals. Maintaining a kennel free of Brucella canis prevents early abortion and infertility. A programme of regular screening, supported by MegaCor FASTest® BRUCELLA C. Veterinary Diagnostic Test Kits, provide the essential first step to creating a Brucellosis prevention programme.
Everyone loves puppies
Everyone loves puppies. And everyone loves the anticipation of their healthy arrival. But for breeders of pedigree dogs and kennel owners, puppies represent much more than bundles of fun and frolics. The loss of a pedigree litter can have serious economic consequences for a kennel or breeder, and the loss of fertile breeding stock can have implications for the survival of a genetic line or even an entire breed.
Infection with the bacterium Brucella canis is most noticeable – and most distressing, when a litter of long awaited puppies is aborted, usually in the last two weeks of pregnancy, or die shortly after birth. Less obvious are the signs that a valued animal is a carrier and likely to infect other animals. Not all pregnancies, prematurely ended by B. canis, show up as abortions or puppies that die. A pregnant bitch can re-absorb the placentae and foetuses that die early in pregnancy. Without reference to a reliable veterinary diagnostic test for B.canis, she may appear to be infertile rather than dangerously infected and infective.
Brucella canis spreads through contact
It’s not just bitches that might carry B.canis. Male dogs too can carry the bacterium, in their reproductive organs, resulting in a defective and low sperm count with a serious effect on their fertility. Brucella canis spreads through contact not only with diseased birth material, but also through other discharges and secretions from infected dogs and bitches. Brucella canis can also pass to humans, with those handling aborted material especially at risk of infection.
Regular screening is important to maintain a disease free and fertile breeding stock
Screening with Vetlab’s FASTest® BRUCELLA C. Veterinary Diagnostic Test Kit is the trusted method for cost-effective B.Canis monitoring. The 20-minute test utilises specific antibody technology which seeks out any Brucella bacteria and attaches to it, creating a coloured complex. The whole test takes place in a small, plastic strip that gives a clear-cut positive or ‘all-clear’ negative result supported by a ‘control’ test to show that the kit is performing correctly.
With no reliable and economically viable treatment available, it’s most important that kennels and breeders have their animals regularly and continually screened for the presence of B.canis to maintain a healthy, disease free and fertile breeding stock.
