Brucella canis: Guidance on risks and control measures in veterinary practices
13 June 2025
Veterinary professionals in small animal practice may wish to be aware of new Guidance on Risks and Control Measures in Veterinary Practices for Brucella canis jointly produced by BSAVA Policy in collaboration with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), APHA, and the Brucella Reference Unit. The guidance has also been reviewed and agreed by a range of other Government bodies*.
The guidance provides information for veterinary practices that can be used to help in the assessment of risks and implementation of control measures to control exposure of veterinary personnel to B.canis.
Application of the Guidance
The Guidance applies in situations where it is known or suspected that B.canis is present in a dog (for example, from clinical or other history, or clinical signs) and where, subject to local risk assessment, additional control measures should be implemented to control exposure of personnel treating the dog.
Where the presence of B.canis in a dog is not known or suspected there is no requirement to implement any control measure that would be additional to those that ought to routinely be in-place to prevent and control exposure of personnel to zoonotic pathogens in the veterinary care setting (as identified by risk assessment).
It also advises practices to have in place arrangements where infection with B. canis becomes apparent or suspected during the course of a consultation or procedure on a dog and also, where there is the potential for the risk level to change due to a procedure initially considered low risk for exposure of personnel, escalating to a higher risk situation.
*These included UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Public Health Scotland, Public Health Wales, Defra, and the Welsh and Scottish Governments.
Access the Guidance
The guidance document is accessible on the Government website here: Brucella canis: risks and control measures in veterinary practices.
Previous APHA Information
APHA’s Summary Information Sheet (SIS) has also been updated (12th June 2025) and can be accessed here: Canine brucellosis: general information for veterinary staff
Additional information and resources
BSAVA has collated key resources on B.canis into one easily accessible area, our Brucella canis Hub, which covers information from the BSAVA, other organisations and Government Departments: https://www.bsavalibrary.com/pages/brucella-canis
Previous information on B canis which includes the UKHSA’s HAIRS Risk Assessment and APHA’s FAQs is available here https://www.bsava.com/article/brucella-canis-government-updates/
Access to the BSAVA Scientific Information Document (SID) is available here https://www.bsava.com/article/brucella-canis-bsava-scientific-information-document/