Vets have issued an urgent warning about the serious health risks of importing dogs from abroad into Britain It follows a woman being hospitalised after the first dog-to-human case of the disease Brucella canis in the UK.
The British Veterinary Association is also repeating its calls for the Government to tighten the rules on importing pets. It wants all prospective dog owners to rehome dogs from within the UK, rather than the risk of bringing in so-called 'Trojan' dogs from abroad.
Earlier this month, a positive Brucella canis test was confirmed on a rescue dog imported from Belarus in March this year. The woman fostering the dog was hospitalised after coming into close contact with it, while the fostered animal and four pet dogs who were exposed to the disease all had to be euthanised.
