Are there any tests you do to keep your dogs from catching diseases when mating? I don't mean all the eye and DNA tests.

I seem to remember bitches being 'swabbed' prior to breeding back in the 80's to ensure they didn't carry anything to make the stud dog infertile. Is this still used? I can't remember exactly what is was for and my vet doesn't know either!!!

Have also heard about canine brucellosis recently, is this tested in the UK? Is it a known problem?

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Have also heard about canine brucellosis recently, is this tested in the UK? Is it a known problem?

It's a notifiable disease that we fortunately do not have in the UK, though with the illegal imports etc who knows for how long.

Certainly if your using a dog in the USA, reputable breeders test for it.

http://www.akcchf.org/canine-health/your-dogs-health/disease-information/brucellosis.html

Was a time when some breeders would put their bitches on a short course of a broad spectrum antibiotic at the time of mating.    I used to carefully swab down my males after being mated, just in case, but happily none developed a problem, neither bitch nor dog.    CB is tested for out in N.America, but I don't know about here in the UK.  Unfortunately the world is shrinking in terms of imports and what they might be bringing into the country, so if you are worried, talk to your vet.

Many breeders will vacinate against CHV, given in two doses.  Have never done this before but having lost half a litter a while ago to fading puppy syndrome will consider this in the future.

>CB is tested for out in N.America, but I don't know about here in the UK.

We tested for many, many years in the UK, even after we had eradicated the disease from the country.  Haven't tested for years now, as we are officially brucellosis free over here now.

> Haven't tested for years now, as we are officially brucellosis free over here now.

What was it like when it was here?
(after reading the link above) Curious... in case it ever re-appears.

http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Factsheets/pdfs/brucellosis_canis.pdf

Does anyone remember ... Was it a 'swab' test for CB, and would that have been the late 80s early 90s when it was being tested for here?

Maybe  that is what I remember!

Very unlikely. 

Swabbing was/is for Bacteria, which is normal anyway, and giving AB's is considered a very negative thing these days when there is no infection, as it increases the likelihood of AB resistant strains of Bacteria.

Thanks :)

>Curious... in case it ever re-appears

Our border inspection posts would stop animals entering.  If already past the inspection post then animals are euthanased.  Same as last year when the horses got past other europian posts.  They didn't get past ours.  Brucellosis in any animal would end in putting down, be it dog, cattle whatever.  Any notifiable disease is treated very urgently to protect human health.  When any dog comes over here that is suspected to have rabies, even if a family pet, is treated the same.  We have pretty good reactions to disease in the UK.

> Our border inspection posts would stop animals entering.  If already past the inspection post then animals are euthanased.  Same as last year when the horses got past other europian posts.  They didn't get past ours.  Brucellosis in any animal would end in putting down, be it dog, cattle whatever.

That's what I was wondering.  God forbid we get it back here, with all the BYB breeders who would keep quiet or resist PTS.

>Our border inspection posts would stop animals entering.

Sadly I don't believe that would be the case. The border controls aren't stopping potentially rabid dogs coming in, so why would brucellosis be any different?

You are not wrong.   Already car-loads of puppies are coming into the UK (from Hungary for starters) because they can - not all cars are being checked and quite honestly, it's only a matter of time before something like rabies hits, never mind CB.  Some time ago I was considering asking about getting mine vaccinated against rabies because you know what will happen should this hit an area.   Chances are there will be a lock down, at least.   Having lived in a country with rabies for some years, the possibility of this coming to the UK isn't funny!!     I'd suggest it's only because rabies isn't quite so prevalent in Europe as it once was, that we haven't seen cases here already.

A couple of weeks ago in the Netherlands, two puppies imported from Bulgaria were confirmed to have rabies and were destroyed. Even more recently in Paris a kitten was found to have it, and they have no idea where the kitten came from. It's very close to home.

It's not just puppies, either, but Romanian and other street dogs being brought in as rescue cases (by organisations set up by well-meaning people) and advertised on media such as Facebook.  I believe that people can bring up to five dogs in as "pets" so four people in a car could bring 20 dogs.

I live near to a major port, and the arrival of rabies is a big worry. The Defra strategy (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69523/pb13585-rabies-control-strategy-110630.pdf) would severely limit where dogs could go, and if rabies got into the wildlife the places dogs could run free would be limited.  At worst, I would fear a "cull" in affected areas.

Yes, the possibility of a cull scares me stiff, hence my considering having my current pair of hounds given rabies vaccination, is possible.

Potentially rabid dogs are not the same as a diagnosed disease.  DEFRA don't stop 'potential' animals.  They work flat out culling the serious stuff.

Did we have CB in the UK before, and were dogs culled because of it?  Is it still classed as a "notifiable disease"?
Is it present in the countries which are bringing over the most dogs, legally or otherwise?

Sorry, I've been told to butt out.

>DEFRA don't stop 'potential' animals.

They should; that's the point. Rabies is a far greater threat than CB.