[News From SheridanMedia.com]
The Sheridan Dog and Cat Shelter has confirmed the presence of a rare disease in dogs that causes infertility and abortions with few other signs of illness.
When a pregnant dog named Tulip was turned over to the Dog and Cat Shelter, staff looked forward to helping her give birth to new puppies. But in a heartbreaking turn of events, Tulip’s litter were all stillbirths.
As a precautionary measure, Dog and Cat Shelter veterinarian Dr. Karen Serres sent a sample to the state epidemiologist. The sample came back as positive for canine brucellosis.
According to VCM Hospital’s website, canine brucellosis is a contagious bacterial infection caused by the bacterium, Brucella canis (B. canis). This bacterial infection is highly contagious between dogs. Infected dogs usually develop an infection of the reproductive system, or a sexually transmitted disease.
According to shelter director Jill Moriarty, the disease is rare and found primarily in low-income areas where dogs may not receive a lot of veterinarian care. But staff had to be surveyed by the epidemiologist because there have been 31 cases of the disease spreading to humans in the US.
Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease, or a disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Although people can become infected by coming in contact with infected animals, it is uncommon for a person to get a brucellosis infection from a dog.
Staff that cared for Tulip and cleaned up after her are now taking precautionary medications for the next few months. After testing every dog in the facility for the disease, a protocol has been adopted at the shelter to test every dog that is brought into the shelter from those areas, Moriarty said.
During an appearance on Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse, Moriarty told listeners of the symptoms associated with canine brucellosis.
J. Moriarty
For more information on canine brucellosis, click here.
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Last modified: October 26, 2021