19 May 2023
Louise Buckley fears thousands of dogs could give false positive results and feels more needs to be done to offer imported dog owners contextualised care.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Image © Dr_Microbe / Adobe Stock
A VN and academic has removed herself from the RCVS register over what she sees as the “fear-based” treatment of dogs suspected of having Brucella canis.
Louise Buckley has also launched an online campaign intended to prioritise animal welfare, and support the owners of imported dogs to discuss diagnosis and management issues with their vets.
Many leading sector bodies have so far remained tight-lipped about the campaign, although one senior official has called for measures including pre-import testing to help reduce the risk.
But Dr Buckley fears that thousands of dogs are potentially at risk of being recommended for euthanasia because of false positive test results.
She is calling for the APHA to publish key testing data, as well as a change of approach within practice.
Dr Buckley said: “I know that COVID-19 was a significant stressor, so it is understandable that veterinary professionals are now cautious of zoonotic diseases.
“But I am calling on the veterinary profession to focus on evidence-based medicine, and contextualised care and recommendation, and not succumb to fear-based medicine.”
Dr Buckley, who practised for 25 years before her resignation and is also a rescue dog owner, set up a Facebook page to highlight her concerns about the issue last month.
But she said she only moved to leave the register after being advised that sharing her knowledge with a pet owner who had contacted her about a case would put her in breach of the RCVS’ code of conduct.
The owner reported being denied care for multiple dogs and a cat after refusing to euthanise an otherwise healthy dog that had tested positive for B canis in a routine screening.
Although the dog subsequently tested negative, it is understood treatment had not been reinstated at the time of going to press.
Dr Buckley said the positive result in that case was likely to be within the disease-free range used as a control by the APHA in validating its own test, and she had shared the information with the owner after removing herself from the register.
She added: “I decided that my professional ethics, and commitment to animal welfare and client well-being, trumped adherence to my professional code of conduct.”
Dr Buckley has urged the APHA to publish the control group reference ranges for the two main B canis tests, SAT and iELISA, along with its figures for positive tests, confidence intervals for sensitivity and specificity, test methodology, and risk assessments for other zoonotic diseases.
She argued that, based on the APHA’s published 99% specificity level and the estimated 900,000 imported dogs living in the UK according to the latest PDSA Animal Wellbeing Report, almost 9,000 dogs could falsely test positive – a level she described as “staggering”.
Dr Buckley said information was needed to help both vets and clients to make more informed care decisions.
She said her own requests for publication had been refused and Defra declined to comment on the reasons for that stance when approached by Vet Times.
However, a spokesperson said: “We take the risks posed by Brucella canis very seriously – which is why the disease is now reportable, to allow us to monitor the number of confirmed cases and update our risk assessments.
“The Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance group is currently reassessing the risk assessment on Brucella canis, in order to inform an updated version. This will be published in due course.”
The spokesperson added that further actions would be considered “as appropriate”, and the department was working with both vets and dog owners to minimise the risk.
According to recent written ministerial answers, 17 B canis cases, involving 56 positive dogs, were reported between January 2011 and April 2021 – of which all but three were reported after 1 April 2020.
The number of cases then climbed to 35 between 1 April 2021 and 31 January 2022, although the number of dogs affected dropped to 37.
However, from 1 February last year to the end of March this year, 75 cases – affecting 104 individual dogs – were recorded.
BVA president Malcolm Morley said evidence suggesting a rising trend of cases was “concerning” as he renewed his call for ministers to act.
He said: “This trojan disease poses risks to dogs in the UK, and human transmission has been proven to cause serious lifelong illness, also making it a risk to both owners and veterinary teams.
“Vets in practice must use their clinical judgement to decide how best to manage that risk.
“While no test can be 100% accurate, there are a range available to help screen for this disease, and these remain an important part of the veterinary toolbox.
“When proposing treatment options for any illness or condition, vets will always ensure the dog’s long-term welfare and quality of life are prioritised, while balancing this with the risk of onward disease transmission.
“Urgent action is needed to tackle Brucella canis, and the Government should take steps to introduce pre-import testing to limit the disease entering the country.
“It must also deliver the long overdue Kept Animals Bill in full, which contains several measures that would help reduce the risk of Brucella and other diseases crossing our borders.”
But Dr Buckley said it had become clear to her that many owners did not have the information they needed to make informed decisions on testing and euthanasia issues.
She also argued that an urgent evidence review was needed, as published scientific literature did not support claimed safety concerns.
Other veterinary bodies, including the RCVS, BSAVA and Progressive Veterinary Association, declined to comment.
