Can dogs get TB

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) in domestic pets

This guide is for owners of domestic pet mammals with a suspected or confirmed tuberculosis (TB) infection due to Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis - the bacterium that causes bovine TB). Domestic pet mammals include dogs, cats, rabbits and ferrets.

If you keep livestock animals as pets, you should follow the section of this guide for TB in livestock animals kept as pets. This includes cows, goats, pigs, sheep, camelids (such as alpacas and llamas).

How pets can get TB

Pets can become infected through:

• ingestion (by mouth), for example by drinking unpasteurised infected cows, goats or sheeps milk or milk products such as cheese or eating undercooked or raw meat or offal (viscera) from carcasses of infected animals
• aerosols (breathing in), from close contact with infected farm animals, wildlife or other infected pets
• bite wounds, either from being bitten by an infected animal or if a wound gets infected by bacteria in the environment

Signs and diagnosis

Common signs of TB include:

• coughing
• wheezing
• weight loss
• lumps, abscesses or bite wounds around the head or neck, which fail to heal (most often in cats)
• swollen lymph nodes (glands)

Signs of TB in pets are not unique and can be like other diseases.

If your vet suspects that your pet has TB, they may recommend a number of tests, including a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. You or your insurance provider will usually need to pay for these tests unless in very specific circumstances when the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) may cover the costs.

PCR test on tissue samples

A PCR test on tissue samples taken from your pet can identify the bovine TB bacterium. The vet will need to collect a tissue sample, either:

How to manage a pet with TB

Your vet can help you to choose whether to treat or euthanise (put to sleep) your pet if it has TB.

Drugs and licensing

There are no drugs licensed in the UK for treating animals with TB.

If you choose to treat your pet, your vet may have to use unlicensed drugs. They have not passed UK animal-specific safety and testing for bovine TB, and so may not work. They may also risk the welfare of your pet. You or your insurance provider will need to pay for any attempted treatment.

Antimicrobial resistance and continued risk to others

Anti-TB treatments require the use of several drugs for at least 6 months. It can be very difficult to give these to your pet consistently, which may mean they do not get the full dosage or course of treatment. This can lead to antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria developing, which is a risk to human and animal health. Too low a dosage may also mean that your pet remains infected and continues to be a risk to others, often without showing any signs of disease.

Prognosis

Pets are often unlikely to recover fully from TB. There are no guarantees of a permanent cure.

Health risks for humans

TB can spread from animals to humans but the risk to you or your family is very low.

If your pet is diagnosed with TB caused by M. bovis, your vet will notify APHA. They will let your local health protection team (HPT) of the UK Health Security Agency in England (or the equivalent bodies in Scotland and Wales) know. The HPT may offer TB screening to owners or others who have had close contact with the infected pet.

Find out more information on human TB screening.

Health risks for other animals

Your local APHA officer will consider the risks for other animals that have been near your pet.

If considered necessary, APHA will develop a plan to help protect livestock and other pets at or near your home. If you have livestock, you may need to test it for TB as part of this plan. APHA will let you know in writing if this applies to you.

Livestock animals kept as pets

If you keep a livestock animal as a pet, it will be classed as a livestock animal. The method of disease management will vary depending on the species.

Livestock animals, such as cows, goats and camelids (like alpacas and llamas) are covered by specific TB Orders. In England and Scotland, the TB Orders also include pigs and sheep. Livestock animals kept as pets with a suspected or confirmed TB infection will be managed by the relevant disease control policies.

Find out more information on TB in livestock animals.

A living livestock animal with a suspected case of TB will need to be tested with an appropriate diagnostic test.

APHA will:

• assess (on an individual basis) whether a test is needed

• write to tell you if a test is needed

• let you know who to contact to arrange the test

• cover the costs of the test

Animals with a positive test result must be slaughtered and compensation will be paid to owners. At the post-mortem examination, tissue will be collected for laboratory testing.

You cannot treat cows, goats, pigs, sheep, camelids or deer for TB unless you have written consent from APHA.

Any other livestock animal that has been in contact with a confirmed TB-infected animal will also need a test. Animals with positive test results will be slaughtered.

APHA might issue a statutory restriction notice (TN02) asking you to:

• stop moving other animals that could become infected with TB, on to or off your premises

• keep your animals under control to prevent contact with animals on neighbouring premises

Get help

Pet health

You can get advice and support from your vet.

You can contact APHA with any other TB-related queries about your pets health.

Human health

You should contact your GP with any concerns about your or your familys health.

Public health

Read the UK Health Security Agencys advice on Tuberculosis (TB): diagnosis, screening, management and data

Read Health Protection Scotlands guidance on Tuberculosis (TB)

Read Public Health Wales guidance on Tuberculosis (TB)

Tuberculosis in Dogs

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Mycobacterium. The disease affects practically all species of vertebrates, and, before control measures were adopted, was a major disease of people and domestic animals. Signs and lesions are generally similar in the various species. Although commonly defined as a longterm, debilitating disease, tuberculosis occasionally has a sudden, rapidly progressive course.

There are several species of bacteria that cause tuberculosis. Each type is mainly found in one host species but may produce infection in other host species. The types that affect dogs include Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, and occasionally Mycobacterium avium complex and Mycobacterium fortuitum.

The breathing in of infected droplets expelled from the lungs of an infected person or animal is the usualthough not the onlyroute of infection. Ingestion, particularly via contaminated food or milk, may also be a common source of infection.

Most infected dogs do not have any signs, as the canine immune system actively suppresses the bacteria. When disease does occur, signs generally include chronic coughing with difficulty breathing or quick, shallow breaths. Other generalized signs include progressive emaciation, lethargy, weakness, poor appetite, and a low-grade, fluctuating fever.

The disease is easily transmitted to humans and other animals and represents a public health risk. Therefore, treatment of tuberculosis in dogs should be discussed with your veterinarian. If a dog is suspected of having advanced tuberculous lesions, it must be reported to the appropriate public health authorities, and the dog should be euthanized.

Also see professional content regarding tuberculosis in dogs.

How to deal with TB in non-bovine animals

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious respiratory disease found in mammals.

This guide applies to TB infection in domestic non-bovine animals (as well as those kept as pets), and includes:

• pigs
• sheep
• goats
• captive deer managed by a keeper
• camelids (llama, alpaca, vicuna and guanaco)

How to spot TB

Its hard to spot TB as the signs are similar to other diseases and normally only develop in advanced stages of infection. Animals infected with TB often do not show any signs of disease.

When signs of TB are present in animals, they may be:

• coughing or breathing problems
• loss of condition
• loss of appetite
• yielding less milk (for dairy animals)
• seeing no improvement from a respiratory infection after veterinary treatment

You should get advice from your vet if you think any of your animals have TB.

How TB spreads

Animals to animals

TB can spread to your domestic animals from:

• infected cattle
• infected wild animals, such as badgers and wild deer
• infected non-bovine animals introduced to your herd

It can spread directly from animal to animal, or indirectly through contaminated:

• manure and slurry
• urine
• bedding
• feed
• water
• equipment

Animals to people

TB can spread from infected animals to humans if people:

• breathe in animal breath
• touch animal waste (urine or faeces)
• have cut skin and touch animals or carcasses
• eat dairy products made from unpasteurised milk from infected dairy animals

If you suspect TB

You must immediately contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) if you or your vet suspect a live animal or carcase is infected with TB.

Keep the animal or carcase on your premises isolated as far as is practical from other livestock until APHA carry out an investigation.

APHA will visit as soon as possible and examine the animals or carcases, and may test and take samples.

APHA usually put movement restrictions on premises until they determine that TB is not present.

The vets tests

You must allow your animals to be tested for TB.

For non-bovine animals the vet uses the tuberculin skin test. The vet injects tuberculin into the animals skin and measures how the skin has reacted after about 3 days.

After the tests are completed (this may involve repeat rounds of testing) the vet will confirm whether the animals have TB and whether the restrictions can be lifted.

APHA has powers in England to require the TB testing of all non-bovine animals. If you dont allow the APHA vet to test your animals, they will not lift movement restrictions.

In species where skin testing is difficult such as pigs and park deer, the results of abattoir post-mortem examinations may be taken into consideration when APHA decide on lifting restrictions.

If TB is found

APHA has statutory powers in England to slaughter and remove livestock of any species that test positive for TB.

Movement restrictions

You must restrict the movement of animals onto or off your premises until APHA is satisfied that TB is no longer present.

Vaccination and treatment

You or your vet must not use antimicrobial drugs, for example antibiotics to attempt to treat TB. There are no vaccines approved in the UK for the vaccination of animals (except badgers) against TB.

Milk

You must not supply milk from infected animals for human consumption, and you should not consume it yourself.

Compensation for slaughtered animals in England

Youll get statutory compensation payments for all animals removed for disease control purposes.

The amount youll get depends on:

• the species
• the sex of the animal
• the age and weight of the animal on the day youre served notice of its slaughter
• whether its used for breeding or not

Camelids

Deer

Goats

Pigs

Sheep

If you get approval from APHA, you can choose to slaughter your animals at your own expense and keep any salvage value. This applies to all species.

Day-to-day disease control

Ask your vet for advice to reduce the risk of introducing TB to your animals. See the disease prevention for livestock and poultry keepers guidance.

Moving your animals

You should keep a record of animals moving on and off your premises including:

• animals that go to events, for example livestock shows
• animals moved for mating

Precautionary tests

Your vet must get APHAs approval to privately test animals for TB, for example, before animals are moved. You must pay for private tests.

APHA can ask to test your animals for TB if:

• during routine abattoir meat inspection of your animals suspect lesions have tested positive for TB
• the bacterium that causes TB (M. bovis) has been found in laboratory samples taken from your animals
• TB has been found in other groups of animals kept on your farm, for example cattle or in animals kept on neighbouring premises
• animals have moved to your premises from a place where TB has been confirmed (tracings)
• privately tested animals have a positive test result

You dont pay for these tests - the government covers the costs.