A-Z Index × Submit A-Z Index × Submit A-Z Index Search Dropdown × Submit Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate Emerging Infectious Disease journal ISSN: 1080-6059 Disclaimer: Early release articles are not considered as final versions. Any changes will be reflected in the online version in the month the article is officially released.
Dog importation into Canada has grown substantially since the early 2010s, and concerns have been raised regarding the potential introduction of infectious agents. We conducted a qualitative risk assessment of infectious agents associated with canine importation into Canada. We adapted international risk assessment methodologies coupled with an expert consultation. We estimated likelihood of entry, likelihood of canine exposure, and magnitude of impact of exposure to individual canines and the canine population for all hazards (n = 53). We also completed estimates for likelihood of human exposure and magnitude of impact of exposure on individual humans and the human population for zoonotic hazards (n = 33). Hazards were commonly ranked moderate or high for likelihood of entry and exposure estimates. Magnitude of impact of exposure estimates were assessed at much lower levels, indicating more restricted health impacts. Our study provides a foundation for future risk mitigation, including caregiver education, veterinary assessments, and importation regulations.
The importation of dogs into Canada has grown substantially since the early 2010s ( 1 , 2 ); an increase of >400% occurred from 2013 to 2019. In 2019, it was estimated that >37,000 dogs entered Canada from a vast array of countries ( 2 ). Numerous factors have likely contributed to the trend. Rescue organizations appear to be one of the primary sources of imported dogs ( 3 ); those organizations are often motivated by philanthropic goals ( 4 ). Rescue organizations transport dogs that might be unhoused, kept in poor conditions, destined for the food chain (i.e., at risk for being slaughtered for meat), or displaced from natural disasters ( 1 , 5 ). Another primary source of imported dogs is sales from intensive breeding facilities (i.e., puppy mills), particularly in Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine, and Poland ( 2 , 6 ). Growing societal demand for specific breeds of dogs has fueled unethical breeding practices and the transportation of large numbers of puppies into many high-income nations, including Canada ( 1 , 5 ). Those populations of dogs are likely at high risk for exposure to and infection with infectious agents, given they might live in high dog-density situations; have unrestricted access to other animal populations (e.g., wildlife, livestock) and contaminated environments (e.g., waste facilities, polluted waterways); lack access to basic preventive care; or might be immunosuppressed from stress, malnutrition, and other concurrent health issues ( 1 , 7 ). Moreover, those infectious agents could be foreign to Canada or occur at a much higher prevalence than within Canada.
Unsurprisingly, public and animal health concerns have been raised regarding the potential introduction of infectious agents that are considered novel or well-controlled in Canada through imported dogs and the subsequent effects on dogs and humans in Canada ( 5 , 8 ). For example, in 2017, canine influenza virus was introduced through imported dogs from Asia, which led to multiple outbreak clusters in a naive dog population in Canada ( 9 ). In 2018, a woman from British Columbia…