Imported rescue dogs may put U.S. pork industry at risk

A recent article published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) outlines how state veterinarians and industry experts are working to assess disease risk posed by dog rescue groups bringing dogs into the U.S. from overseas.  

Part of the problem is that rescue groups may not fully understand import regulations fully while bringing the dogs into the U.S. Veterinarians and state officials are concerned that dogs and their carriers could bring with them pathogens, especially the African swine fever (ASF) virus.

Dr. John Deen, a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota reports,
that African Swine Fever has caused a major realignment of animal agriculture. It has spread throughout China and neighboring countries, resulting in less pigs and pork. More than 60% of the world’s pigs were in these countries, with pork being the preferred meat for consumption. Estimates of a 50% reduction in pigs in Southeast Asia are due to pigs killed by the disease, as well as farmers liquidating their herds out of fear of infection.

Moving animals across state lines also poses risk, Megan Jacob, PhD, associate professor and director of diagnostic libraries at the North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, tells JAVMA. Dogs in one area may be naïve to another region’s strain of disease.

"In addition to bringing viruses or bacteria that may be transmissible to other dogs, there is certainly a risk that the animals—any animal—could carry an infecting agent that could be passed to people or other animal species," Jacob says.

CDC guidelines state that all dogs that enter the U.S. must be at least 4 months old, look healthy and may need proof of rabies vaccination certificates, depending on the risk from the source country.