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Pets and companion animals

Your vet first. This page is not veterinary advice.

This month for pet owners

Dogs

Rabies and pet travel

The UK is free of rabies in land animals. The rules for bringing a dog, cat or ferret into Great Britain keep it that way:

  • The microchip goes in before the rabies vaccine.
  • Wait at least 21 days after the rabies vaccine before you travel. The exact wait depends on the vaccine.
  • Dogs need tapeworm treatment between 24 hours and 5 days before arrival.
  • A pet that does not meet the rules can be held in quarantine for up to 4 months.

Source: GOV.UK, Bringing your pet dog, cat or ferret to Great Britain, updated 24 October 2024. The old address, gov.uk/take-pet-abroad, now leads there. gov.uk/bring-pet-to-great-britain (opens in a new tab)

Echinococcus multilocularis

This is a tapeworm found in parts of continental Europe. People can catch it, and it can cause serious disease. The tapeworm treatment rule above is there to keep it out of Great Britain.

Brucella canis

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) HAIRS risk assessment of 18 September 2023 says reports in dogs have risen since summer 2020, mostly in dogs imported from Eastern Europe. UKHSA HAIRS risk assessment (opens in a new tab). The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has a page for owners: BVA on Brucella canis (opens in a new tab).

Leishmania

A 2024 study reported by BSAVA found 368 clinical cases of canine leishmaniosis in the UK from 2010 to 2022. 51 per cent of the dogs were rescued, imported or had travelled. BSAVA, new study on canine leishmaniosis (opens in a new tab).

Ticks and Babesia

UKHSA runs the Tick Surveillance Scheme, updated 7 October 2025. UKHSA Tick Surveillance Scheme (opens in a new tab). SAVSNET has a summary of canine babesiosis: SAVSNET, canine babesiosis (opens in a new tab).

Parvovirus and distemper

Vaccination prevents both. SAVSNET follows vaccine preventable diseases in vet practice and laboratory data. SAVSNET, infectious diseases (opens in a new tab). Its latest note on parvovirus is under What SAVSNET is seeing, below.

Rabies in dogs and cats in Europe

Newest first, from the data read on 28 October 2026. WAHIS holds only what countries report.

Cats

FIV and FeLV

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) spread between cats. SAVSNET has a summary of each: FIV (opens in a new tab) and FeLV (opens in a new tab). Ask your vet about testing and vaccination.

Bird flu in cats

GOV.UK lists findings of bird flu in captive mammals. It records no cat finding as at 24 March 2025. GOV.UK, findings in captive mammals (opens in a new tab).

Cat cases have been reported abroad. The EFSA and ECDC overview for June to August 2026 lists two domestic cats in Utah, in the United States, among its mammal detections. EFSA and ECDC, Avian influenza overview June to August 2026 (opens in a new tab).

Defra advice for owners, passed on by BSAVA on 15 August 2023: tell your vet if your cat has had contact with wild birds or has eaten raw meat.

Rabies and travel

The same pet travel rules apply to cats. Cats do not need tapeworm treatment.

Rabbits

Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHDV2) and myxomatosis both affect pet rabbits. No public UK case count exists for either, so this page shows no figure. Vaccination is a question for your vet. SAVSNET publishes a myxomatosis dashboard on its real-time surveillance page (opens in a new tab).

Birds kept as pets

Psittacosis

UKHSA, Common animal-associated infections in England 2025, published 26 March 2026, reports 13 cases in England in 2025 and 11 in 2024. UKHSA report (opens in a new tab).

Bird flu and captive birds

GOV.UK says anyone in England or Wales who keeps poultry or other captive birds must register them, and this has applied to every keeper since 1 October 2024. GOV.UK, register as a keeper (opens in a new tab). Advice on keeping bird flu out is on GOV.UK, how to prevent it and stop it spreading (opens in a new tab), updated 4 June 2026.

Reptiles and amphibians

Salmonella. UKHSA guidance on reducing infection from reptiles, updated 17 September 2021. UKHSA guidance (opens in a new tab).

Bsal. Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans is a fungus that kills salamanders and newts. It does not affect people. It is a notifiable disease. Report a suspected case on 03000 200 301. GOV.UK guidance on Bsal (opens in a new tab), updated 3 June 2021.

What SAVSNET is seeing

SAVSNET, at the University of Liverpool, runs the UK’s real-time companion-animal surveillance from vet practices and diagnostic laboratories. Its newest published summaries, checked on 25 October 2026, date from May 2025.

  • 28 May 2025, acute feline vomiting. “There does not appear to be a national rise in cases, either vomiting or use of anti-emetics.” Data to 26 May 2025. SAVSNET (opens in a new tab).
  • 2021, suspected increase in parvovirus in the North West. “Case numbers appear low and there does not appear to be an upward trend in these data.” SAVSNET lists this note under 2021. SAVSNET (opens in a new tab).

These data are generated by SAVSNET. Any interpretation of these data provided alongside is not from SAVSNET.

See the live dashboards on the SAVSNET real-time disease surveillance page (opens in a new tab). We link to them and do not copy them.

Where the data stops

WAHIS, GOV.UK and UKHSA cover what is reported. They do not show every case in a pet. SAVSNET covers vets in its network and not every practice. Rabbits and exotic pets have little public data. Absence from a list is not absence of disease.

Who to ask

Pets explainers: coming

  • Bird flu and your cat
  • Bringing a dog home from abroad
  • Brucella canis
  • Ticks on your dog
  • Reptile pets and Salmonella

OutbreakLens is an educational summary of public data, made in a personal capacity. It is not veterinary, trade or official advice, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government body. Always check the primary source.