GOV.UK
Guidance
Bovine tuberculosis (TB) in domestic pets
- English
- Cymraeg
Advice to owners of cats and dogs with suspected or confirmed bovine TB infection.
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Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic, primarily respiratory infectious disease which can affect farmed animals, wildlife, pets and humans.
One of the causative agents of TB is called Mycobacterium bovis (M.bovis). The disease caused by M. bovis in cattle is often called bovine TB but this bacterium can infect most mammals.
Each year, thousands of cattle are diagnosed with bovine TB but only a small number of M. bovis infections in pets are recorded. These are mostly cats.
This leaflet is about TB caused by M. bovis and provides advice on:
- how pets can get TB
- how to check whether a pet has TB
- health risks for people and other animals
- how to manage TB in a pet
- what happens if TB is confirmed in a pet