01/06/2025
1/6/25: REGARDING BIRD FLU
Recently, we’ve seen a rise in bird flu cases in Washington state. While it’s important to consider livestock, we also want to be aware of how this affects our pets. Dogs and cats can both be exposed and be infected with the virus from eating either hunted/deceased birds or from raw diets. This includes home-made raw food, commercially available foods, or even raw milk, meat, and eggs. Cats are especially vulnerable. More cases have been reported in cats, and their fatality rate is high.
While there is no exact cure for the virus, early supportive care can improve their odds of survival greatly. We’re still learning if this strain is communicable to humans, but it’s always good to be cautious.
With all that in mind, what should we do?
1.Discontinue raw diets for your pets. If your cat or dog only does well with a certain commercial raw food, you can call or contact the manufacturer and ask if the food is able to be cooked before being fed. Uncooked or undercooked food is a vector for many diseases, including bird flu. Food should be brought to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to eliminate viral particles.
2.Consider keeping cats indoors. Hunting and eating wild birds is a huge exposure risk for cats. If you can’t keep them inside, consider emptying bird feeders and other measures to discourage wild birds from coming to their territory. When outside in nature, keep dogs on leash to prevent them from finding and consuming dead birds.
3.Watch for symptoms. So far, early intervention seems like the best way to make sure bird flu doesn’t become fatal in pets. You’ll want to look for out of character:
Respiratory symptoms - eye redness or inflammation, runny nose, eye discharge, rapid breathing/panting, or difficulty breathing.
GI symptoms - diarrhea or stomach upset that can indicate a dog or cat got into a carcass. Appetite loss is also something to watch for.
Lethargy and fever
Neurologic symptoms - circling, clumsiness or dizziness, tremors, seizures, or even blindness.
If these manifest, seek care immediately, ESPECIALLY for cats.
People should also practice good hygiene and thoroughly wash hands and exposed skin after handling raw foods, livestock, poultry or other birds, and their pets. The CDC is currently monitoring the situation, and may have additional recommendations. We hope that the flu stays rare, but when it comes to health, it pays to be cautious! We recommend following announcements from them here https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html, as well as the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, found here https://waddl.vetmed.wsu.edu/
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