Pet owners are advised to keep dogs and cats away from dead birds

With geese and other wild birds returning to the area daily, New Brunswick dog and cat owners should be aware of the risk of bird flu, says a registrar at the New Brunswick Veterinary Association. .

Dr. Nicole Jewett, a veterinarian in the Fredericton area, was commenting after the recent death of a dog that bit an infected wild goose in Ontario.

“There’s no need to panic, but you should be aware and careful,” she said.

“Certainly, if the bird dies, keep the animal away.”

New Brunswick has had approximately 80 cases of bird flu, all in both wild and commercially farmed birds.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is monitoring outbreaks in commercial flocks, Jewett said.

this is website show As of 19 April, an estimated 7.5 million birds are affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza.

New Brunswick has seen relatively few commercial losses so far, Jewett said. Food inspection agencies report his two flocks totaling less than 100 birds were affected.

Chicken owners should keep their birds away from wild birds, Jewett said.

Additionally, new chickens should be quarantined for 30 days and no one should be chasing manure from one farm to another with dirty boots, she said.

The Wildlife Health Cooperative of Canada is monitoring wild bird cases.this is website show Confirmed and suspected cases in geese, seagulls, boobies, eagles, owls, hawks, crows and other species.

Bird flu is primarily spread through waterfowl, but all types of birds can be infected, Jewett said. Transmission is generally through bodily fluids of infected birds. Large amounts of bird droppings can be dangerous.

Dogs and cats are unlikely to catch bird flu, she said.

Symptoms of bird flu in dogs and cats include fever, low energy, redness around the eyes, loss of appetite, difficulty breathing, shivering, seizures, and death.

Besides birds, foxes, seals, dolphins, black bears, minks, raccoons and skunks have also been confirmed to be infected across the country, she said.

Pets are at low risk of becoming infected from wild animals, as infection requires constant direct contact.

“Most importantly, pets (dogs and cats) should not be fed game birds or raw poultry. If possible, keep cats indoors and keep them away from potentially infected carcasses. Please tie me up.”

At a dog park in Fredericton on Tuesday, Elizabeth Ory said she hadn’t heard of the dog’s death in Ontario and didn’t know bird flu could be a risk for Georgie, 2-year-old Mokey. Maltese and Yorkies.

While the Yorkshire Terrier has historically been bred to chase mice, he has never attempted to chase rodents or birds, but he has learned that dead birds pose a risk of disease. It is customary to try to avoid dead birds anyway.

However, Ollie wonders if Georgie could catch bird flu from other dogs at the dog park, or if she could catch it from her adopted cat, who tends to go outside to hunt birds and rats from time to time. I thought.

The virus doesn’t spread easily between mammals, so the risk of dogs and cats getting sick from another pet in the house or at the dog park is very low, Jewett said.

However, when pets are infected, bird flu can look like many other common illnesses.

She recommends going to the vet for an evaluation if anything is wrong.

“It’s really close, knowing what happened in Ontario,” said Pierina Rivas-Robiano, who was at the park with Rascal, an 11-month-old shepherd mix.

“It’s very sad and definitely a concern,” she said.

But knowing that doesn’t change her habits. She doesn’t let Rascal chew anything outside. Usually, his only contact with birds is to chase them until they fly away.