Pet dog dies from bird flu in Ontario — but experts tell owners to 'relax'

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A pet dog has died after being infected with avian flu, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) reports.

In a news release issued Tuesday, the CFIA and the Public Health Agency of Canada said a dog in Oshawa, Ont. had "been infected with avian influenza" after chewing on a wild goose. The dog later died from the virus.

The agency reports this is "the only case of its kind in Canada," however, it encourages pet owners to take "appropriate precautions to protect their pets and themselves."

What is avian influenza?

Avian influenza, or bird flu as it's more commonly known, is a virus that primarily affects avian species such as chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks. While strains of the influenza virus mainly infect birds, they can also infect humans and, in rare cases, domestic animals.

Bird flu is most often contracted by contact with sick birds. In the case of the Oshawa dog, the animal had been infected with avian influenza H5N1 after chewing on a wild goose that had died from the virus.

What is the risk of avian flu for pets?

The risk of your pet contracting avian influenza is "extremely low," according to Shayan Sharif, professor and the acting dean of Ontario Veterinary College. But that doesn't mean it "doesn't pose a risk." There have been cases of avian influenza among cats and dogs, however, those are "very rare events" that "don't happen very often."

The danger to your average dog is "really low, but it's not zero," echoes J. Scott Weese, a veterinary internal medicine specialist with a focus on infectious diseases. "There are things we can do to reduce that risk like keeping dogs away from wildlife, especially dead wildlife, and [to exercise caution] in areas that you don't know what you're going to encounter."

How does your pet contract avian flu?

Whether bird, pet, or person, an individual can contract avian influenza if they come in contact with sick birds or infected fecal matter.

For your four-legged friends, vets say to use the Oshawa dog case as a cautionary tale against contact with wildlife.

"It's a reminder to keep animals and people away from wildlife," says Weese. The less contact there is, "the more we can reduce the risk of lots of things," he tells Yahoo Canada. "That includes rabies, the flu; it includes a whole list of diseases we're concerned about."

Additionally, Sharif says the best practice is not to give domestic animals raw poultry or uncooked eggs.

"I'm not saying you would find the virus in poultry," he says. "But I think it would be highly advisable not to give pets any raw poultry meat."

What are symptoms of avian flu in cats and dogs?

For pet owners concerned that their animals have come in contact with an infected bird, Sharif says to look out for symptoms similar to human influenza.

"Running a high fever, lack of energy, coughing, things like that," he says. "In some cases, it could be neurological signs like tremors and seizures, and, unfortunately, in some cases, it could lead to death."

How can you keep your pet safe?

"The best thing for people concerned about this is just to keep control of their animals, don't expose them to wildlife, and really relax," says Weese.

"At this point, we've had a very small number of mammals become affected despite large numbers of birds. So it's not impossible, but the risk for dogs is really, really low."

Sharif tells pet owners to "err on the side of caution" when out and about with their animals.

"Make sure dogs are kept on a leash" and keep them away from birds and fecal matter, as inhaling or consuming feces from infected birds is another way to catch the virus, he says.

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