Estelle Marais

Don’t panic is the advise from a Brentford vet to pet owners desperate to protect their animals from contracting bird flu.

Dogs and cats are not at serious risk of catching bird flu, Matthew Wilson, of the Young Veterinary Partnership, said in response to mounting queries by concerned families in the area.

The H5N1 strain of avian flu spread mainly by wild birds and water fowl has fast become a cause of concern in the global poultry industry. But Mr Wilson insists the borough’s pet owners have no cause for alarm at this stage, despite there being no current vaccination against the virus for dogs and cats.

Mr Wilson said: “We have had quite a few concerned pet owners asking us about the risk of the disease to their pets, and there is no significant risk at present because it hasn’t come to our shores yet.

“It would not be impossible for the H5N1 strain to adapt and become capable of spreading from birds to mammals and in other countries such as Thailand it has spread to cats.

“The current strain seems very inefficient at infecting other species, giving little cause for alarm at this stage. It has never been spread to dogs as far as we know.”

The virus, which survives in droppings and nasal discharge, is transmitted by close contact with either the birds themselves or material they have contaminated such as food, water and clothing.

Infected wild birds may not always become ill with the virus, they can simply act as carriers of the infection.

Polly Barclay, also a vet at the Albany Parade practice, said: “Our main advice would be to try and stop your pet coming into contact with wild bird carcasses as much to prevent infection from other bugs like salmonella, or ingestion of poison, as to prevent any risk from bird flu. If your pet develops sudden breathing difficulties, it’s worth mentioning any possible recent contact with wild birds to your vet.”

The practice recommends wearing clean clothes and shoes when handling birds and washing hands thoroughly before and after.

via www.hounslowguardian.co.uk