Bird Flu FAQs for Pet Owners

Yes. H5 bird flu is a serious and highly contagious disease that can cause severe illness and high death rates in birds. It has also infected some mammals overseas and has now been detected in Australian wildlife. The good news is that there have been no detections in Australian poultry or the wider agricultural production system, and the risk to people in Australia remains low.

Try to keep your bird away from wild birds and anything they may have contaminated, including droppings and water. Make sure wild birds can’t access your bird’s food or water, and regularly clean their enclosure, bowls and other equipment.

Good hygiene is important too. Wash your hands before and after handling your birds, and if you bring a new bird home, keep them separate from your existing birds for at least 30 days. Avoid sharing equipment with other bird owners, or make sure it has been properly cleaned and disinfected before use.

At this stage, there is no general H5 bird flu vaccination program for pet birds in Australia. You may have heard about birds being vaccinated in NSW, but this is a targeted government program for vulnerable native species.

Vaccination decisions are being made by state and territory governments under a national framework, with priority given to certain captive or managed native bird species. For pet birds, good biosecurity remains the best protection, and we’ll continue to follow government advice if vaccination recommendations change.

Where possible, keeping pet birds indoors or otherwise separated from wild birds can help reduce their risk of exposure. If your birds live in an outdoor aviary, focus on preventing wild birds from entering or accessing their food and water. Birds should also be kept away from open ponds, lakes and creeks where they could come into contact with wild birds or contaminated water.

Bird flu can cause a range of symptoms, and affected birds can become very unwell quite quickly. Signs to watch for include:

• lethargy or a sudden loss of appetite
• ruffled feathers or a droopy appearance
• swelling around the head or limbs
• difficulty breathing, sneezing or nasal discharge
• diarrhoea
• unusual head or neck movements
• loss of coordination or difficulty standing or walking
• a sudden drop in egg production.

These symptoms can also be caused by many other illnesses, so seeing one or more doesn’t necessarily mean your bird has bird flu. If you’re concerned about your bird, call us before coming into the clinic so we can advise you on what to do next.

Please call us before bringing your bird into the clinic. This allows our team to ask about your bird’s symptoms and possible exposure and advise you on what to do next. It also means we can put the appropriate biosecurity precautions in place before your arrival if necessary.

Bird flu is a notifiable animal disease. Suspected cases must be reported, and you can also contact the 24-hour Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

Yes, although H5 bird flu mainly affects birds, cats can become infected. Overseas cases have generally been associated with exposure to infected birds or other animals, or with eating contaminated raw pet food or drinking unpasteurised milk. Keeping cats indoors is one of the best ways to reduce their risk of exposure to infected wildlife.

Signs in cats can include lethargy, loss of appetite, fever, eye or nasal discharge, breathing difficulties and neurological problems such as tremors, seizures or loss of coordination. In some cases, the infection can be fatal.

Keeping your cat indoors is one of the most useful precautions you can take. Cats should not be allowed to hunt, eat or come into contact with wild birds, particularly birds that appear sick or have died.

The Department of Agriculture also identifies consumption of raw pet food as a possible route of exposure seen in cats and dogs overseas. Prevent wild birds from accessing your cat’s food and water, and if you have handled a sick or dead bird, shower and change your clothes before handling your pets.

Don’t touch it and keep children and pets away. Avoid contact with the bird itself as well as its feathers, droppings, eggs and the surrounding area.

If you find multiple sick or dead birds or other animals, record the location and, if you can do so safely from a distance, take photos or video. Report what you have found to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

It is possible, but bird flu in people is rare. Cases have generally been linked to close contact with infected birds or other animals.

The Australian Centre for Disease Control currently considers the risk from H5 bird flu to people in Australia low, and no human infections with the H5 strain currently circulating in Australian wildlife have been reported here. The best precaution is to avoid touching sick or dead birds and other wildlife.