H5 bird flu: Backyard poultry, pet birds, cats and dogs

H5 bird flu mainly affects birds and a range of mammals that eat or have close contact with infected birds.

The disease spreads to other birds, including pet birds and backyard poultry, by contact with:

• the saliva, nasal secretions, faecal material and feathers from sick birds
• feed, water, bedding, equipment, vehicles or an environment contaminated by sick birds
• people who have had contact with sick birds or wildlife carrying the disease on their hands, shoes, clothing, equipment or vehicles.

Scavengers, predators and curious animals (like cats and dogs) can become infected by eating or having close contact with sick birds or carcasses.

Help protect your backyard poultry and pet birds from H5 bird flu

There are several steps you can take to reduce the risk of H5 bird flu affecting your backyard poultry and pet birds.

Minimise/prevent contact between your birds and wild birds

• Ensure wild birds cannot access your flock or pet bird’s feed, water, bedding or anywhere your birds peck or graze.
• Cover the roof of the bird enclosure to prevent wild bird droppings and secretions falling into the coop.
• Use secure netting to prevent wild birds and pests entering the coop.
• Give your birds mains water. If using dam or pond water where wild birds may gather, treat it first. See the Safe water for poultry factsheet.
• Remove or net objects that may attract wild birds to your bird enclosure such as ponds or roosting trees.

Keep your bird enclosures clean

• Clean water and feed containers regularly and do not let them become contaminated with faeces.
• Clean up feed spills immediately so they do not attract wild birds or pests.
• Keep feed and bedding supplies secure from wild birds or pests.

Hygiene

• Always wash your hands with soap before and after handling your birds and collecting the eggs.
• Wear clean shoes when visiting your birds and change clothes if you have had contact with other birds.
• Avoid handling birds other than your own or allowing others to handle your birds.

Quarantine new or unwell birds

• Isolate any new or sick birds from your other birds for at least 30 days and only introduce them to your flock if they are well.

Register as a poultry owner with DPIRD

• If you own 50 or more chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, quail, guinea fowl, pigeons or game birds, in any combination, or 10 or more emus or ostriches, you are required to register as an owner of livestock with DPIRD.
• Poultry owners are encouraged to register if they have fewer birds, but it is not mandatory. Registering will allow DPIRD to contact you more easily in the event of a disease outbreak.
• Keep a register of bird movements onto and off your property to assist in tracing a disease if it occurs.
• Recognise and report signs of H5 bird flu in pet birds or backyard poultry

As the owner of pet birds or backyard poultry, it is important to be able to recognise the signs of H5 bird flu if it occurs in your birds. Infected birds may show:

•  general signs of illness – lack of energy, not wanting to walk, eat or drink, being fluffed up, diarrhoea, unexplained deaths
• respiratory signs – watery eyes, coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge
• nervous signs – unusual head position, tremoring, weakness, not able to walk
• physical changes – blue-tinged legs, comb or wattle, swelling of the head or limbs
• egg changes – reduced egg production, soft shelled, or misshapen eggs.

If your pet birds or poultry are sick, talk to your local veterinarian or call the Emergency Animal Disease hotline on 1800 675 888. All forms of avian influenza, including H5 bird flu, are reportable diseases. If you think your birds may have H5 bird flu, you are legally required to report it to DPIRD.

More information

For more poultry biosecurity information: 

• visit: dpird.wa.gov.au/poultry-biosecurity
• subscribe to: Sign up for poultry biosecurity updates and events from DPIRD
• birdflu.gov.au for information on bird flu from the Australian Government.

H5 bird flu risk for cats and dogs

Whilst H5 bird flu primarily affects wild birds and poultry, it can occasionally spread to mammals, including cats and dogs.

The overall risk of cats and dogs developing H5 bird flu is considered low, but cats that do become infected may become very sick or die. There is no H5 bird flu vaccination available for pets.

The following actions will reduce the risk to your pets:

• Don’t let pets eat, sniff or have contact with sick or dead birds/animals.
• Keep pets away from wildlife and poultry.
• Keep dogs on a leash in wildlife areas.
• Avoid walking dogs in wildlife areas where there are high numbers of cases of H5 bird flu. Visit the DPIRD H5 bird flu map to see where the disease is active.
• Keep cats indoors or in enclosures to prevent contact with sick or dead birds/animals.
• Prevent wild birds from accessing your pet’s food and water.
• If you have had direct contact with sick or dead birds or other wildlife, shower and change clothes and clean your shoes before touching your pets.

Signs of H5 bird flu in cats and dogs

Signs may include:

• fever
• lethargy
• decreased appetite
• reddened or inflamed eyes
• discharge from eyes and nose
• coughing or sneezing
• difficulty breathing
• neurological signs, like tremors, seizures, incoordination, or blindness
• death.

If your cat or dog has had contact with birds or wildlife and becomes sick, contact your veterinarian for advice. 

For more information on how to protect your pets, visit birdflu.gov.au