In late August 2006, the first confirmed case of a dog being infected by the H5N1 virus occurred in the village of Supha Buri in central Thailand. The dog reportedly got sick after eating infected ducks. A researcher at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Medicine confirmed the presence of the virus. In December 2006, the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association reported on the death of another dog in Thailand, again attributed to the H5N1 virus.

Recent studies have found that both exotic cats and house cats can also be infected by H5N1 if they eat uncooked meat from infected poultry. Additional studies have also found that cats can spread the infection directly to other cats (Science 306:241). In one documented case, a cat in Germany contracted and died from avian flu, according to the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. There is no evidence yet that cats can pass the virus on to humans. 

The highly pathogenic H5N1 virus has not been detected in North America, so the risk to cats and dogs here is extremely low. However, for those who want to reduce the risk even more, the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine suggests a couple of safeguards. Don’t feed your pets uncooked poultry. (Commercial pet food is OK because it is cooked at high temperatures that would kill any existing virus in the meat.) In the event of an outbreak, keeping pets indoors will prevent them from catching and eating wild birds, as well as from interacting with strange cats and dogs—both of which could be possible ways for your pet to catch the virus.

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