Companion animals and H5N1: What vets and pet parents should know

Companion animals are increasingly part of the H5N1 conversation, as federal and local health agencies sharpen warnings about exposure routes for cats and dogs, especially raw pet food, raw milk, infected birds, poultry, and dairy cattle. CDC guidance updated March 7, 2025 says most U.S. feline infections have been linked to H5N1-affected farms, but some have also been tied to commercially produced raw pet food and unpasteurized milk. The agency notes that indoor-only cats can still be exposed through contaminated clothing, people, or surfaces. AVMA reporting has also highlighted the pace of the problem: nearly 70 domestic cat infections were documented by USDA in 2025 alone, and about 200 U.S. cat cases have been reported since the virus appeared in the country at the end of 2021. FDA, meanwhile, said manufacturers covered by the Preventive Controls for Animal Food rule and using uncooked or unpasteurized poultry- or cattle-derived ingredients must reanalyze their food safety plans to include H5N1 as a known or reasonably foreseeable hazard. (cdc.gov)

Why it matters: For veterinarians, the practical message is that H5N1 now belongs on the differential list for cats, and potentially dogs, with acute respiratory or neurologic signs plus any history of exposure to raw diets, raw milk, sick or dead birds, poultry, dairy cattle, or contaminated fomites. CDC lists fever, lethargy, poor appetite, ocular inflammation, ocular or nasal discharge, dyspnea, tremors, seizures, incoordination, and blindness among signs to watch for, and advises PPE when veterinary teams work closely with suspected or confirmed feline cases. AVMA experts have also emphasized that predation remains a real risk because infections continue in wild birds and mammals such as house mice, while frozen or refrigerated raw diets may remain hazardous for long periods. That matters not only for patient care, but also for staff safety and client counseling. (cdc.gov)

What to watch: Expect continued surveillance, more pet food safety actions, and updated veterinary guidance as regulators and researchers track spillover cases and food-linked exposures. One practical concern raised in AVMA coverage is product longevity: some contaminated raw diets linked to feline deaths carried sell-by dates extending well into 2026, reinforcing that frozen or refrigerated products may pose an ongoing exposure risk after initial recalls or alerts. (fda.gov)