H5N1 risk in pets sharpens guidance for veterinarians

Companion animals, especially cats, are facing a clearer H5N1 risk picture as U.S. agencies and veterinary groups sharpen their guidance around exposure, testing, and food safety. CDC says cats and dogs can become infected after eating contaminated raw meat, raw pet food, or unpasteurized milk, and cats appear particularly vulnerable to severe illness or death. FDA has also told cat and dog food manufacturers using uncooked or unpasteurized poultry- or cattle-derived ingredients to reanalyze their food safety plans to account for H5N1 as a foreseeable hazard. Recent state investigations in Oregon and elsewhere have tied fatal feline infections to commercial raw diets, while CDC has also documented infected indoor cats in dairy worker households, underscoring that exposure can happen through food, wildlife contact, or contaminated clothing and equipment brought home from farms. (fda.gov)

Why it matters: For veterinary teams, this moves H5N1 in pets from a theoretical concern to an active differential, particularly in cats with acute neurologic or respiratory signs and a history of raw diet, raw milk, wildlife exposure, or household contact with dairy or poultry operations. CDC advises considering testing in animals with compatible signs plus known or potential exposure, and says veterinarians should coordinate with state animal health or public health officials because confirmatory testing is handled through approved laboratories. Infection-control expectations are also more concrete now: suspected or confirmed animals should be isolated, exposed staff should use PPE, and people exposed to infected animals should monitor for symptoms for 10 days after their last exposure. (cdc.gov)

What to watch: Expect continued scrutiny of raw pet food supply chains, more state-level guidance for veterinarians, and potentially broader companion-animal surveillance as officials try to define how often pets are being exposed and where prevention efforts can work best. (fda.gov)