25/06/2026
🦜 AVIAN INFLUENZA (H5N1) UPDATE FOR PET & BIRD OWNERS 🦜
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) has recently been detected in wild seabirds in Western Australia. While the risk to pets remains low, it is important to take sensible precautions to help protect your animals.
We recommend:
• Keeping dogs and cats away from sick, injured, or dead birds.
• Preventing pets from scavenging wildlife or bird carcasses during walks.
• Keeping pet birds and backyard poultry separate from wild birds where possible.
• Preventing wild birds from accessing feed and water sources.
• Washing hands after handling birds or visiting areas where wild birds congregate.
If your pet has had contact with a sick or dead bird, or if your birds show signs of illness, please contact us for advice.
***Please do not handle wild birds***
We ask you to please call if you have found a sick or injured bird so we can advise the next steps.
If you are presenting a pet bird (including poultry) for a consultation, please do not bring them into the waiting area, call us when you have arrived and we will come out to you.
Our clinic is monitoring the situation closely and following current biosecurity recommendations, so that we can minimise the risk to our patients, clients and staff.
Stay safe and help keep our pets, poultry, and wildlife healthy. ❤️
