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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) \u2014\u00a0Thinking your pet might have bird flu? A Las Vegas pet expert explained how to spot whether your pet has it.<\/p>\n
Jessica Dowling is the Medical Director for the Veterinary Emergency Group in Summerlin and Henderson.<\/p>\n
She said while Southern Nevada has seen no evidence of local cat-to-cat, cat-to-human, or human-to-human spread of h5 bird flu, and the risk to the general public continues to be low, we all should still be educated and vigilant.<\/p>\n
The CDC is watching the situation carefully and working with states and vet offices to monitor people with animal exposures, \u201cIt is getting more common.\u201d<\/p>\n
A month ago a mountain lion in Carson City tested positive for bird flu, and in California during the same month, a handful of domestic cats tested positive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat they are seeing is cats that are coming up positive have been exposed to raw animal products, raw meats, raw milk, raw eggs and have a tight affinity to being on a farm, being exposed to dairy cows,\u201d Dowling added.<\/p>\n
While many of us here in Southern Nevada don\u2019t live on a farm, there is one thing that people here have in common: rescue animals.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of us rescue, so knowing whether or not you have a rescue cat that may have come from one of those areas, is important,\u201d Dowling said.<\/p>\n
While bird flu is extremely rare in dogs, she adds there are the symptoms to look for in both.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re looking for respiratory signs in dogs. You\u2019re looking for respiratory signs in cats, redness in eyes, or being lethargic, or neurologic signs, walking in a circle, not being balanced, signs more severe in cats versus dogs.\u201d <\/p>\n
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