Dog dies after being exposed to avian influenza in Alberta, the second such case in Canada
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A dog in Alberta died after being exposed to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), according to Office of the Chief Provincial Veterinarian.
This is the second confirmed fatal case of avian flu in a domestic dog in Canada First to report In 2023 in Oshawa, Ontario. That dog also got this disease from Snow Goose.
An Alberta dog was brought to a veterinarian in the central part of the province in November 2025 after it “swallowed” a snow goose. province. After the dog’s body was sent to the Clinical Services Unit of the University of Calgary, it was confirmed that the dog had avian influenza.
The Office of the Chief Provincial Veterinarian reported the fatal case earlier this week in a memo emailed to veterinarians across Alberta on Tuesday.
Deputy Chief Provincial Veterinarian Hussain Keshwani said to the dog- A 10-year-old female Goldendoodle – Was already being treated for immune disease, which probably caused his death. The dog died four days after being brought to the veterinarian.
A domestic cat in the United States has died after eating raw pet food and becoming infected with H5N1 bird flu. Epidemiologist Dr. Christopher Labose tells CBC News the risk of any individual pet getting avian flu is still low, but the concern is that the easier it becomes for it to infect different types of animals, ‘ultimately the easier it will be for this virus to infect humans.’
It’s unclear how the dog came into contact with the snow goose, but Keshwani said it’s a reminder that pet owners should prevent their animals from eating raw meat.
“If People can avoid letting their cats roam outside or keep dogs leashed, especially during migration season, so this is the best way to Avoid contact with them With sick and dead wildlife or contaminated water,” Keshwani said.
The Office of the Chief Provincial Veterinarian and the University of Calgary declined to provide a more precise location for the exposure. Keshwani said it was not necessary to specify the location, because potentially infected birds cover such a large area of the province that “wherever wild birds are congregating becomes a risk area.”
According to the latest version, three cases of avian influenza were confirmed in snow geese in Alberta this year. map Wildlife issues compiled by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The most recent was in August in Buffalo Lake east of Red Deer, while the other two were just outside Edmonton.
Veterinarian says such cases are not increasing
Tracy Fisher, president of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, says Canada is not seeing a significant increase in avian flu cases in domestic cats and dogs., “There are risks, though.”
He compared the situation in Canada to the United States, where there have been several recent cases of pets becoming infected with avian influenza after consuming raw meat and unpasteurized milk.
Symptoms of avian influenza in domestic mammals include discharge from the eyes and nose, as well as neurological symptoms such as tremors and seizures, Fischer said.
“It’s a very terrible disease,” Fischer said.
dogs have their own influenza strain They are susceptible to what is known as canine influenza or dog flu.
But when it comes to avian flu, “it’s unusual in a dog,” Fischer said.
Non-bird animals that have died from avian flu in Canada include the striped skunk, red fox and some seal species. Recent outbreaks of this disease have infected cattle in the United States.
First fatal case of avian influenza in a human in North America was in alberta in 2014.
