Tracking the next pandemic: Avian Flu Talk |
The Great Outdoors and our Pets |
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Rocky
V.I.P. Member Joined: January 07 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 219 |
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Posted: January 24 2006 at 9:00pm |
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Here I am with more questions that may have no answers at this time.
But I would love opinions, gut reactions, etc. 1. If no one in your quaranteened household are is ill, is it OK for them to be outdoors (playing, working, taking care of dogs, etc). Our nearest neighbor is a half mile away. 2. If someone is ill in your household and everyone is doing everything they can not to catch the virus, is it OK for them to be outdoors (see above) 3. Would it be necessary in both the above scenarious to take off outdoor clothing before coming into the house, putting the outdoor clothing into a lidded container. I assume no shoes that have been worn outdoors would enter the house. Could these same outdoor clothes be put on outdoors and used again outdoors? Of course, at some point the outdoor clothes would be washed. Immediately upon coming inside, hands would be washed. Or should handwashing happen BEFORE entering the house? Regarding contamination found outdoors I am thinking of possible wild bird droppings, dead birds, etc. We have 60 acres, so have quite a bit of wildlife activity. Any more outdoor contamination possibilities you can think of? Along those lines, we have always fed wild birds, both close to and about a half block (in city terms) from the house. Should bird feeding be stopped altogether. What about hummingbird feeders? 4. Can dogs or cats catch the virus (dogs stay outside, cats stay inside). If so, could they transmit it to humans? Dogs might play with a dead bird that is infected or carry the virus on their paws from bird feces? 5. We have a pond (wildbird refuge was my hope). It has a small island in the middle of it. During spring and summer it attracts a few wild ducks who stay for a day or two. Also, other birds (robins, swallows) drink and feed from it. Thoughts? Many thanks. Rocky |
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Rocky |
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Rocky, So many questions... YES dogs & cats can get H5N1. Cats seem to be especially susceptible to it at this point in time. Not only can they get it but they can pass it to other cats in cages located near them. There was research done on this and the researcher was shocked that his control cats caught H5N1 too and they were not infected directly nor were they in physical contact with the infected cats. Needless to say, it caused quite a stir! If you would like I will try and dig up a link or two on this tomorrow (it's midnight here). Outside contamination... My dogs will have a dedicated, canopied place to do their business on a leash. This will be the only time they will be allowed outside. Exercise will be tennis balls down the hallway. They will hate it (they are big dogs) but I will do what I must to protect them as diligently as I will protect the human members of my family. Disinfection...son will strip & shower in the garage, clothes will be dunked in soapy water (actively trying to think this through) before coming back in the house. He will be our outlander, so he's our risk. The dogs and people going into the yard will disinfect feet & paws at door. Bleach solution. I have gallons of olive oil that I will anoint their paws with after to prevent the bleach solution from tearing up their paws. (A tip from another kind poster). |
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I am training my grey taby cat to be a indoor cat (way harder than it sounds). This brings to me my two worst fears one is what will happen to pets when this flu hits . Yes the members on this board are more imformed and responsible than most people and will provide for their pets . The second issue is if the avaian flu dosent mutate the normal next course of events is that the virus as is will come here by normal migration and will effect our birds then our pets. To me this virus is dangerous in its normal course not just the mutation. The media seems to be focased on the what if this virus mutates to human to human . Nobody is talking about what is going to happen next.
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I have a couple of cats. They are 100% indoor cats and are never allowed outdoors. I even did their preps lol. I have the best animal antiibioits on hand, along with extra Tamilfu for them. I also have 3000 cans of cat food and 600 pounds of dry food. |
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Deej
V.I.P. Member Joined: December 29 2005 Status: Offline Points: 285 |
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rocky, i too live in the country and i plan on using as many outdoor resourses as i can. we have a large deck off the back of our house with one section roofed, this section will be turned into a "clean area", boots, clothes etc will be deposited into a large bleach solution, boots disinfected with spray, and gloves & mask removed and disgarded. on top off the roof i am going to set our outdoor camping shower tp scrub up before coming in. hoping this will suffice. i can not imagine not going outside. will not have to worry too much about people, just birds and animals and i beleive with the proper care, it will be ok. i do wonder about water . plan on using a spring for water if preps run out, but i wonder about swimming in the river to bath ? anyone know if will be safe ? do not have any animals, thought about a dog, but took the advise of this forum and have decided to wait.
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dee
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Does anyone know of a way of keeping off your roof, balcony N0n toxic please , There are at least four pigions on my roof daily. Thanks |
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meewee
Valued Member Joined: December 13 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 595 |
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You can go down to any Lowe's, Home Depot, etc; and purchase a life-sized plastic owl. Owls are natural predators of pidgeons and they will disappear fast! Get a couple and mount one on top of your house and another on your railing. Meewee |
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God Bless us all!
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TNbebo408
Adviser Group Joined: December 10 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 295 |
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Put a big rubber snake on the roof, and the birdies will be gonnies, they scared to death of a snake, ME TOO.
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jackson
Adviser Group Joined: January 26 2006 Status: Offline Points: 411 |
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Hi,
I have two cats and never considered the possibility that they might contract the bird flu. No one on TV (at least to my knowledge) had addressed the problem of pets getting the flu! Has anyone heard what the mortality rate is in animals other than birds?? How much food and water would be enough for cats? I have been buying extra cans of cat food during each trip to the store. And i've bought extra cans for neigbors who have cats and even some cans of dog food for neighbors who have dogs (even though i don't own any dogs myself). I know that if people start running out of food, the welfare of their pets will cease to be a major concern. I have tried to warn them to prepare but they dont' take it seriously and feel the have enough time to get to the grocery store once a pandemic starts. (i am sure most people in our town are thinking that). Any advice on the amt of water to store for two cats... five if you include my neighbor's outdoor cats? thanks, Millie a Jackson |
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Riaa
Valued Member Joined: March 29 2006 Status: Offline Points: 5 |
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Hi...I live in the country..but in town..I have cats...i'm planing to keep the outdoors cats on a screened in proch..I found a dead Bat..yesterday..What about BATS...we have alot of them here...Will they get it ? like Birds... Yipes !!!
Ria
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Luna
Experienced Member Joined: May 23 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 14 |
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I posted this on another thread but thought it should go here too:
Remember that there is almost no chance that your dogs will get this flu. The dog flu (that came from horses) that is making the rounds in the US now is the first documented flu virus that dogs have ever caught. And once the bird flu mutates to human flu, we'll only be able to catch it from other people. The only possible case of a dog with bird flu is obviously not proven as it doesn't show up on the WHO's timeline of cases. If wild birds bring H5N1 to the US it will still only be a flu that effects birds, not other animals or humans. Unless it mutates to adapt to another species here. And that's rare. Cats seem to be more prone to catching the bird flu, so it's wise to keep cats indoors when H5N1 shows up here in wild birds. But that's so people lesson the chance of their cats either possibly catching the flu and dying or acting as a mixing vessel and then giving it to people. That seems even more unlikely as I haven't heard (though I haven't researched) of any humans ever catching a flu virus from a cat. Cats certainly spread a lot of nasties to people, but not flu.
Flu viruses very, very, very rarely jump species. So don't worry too much about cats/dogs/birds/bats, etc. even when the bird flu jumps to people. There will be almost no chance other species, besides humans, will be spreading it around.
Remember, when wild birds arrive here with H2N1 it's still only a bird illness. But, since some (very rare occasion) cats, who've had very, very, very close contact with H2N1 have caught it, it would be a good idea to keep your cats inside, for their safety, (and to limit the chance it would mutate) not really yours. A pandemic is not going to be spread by birds or other animals. Only by other people. It's a very rare occurance for a flu virus to mutate enough to jump species and become easily transmissable. Because there is so much H2N1 now in some Asian countries where people have extremely close contact with it, that has vastly increased the chance it will mutate and start spreading to people, in Asia. When/if it does mutate we'll see it coming, probably several weeks, if not months before it gets to the US. The wild birds flying around (or other wild animals or domestic pets) will not be spreading the new mutated virus. Only other people will be spreading it. Of course, there is always the remotest chance that wild birds giving it to domestic poultry in the US may cause a mutation to happen here. But that is extremely unlikely. Look how many years this strain of H2N1 took to get to this point and under the incredible crowding and close contact that poultry has with people in Asia, that just shows how difficult and rare it is.
If the virus mutates, and if people in your community start to catch it, you need to avoid contact with people. The virus, when coughed out by someone who is sick, can float around in the air and if you inhale it you may catch it. How far and how long it floats around is questionable. And you'll be able to catch it if you touch things that sick people, with germy hands have touched, and then you touch your nose or face.
When/if a mutated virus gets here, it will probably be much less lethal than H2N1 is now, if going by historical data. But....if it's still pretty lethal, and if people in my town or neighborhood start catching it, I plan to be prepared, have supplies and stay at home. I will also limit my time outdoors as it's hard to know (and science doesn't seem to be able to clarify) if the wind could blow the sick neighbor's germs to me. But I live in a sparsely populated area. I might be more careful if I lived in a city or with close neighbors. I won't be worried about my dog at all. I will be very careful with my cockatoos. They won't be allowed out of the house, I will wash well and remove my shoes before going in their room. Otherwise, I don't believe anything more than that is necessary or advisable.
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Biologycal Hazard - North-America
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Samoa
Valued Member Joined: March 30 2006 Status: Offline Points: 507 |
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There's someting that I haven't thought of. Say the BF recombines
with a dog or a cat virus. Birds carrying it is one thing, but
getting into animals that we closely interact with is something else.
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