Can Pets Catch Swine Flu?
Swine flu, also known as H1N1 influenza, has been dominating the news recently. The viral strain appears set to cause the first influenza pandemic in a generation. Influenza pandemics are big deals. The pandemic of 1918-1920 caused more people to die from flu than from bullets or bombs during World War One.
Influenza viruses are known for infecting multiple species–as the name would imply, swine flu developed in pigs and then spread to people.
This may lead pet owners to wonder: can cats and dogs catch swine flu?
The answer appears to be no. DVM Newsmagazine reports that there is no evidence cats or dogs can contract, carry, spread, or suffer illness from H1N1 influenza.
H1N1 influenza has been isolated from a ferret. Fortunately at this time there is no evidence that ferrets can spread the disease to people.
Although it appears we can rest easy about our cats and dogs catching swine flu, remember that cats are susceptible to an even scarier form of influenza: bird flu (also known as H5N1). Cats contract bird flu by preying upon or being fed raw bird meat. The virus does not appear capable of spreading from cat to cat. That is a good thing, since the fatality rate among cats infected with H5N1 appears to be 100%.
Fortunately, it is easy to protect your cat from H5N1. If you feed your cat commercial or cooked food and keep him indoors, his chances of catching bird flu are nil.
You have questions. 
Many thanks for your post. My baby is my life.For last couple she start sneeze and yes!!!! make me panic and try to search for answer. Now i know so thanks again..very knowledge
thanks! 4 a second or 2 you had me scared there.
Here’s something that this article does NOT say…that these viruses can and DO “mutate” so that eventually, we will be able to give the flu to our pets. Also, according to a government website I visited, H1N1 flu is the combination of the swine AND bird flu. Pet owners, please be aware of this and try to keep your pets healthy.
Read: http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/qa.htm
Why is 2009 H1N1 virus sometimes called “swine flu”?
This virus was originally referred to as “swine flu” because laboratory testing showed that many of the genes in this new virus were very similar to influenza viruses that normally occur in pigs (swine) in North America. But further study has shown that this new virus is very different from what normally circulates in North American pigs. It has two genes from flu viruses that normally circulate in pigs in Europe and Asia and bird (avian) genes and human genes. Scientists call this a “quadruple reassortant” virus.
I don’t know…is it coincidence that my Cairn had flu symptoms at the same time I did last week?
Fortunately if it was H1N1 and it affected both of us, it was a mild case, but I’m still a bit skeptical about ruling out swine flu for pets.
What a relief. My little guy Skylar was sick over the weekend – runny nose, tired – but he’s already feeling better & hyper as ever. But I’m not going to lie – I DID wonder about H1N1! Thanks for the info!
OH, but of course it’s always best to be cautious. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on him. Stay safe, everyone! :)
I live in a city and here’s what I’d like to know: is it possible for my dog to bring HIN1 into my house after i walk him? i see lots of saliva from where people have spit on the sidewalk and i just wondered if the virus can live on his paws should he walk through it?
Dogs can’t get H1N1 but they can catch H3N8 — a form of flu in dogs!
BUT, I just brought my lab mix home from vet this morning–she has bronchitis and I am still recovering from bronchitis for past 2 weeks and she has only been around me…even the vet look worried, of course she is recovering much quicker than me!
Her hacking cough sounded like she was choking on a bone, so beware their coughs aren’t like ours and keep them away from other pets soon as you discover they are sick.
Ive caught the flu from horse at a race track and im leary of the H1N1 being transfered from person to horse to person
I am a bit confused as we had a news story about several dogs catching it. (Or possibly it was just a mutated version of it? but it was from the H1Ni strain) They had to shut down a kennel etc because they were afraid of it spreading. I was worried after seeing it and then my mom’s cats became sick. Not sure what they had but I know it made the news story stand out for me.
Great information. Thank you!
If a dog is exposed to H1N1, can the flu be transmitted to another person from the dog’s exposure? I heard for a short period of time H1N1 can live outside human body, so it seems the dog could transfer the flu for some amount of time?
Fleas treatment, please,
ok…. Patty you can’t just catch a mild case of H1N1… If you had it you would know…. it starts with a min. of a 103 fever… think you would have known if you had H1N1
I saw on the news that there is a canine flu. It’s not the same thing as people flu or swine flu and I don’t think people can catch it from their dogs but it can be really bad for your dog. It can turn into pneumonia and even kill your dog. Your vet has dog flu vaccines just like people get flu vaccines. It is also highly contagious from dog to dog so be careful with your babies and who you let them play with.
So, can dogs get H5N1 (bird flu) if they come into contact with dead birds? I live in the country and my dogs found a turkey tail a few days ago.
Dogs can get Dog Influenza. Something he doesn’t talk about at all.
This is so helpful!! I have a dog and going into winter i need to know what to watch out for!!! Thanks Dogster
Just so you know, we are in an area with huge H1N1, swine flu, outbreak. A local high school closed for 3 days because over 200 kids were sick! Half my daughter’s swim team had it (kids AND parents!). In my son’s class there was a day when only 3 kids showed up at school! Luckily, our family got a mild case, but we were still sick with high fevers & diarrhea, though short-lived. One of our friends threw up for 3 straight days! (The big difference between swine and regular flu seems to be the GI symptoms, gas pain, vomit, diarrhea, or any combination thereof! Plus super-high fever, like it’s frying your brain!) With all this in mind, I have to say I’m pretty sure our dog got it. He is a 1-year-old Shih Tzu, so normally very hyper, but was extremely listless and didn’t want to eat. He also started to shiver, and it’s 85 degrees out. Then came the diarrhea, which was awful, cuz he usually doesn’t have accidents in the house. The vet recommended 1/2 baby aspirin & a bland diet & lots of fluids. Can’t force a dog to drink water, so I cooled home-made chicken soup with rice, potatoes & carrots for vitamins. (But NO onions for doggies!) They don’t do a test to confirm swine flu for pets, but I kinda don’t think I needed one. If it wasn’t swine flu, it was something really close.
my family had H1N1 a few weeks ago, and our dog got sick in the midst of our illness. We had her at the vet for 4 days with IV fluids, meds which she would vomit from, and she died on the 4th day after suffering kidney and liver failure and seizures at the very end. A necropsy was done, with negative diseaseand toxicity findings, so samples were sent out to Cornell vet.school for study…the finding? Our little 8 pound doxie died of a VIRUS. You cannot convince me that this was coincidental. I am quite sure that she got sick from our H1N1virus. She was not around any other animals, always with us in our yard. I would love to hear the feedback from the vet on this site concerning this.
Thanks for the information!
One thing that I think isn’t conveyed nearly enough in the media is that the best thing we can do is practice proper hygiene and not panic. Remember, in order for a disease to spread, it needs to be present in the first place. It sounds silly, but I think a lot of people are worried unnecessarily. Relax, be smart, and stay well!
There is a confirmed case of a pet with swine flu in Iowa! Link to the article below!
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jr75crEkS7CYHpDahQAdaXRWCdbwD9BOSHP04
The AVMA also has a site compiling information about H1N1. Sandie, my condolences on the loss of your beloved dog, that must have been very difficult to go through on top of your family being sick.
http://www.avma.org/public_health/influenza/new_virus/
Apparently, cats can:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091104/ap_on_he_me/us_swine_flu_cat_1
Unfortunately, I just got an email citing a press release from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) “confirming the first reported case of the H1N1 flu virus in pets…” It’s a 13-year-old cat in Iowa, that has recovered. For more info, go to:
http://www.avma.org/public_health/influenza/new_virus/
Nothing in dogs yet, but we all might want to keep an eye on the AVMA site.
I live in Des Moines, IA and I just read that article about the cat getting H1N1. Scary to think that I have to think of myself and my husband, but now my 2 cats!
A cat in Iowa has tested positive for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, state officials confirmed this morning, marking the first time a cat has been diagnosed with this strain of influenza.
The cat, which has recovered, is believed to have caught the virus from someone in the household who was sick with H1N1. There are no indications that the cat passed the virus on to any other animals or people.
Prior to this diagnosis, the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus had been found in humans, pigs, birds and ferrets.
To date, H1N1 influenza virus infection of pigs has been reported in Canada, Argentina, Singapore, the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland), Ireland, Norway, the U.S. and Japan. It has also been reported in turkeys in Chile and Canada. Based on the evidence available at this time, the infections were spread from humans to the animals.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) are reminding pet owners that some viruses can pass between people and animals, so this was not an altogether unexpected event. Pet owners should monitor their pets’ health very closely, no matter what type of animal, and visit a veterinarian if there are any signs of illness.
The AVMA is actively tracking all instances of H1N1 in animals and posting updates on our Web site at
http://www.avma.org/public_health/influenza/new_virus
**this article was taken from http://www.petplace.com/cats/h1n1-flu-confirmed-in-iowa-cat/page1.aspx?utm_source=catcrazynews001et&utm_medium=email&utm_content=petplace_article&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter
If you are paying attention to the news there HAVE been CONFIRMED cases in the USA of H1N1 in both ferrets and cats
Yes I think cats,dogs and any other animal can get H1N1 or Swine flu,But just to be safe I would be very careful, and if possible lock the cat in a spare bedroom and only come in to feed and scoop the litter box or walk it.And wash your hand before entering the room and after leaving it.
11/4/09 – the news today is that a cat has been diagnosed with H1N1 by veterinarians at Iowa State University Vet School. Humans in the house had supposed H1N1 and their family pet cat has been diagnosed with it.
It was just recently confirmed in Iowa that a 13 year old cat DID indeed contract the H1n1 (Swine Flu) virus shortly after family
members in the household also had flu symptoms. Fortunately,
the cat was treated for it’s symptoms and survived. There were also
cases of 2 ferrets that had the Swine Flu, sadly they died. Please
refer to this website for details of this recent news article here:
http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20091104/US.Swine.Flu.Cat/
H3N8 is the doggie flu which my Charlie had and recovered from. There is a vaccination for it.
Yes dogs and cats can catch the H1N1 virus, they cannot pass it to humans yet.
http://www.eurobichons.com/forum40/9329.html
From what I understand even when humans are tested it comes up negative 50 percent of the time the first time around but if retested it is usually positive. They may have just not been getting positive results even when the pets were affected. Scary stuff. :(
just read that there have been 2 cases in ferrets in different states that had h1n1 (both have passed away) and a CONFIRMED case of a 13 year old indoor cat from iowa who tested positive for h1n1 shortly after the owner had flu like symptoms.
[...] a week after DVM Newsmagazine (and the Vet Blog) reported that cats and dogs do not appear capable of contracting swine flu (also known as H1N1 influenza), a cat in Iowa has proved the [...]
Thanks for the timely and valuable information. We also have some info for pet owners at http://www.petconnection.com. The important thing to remember is that there is not yet any evidence that the virus can go from infected cats to people. Is this conclusive evidence that it can’t? NO – but it is not a reason to panic and get rid of your cats by any means! Just avoid close contact if you can if you have been diagnosed with H1N1 and see your vet if you are worried.
It seems like no one is safe from H1N1, human or pet! I wonder how many more pets out there have the H1N1 flu virus?
Unfortunately now they have shown our pets can and do get the swine flu.
i a m sorry to say but cats CAN and i repeat CAN get the flu. i hope it cant still spread to dogs but there have been 3 or 4 cases where cats has gotten the flu and one cat died from it on nov 18 2009, so this damn stupid virus learned how to get to our pets so protect your pets oh and the other 3 have survived and overcome the virus so its not like they cant survive symptoms are sneexing and coffing of the pet