Finnish authorities have urged dog owners to exercise additional care to avoid contracting avian flu when walking their pets.
Several areas across the country recorded cases of avian influenza of the H5N1 strain this summer, both in wild birds and fur farm animals.
Jari Jalava from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) says the most important thing is to prevent dogs and cats from eating or chewing on dead birds or other animals.
"Keeping your dog on a leash is important. That is how you can best avoid that," Jalava told Yle.
A pet can get infected through the meat, internal organs, tissue fluids, saliva, other secretions or faeces of an infected animal. According to the Finnish Food Authority, this is something that dog owners should be cautious about regardless of bird flu.
"There could be other pathogens, such as salmonella for example," the Finnish Food Authority's head of animal health Sirpa Kiviruusu said.
In dogs bird flu is usually either asymptomatic or causes mild symptoms such as eye inflammation and fever. The disease normally runs its course within a few days. Cats seem to suffer more severe symptoms, with some deaths also recorded.
Should a dog or cat come into contact with a dead bird or another animal, it is recommended to promptly seek veterinary guidance as soon as the animal displays symptoms.
70K mink to be put down
As for fur farm animals, symptoms range from mild to fatal.
The Finnish Food Authority has ordered the culling of all mink in fur farms where cases of bird flu have been found. In total, some 70,000 animals have been ordered to be put down so far.
The virus is yet to be detected in humans in Finland. Although quite unlikely, health authorities say they are now preparing for the possibility of bird flu transmission to humans. Fur farm workers have been placed under special monitoring for that reason.
Mammal-to-mammal bird flu infections are very rare, however, according to THL.
