Bird flu confirmed on Isle of Lewis: what dog and cat owners should know

The UK's first bird flu outbreak of the new season has been confirmed in Scotland, and owners are being reminded to keep pets away from wild birds.

The UK's first premises outbreak of bird flu for the 2026/27 season has been confirmed on the Isle of Lewis, and while the disease mainly threatens poultry, vets want dog and cat owners to take sensible precautions too.

What's happened

Scottish authorities confirmed that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N5 was confirmed in Ness, Isle of Lewis (AIV 2026/20) on 2 October 2026. A protection zone and surveillance zone have gone up around the site, and highly pathogenic H5N5 bird flu was confirmed at a premises in Ness on Friday 2 October, at the start of the UK's 2026/27 bird flu reporting season, with a 3km Protection Zone and 10km Surveillance Zone declared around the affected premises.

It comes after a busy previous season, when 100 cases of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza were confirmed at premises across the UK, with 79 in England, nine in Scotland, seven in Wales and five in Northern Ireland. The current national assessment rates the risk of the virus in wild birds as medium, meaning cases are considered to occur regularly.

What it means for pets

The good news for owners is that cats and dogs are not the main concern here. The risk to pets and owners is very small and no pet cats or dogs have been found with avian influenza in the UK. Still, the advice is to keep contact to a minimum: owners should avoid contact between their pet and wild birds, including preventing pets from touching sick or dead birds or their faeces or feathers, or bowls that wild birds could access.

If you live near a confirmed outbreak, don't be surprised if you're asked to change your routine for a while. In the event of an outbreak of bird flu, pet owners in the immediate area may be asked to walk their dogs on a lead and keep their cats indoors, as a precautionary measure.

No pet cat or dog has ever tested positive for bird flu in the UK, and the current risk remains very small.

What to feed, and what to do if you're worried

Raw poultry is best avoided for now. Owners should not feed pets non-commercial raw poultry meat, game bird, wildfowl or other wild bird meat, since commercial pet food is formulated for the specific pet and feeding raw meat can carry serious animal and public health risks.

If your vet does suspect bird flu in a pet, this isn't something they can quietly manage alone. If a vet suspects a pet may have been infected with a bird flu virus, they will need to report this to APHA immediately, as will a testing laboratory that finds evidence of the virus or antibodies in samples. Owners needn't panic about this process, though: APHA will not take a pet cat or dog away, but will give advice on how to keep them and their owners safe if there is any suspicion of bird flu.

If a check-up is needed, you can compare local vet prices before you book.

This is general information. For advice about your own pet, call your vet.