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A dog in Alberta died after being exposed to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), according to the Office of the Chief Provincial Veterinarian.
It’s the second confirmed fatal case of avian flu in a domestic dog in Canada, with the first being reported in Oshawa, Ont., in 2023. That dog also contracted the disease from a snow goose.
The Alberta dog was brought to a veterinarian in the central part of the province in November 2025 after it had “ingested” a snow goose, according to the province. After the dog’s body was sent to the University of Calgary diagnostic services unit, it was confirmed the dog had contracted 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.
Hussein Keshwani, the deputy chief provincial veterinarian, said the dog — a 10-year-old female goldendoodle — was already being treated for immune disease, which may have contributed to its death. The dog died four days after being brought to a vet.
A housecat has died in the United States after eating raw pet food and contracting H5N1 bird flu. Epidemiologist Dr. Christopher Labos tells CBC News the risk of any individual pet getting avian flu is still low, but what is concerning is the easier it becomes for it to infect different types of animals, ‘the easier it will ultimately become for this virus to infect humans.’
It’s not clear how the dog became exposed to the snow goose, but Keshwani said it’s a reminder that pet owners should keep their animals from consuming raw meat.
“If people can avoid letting their cats roam outdoors or have dogs off-leash, particularly in the migration season, then that’s sort of the best way to avoid them coming into contact 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 specifying the location wasn’t necessary, as potentially infected birds cover such a large area of the province that “anywhere the wild birds are congregating becomes a risk area.”
Three cases of avian influenza were confirmed in snow geese in Alberta this year, according to the most up-to-date version of a map of cases in wildlife, compiled by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The most recent was at Buffalo Lake, east of Red Deer, in August, while the other two were just outside Edmonton.
Cases like this are not on the rise, vet says
Tracy Fisher, president of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, says Canada is not seeing a notable increase in avian flu cases in domestic cats and dogs, “although there is a risk.”
She compared Canada’s situation to that of the United States, where there have been multiple recent cases of pets being 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 like twitching and seizing, Fisher said.
“It’s a very nasty disease,” Fisher said.
Dogs have their own influenza strain they’re susceptible to, known as canine influenza or dog flu.
But when it comes to avian flu, “it’s unusual in a dog,” Fisher said.
Non-bird animals that have died after contracting avian flu in Canada include striped skunks, red foxes and some seal species. A recent outbreak of the disease has infected cattle in the United States.
The first fatal case of avian influenza in a human in North America was in Alberta in 2014.
