Tony asks
>With Bird Flu almost on our doorstep should pet owners here in the UK
>now be thinking twice about feeding raw chicken and cook it to be safe?
 
Well, influenza virus is not like bacteria.  I don't know if cooking
it would make it safe.  Believe me, you also would not want to handle
infected poultry.  It's an interesting conundrum, though.  So much raw
food and so much kibble both are poultry based.  If too much poultry has
to be killed off then it is intriguing to consider which food options
should be preferentially considered and how sufficient nutrients would
be added...
 
Remember that muscle tissue is insufficient nutritionally for ferrets to
be a long term diet.
 
Yes, it is very logical to assume that ferrets could get bird flu from
eating infected birds.  Zoo carnivores have in Asia.  Cats in Asia have
and one cat in Europe has, and dogs in Indonesia who ate ill birds turned
out to have antibodies to the disease.  That ferrets can get it with
sufficient imposition is known from research work.
[Posted in FML issue 5171]