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The rabies virus is contracted via saliva, so the transmission would actually require a bite or saliva from an infected animal getting in a wound. Learn the signs of illness in a bird, which can include appearing sluggish or depressed, having ruffled feathers or areas of feather loss, abnormal breathing, and fluid running from its eyes or nose. Monitor your child and call your child’s healthcare provider if they have symptoms of serious Salmonella illness. If your child is under 5 years old, it’s best to not let them handle or touch chicks, ducklings, and other poultry. Young children are more likely to get sick from germs as their immune systems are still developing and they are more likely to put unwashed hands into their mouth.

Over the past 20 or so years we’ve seen less than 2,000 total infections in people worldwide. That number is low because, while a few of these viruses have managed to infect some people, they don’t spread from person to person. So, the risk of getting infected is only for those who are around, or work with, poultry that are infected with these viruses. People say that eyes are the windows to a person’s soul; bird people say that bird poop is the window to a pet bird’s health, and it’s true. Pet bird lovers may be more familiar with poop than all other pet owners combined. We not only keep a close eye on our bird’s poop, we get pooped on — and we learn not to care!

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As with West Nile Virus , the reservoir hosts for the encephalitis viruses are primarily wild birds. Symptoms usually occur within 1 to 3 weeks after exposure and can range from mild to severe. Common symptoms include fever, muscle pain, headache and chills. Occasionally, symptoms may include nausea/vomiting, a sharp drop in weight, mental confusion, cough and skin rash. Consult your veterinarian about proper preventive treatments for your hunting dogs, such as heartworm prevention, and use the products as recommended. Unexpected seizures and sudden death are both symptoms of rabies in dogs, humans, and other animals.

Do not shoot, handle or consume any animal that is acting abnormally or appears to be ill. Contact your state fish and game agency if you see or harvest an animal that appears ill. Hunters need to be aware that many states ban importation of whole carcasses and animals from states in which CWD has been reported; in fact, some states have check stations at their borders. For more information about the regulations for each state, visit the USDA’s CWD pages.

BLACK vultures can kill live calves, NOT turkey vultures. Can you people even get the species correct before you malign them? Hunters should avoid handling dead birds they encounter that have not been shot during the hunt. Follow the state or local health department’s instructions regarding what to do with the dead bird. If instructed to dispose of the bird, hunters should use gloves or protect their hands with a plastic bag to place the bird carcass in a garbage bag and dispose of it in the trash.

Studies have demonstrated that CWD prions can be excreted in the saliva, urine and manure of infected animals. These findings have led to recommendations for bans of the use of deer urine to lure deer. Any ticks attached to dogs should be promptly and carefully removed, using the same guidelines as posted above for tick removal from human skin.