The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is advising Iowa pet owners to keep their cats and dogs away from sick or deceased wild birds and animals.

Guidelines from the USDA recommend owners of backyard flocks prevent the spread of bird flu by doing things like restricting access to their birds, and cleaning their clothes, shoes, equipment, and hands.

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1, commonly known as bird flu, in a flock of chickens, ducks and peacocks on Jan. 15. These birds were family pets and had been in close contact with wild waterfowl from a nearby pond, according to the release.

According to a Monday press release, the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1 HPAI) was found in a backyard flock located in Clinton County. The case is the first confirmed detection of H5N1 HPAI within domestic birds in Iowa in 2025.

Clinton County authorities have reported the first cases of avian flu in Iowa for the new year. According to a news release, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have detected a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service have detected a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a commercial layer flock in Sioux County, Iowa.

State officials said H5N1, or bird flu, was detected in a backyard flock Wednesday in New London County. The flock was "depopulated," officials said.

"We're short of eggs in the market; that's why prices are high. At the same time, too, we're short of eggs to rebuild the flock," said an ISU professor.

Iowa has its first detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza in 2025. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship says the disease was recently confirmed in a multi-species backyard poultry flock in Clinton County.

A highly pathogenic avian flu has been confirmed in backyard flock in the state, according to the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. The department said the (HPAI) H5N1, or bird flu, was confirmed in a backyard flock located in New London County on Wednesday, January 15, 2025.

The first human death caused by H5N1 in the U.S. was reported in Louisiana on Jan. 6. Here's what to know about bird flu.

The virus was detected in a backyard flock in the U.S. territory, as well as in commercial poultry in Maryland and two Canadian provinces.