The same could be said for swine flu, which affects pigs.
As Dr. Jeffrey Greene, a professor of clinical medicine at NYU, notes in his book "The Bird Flu Pandemic: Can It Happen? Will It Happen?" a widespread panic occurred in 1976 when a soldier at Fort Dix, N.J., died of the disease. Overall five recruits were infected.
Ultimately, Greene noted, 40 million people were vaccinated against a pandemic that never came about.
But the medical association notes that pigs present a unique opportunity for flu viruses. Avian, swine and even human influenza can bind to the cell receptors in a pig, which allows the strains to mix together and form new viruses.
While pigs and birds may have passed their infections to humans, for ferrets the transfer goes in the other direction. They can contract human flu.
"Ferrets can get a few different respiratory elements from other species," Sheafor said.
Unlike other pet owners, ferret owners may need to take extra precautions when they are sick.
"People with flu who might be shedding the influenza virus should wear gloves and face masks when handling ferrets. There is no protective vaccine available for ferrets," Connell said.
While stories of animal flus come up from time to time, few of the strains are a hazard to humans, and some haven't even presented a major risk to the animals.
"It's not a disease that we worry about a great deal in dogs," Sheafor said, explaining that while a kennel with many dogs packed in might pose a problem, the home environment doesn't tend to do so.
"Dogs with the flu sure look a lot like people," she said, "but we didn't see a big epidemic."
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