Human risk of contracting bird flu is very low, says the CDC
Those most at risk of contracting bird flu are people in close contact with infected animals, such as dairy or poultry workers.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture urged pet owners to check the lot numbers on Wild Coast Raw pet food they have at home and stop feeding the product to their animals if they match certain lots after two cats were euthanized after eating it.
The cats became severely ill with bird flu, authorities said, after they ate the same brand of raw pet food, the latest in a string of pet deaths linked to the virus.
Testing confirmed the presence of the highly pathogenic avian influenza in both cats, which lived in separate households, and samples of the raw food, the department said in a statement.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture has also issued a public health notice warning consumers about the risk of some of Wild Coast Raw’s products, which are produced in Olympia, Wa. Oregon health officials urged pet owners not to feed their animals undercooked or raw meat or raw (unpasteurized) milk, which is believed to have previously sickened and killed barn cats.
Tyler Duncan, founder of Wild Coast Pet Foods, said in a statement that the company is halting sales of lot #22660 and #22664 of their Chicken Feline Formula with a best buy date of 12/2025.
He said customers should dispose of the product and request a full refund from the place they purchased it. “If you currently feed our chicken formula and are concerned, I recommend cooking until 165 degrees, replacing with a non-poultry formula or replacing with a gently cooked formula,” Duncan said.
Duncan said Wild Coast mainly sources its chicken meat from California and only buys human-grade poultry manufactured in facilities inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The company is working with a third-party lab for internal screening for bird flu in its food.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency over the bird flu outbreak which has wiped out millions of the state’s chickens and turkeys in recent months and infected about two-thirds of the state’s dairy herds since the end of August.
Last month, Los Angeles County health officials warned residents about another brand of pet food, Monarch Raw Pet Food, sold at farmers markets in California after the H5 bird flu virus was detected in product samples and was believed to have sickened five cats. That warning came a week after another brand, Northwest Naturals, recalled a line of raw and frozen chow linked to the death of another cat in Oregon that contracted bird flu.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration studies dating back to 2012 have found that raw pet foods are far more likely to carry disease. Despite pet deaths, recalls and health authority warnings, raw pet food has grown into a $3 billion industry in the U.S.
Domestic cats have been known to carry bird flu since 2004.
But the death rates seen in the current U.S. outbreak seem dramatically higher than what’s been seen around the world, Kristen Coleman, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, previously told USA TODAY. Before, about half of cats died, but now about 90% seem to be dying, said Coleman, who has been tracking those deaths.
Contributing: Eduardo Cuevas, Michael Loria and Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY; Reuters
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