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A company selling raw food for companion animals has recalled products that are potentially contaminated with bird flu.
Cats from four separate households in Oregon and Washington have been infected with H5N1 since February. All had eaten raw poultry products made by Wild Coast Pet Foods. Two cats in one Oregon home and one cat in Washington had to be euthanized as a result
The US Food and Drug Administration issued an alert for the voluntary recall of Wild Coast’s frozen Boneless Free Range Chicken Formula on March 1. The alert warned people to look out for particular symptoms in their animals if they had fed them the recalled products. These include fever, lethargy, low appetite, reddened or inflamed eyes, discharge from the eyes and nose, difficulty breathing, and neurological signs like tremors, stiff body movements, seizure, lack of coordination, or blindness.
Read more: US Zoos Are Reporting Animal Deaths From Bird Flu
The US has seen almost 100 cases of cats becoming sick or dying from bird flu since 2022. At least a dozen died after drinking raw milk from infected cows on a dairy farm. It may be possible for cats to transmit the virus to humans.
Source of contamination unclear
All meat produced for human consumption must be inspected and deemed safe by the US Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). But a lot of meat produced for companion animals gets processed in other facilities without the same safety checks in place.
However, meat from poultry farms where outbreaks of bird flu had occurred are prohibited from being put in any food products. Investigations are ongoing as to how contaminated meat has made it into food for companion animals.
In November 2024, a US company selling raw milk for human consumption had to recall products after they were found to contain bird flu.
Read more: Is 2025 The Year Of Ethical Dog Food?
