Oregon avian flu cat death prompts nationwide raw pet food recall
The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) announced yesterday that a house cat has died due to H5N1 avian flu after consuming raw frozen pet food. This incident has led to a voluntary recall of raw pet food that was distributed across 12 states and in British Columbia.
This situation contributes to the increasing cases of avian flu in cats, with additional findings in pets from another county in California.
"Genetic Link Between Cats And Raw Food Viruses"
In an announcement, the ODA indicated that the domestic cat which was found to have H5N1 passed away after consuming raw food. Testing revealed that there was a genetic connection between a sample taken from the cat and the virus found in raw and frozen pet food from Northwest Naturals.
Ryan Scholz, DVM, the state veterinarian of Oregon, expressed that authorities believe the cat got the virus from Northwest Naturals pet food. “This cat lived exclusively indoors and had no contact with the virus in its surroundings. Genome sequencing results showed that the virus found in the cat and the one in the raw pet food were identical.”
The recall pertains to the company’s 2-pound Feline Turkey Recipe raw and frozen pet food. This product was distributed across the country through various suppliers in states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington.
Oregon's Health Authority is keeping an eye on the family members who were in contact with the ill cat, while the ODA is advising people who purchased the recalled food to throw it away.
Virus Claims Lives Of Two Cats In Santa Barbara
Just last week, Los Angeles County put out a warning regarding animal health concerning the H5 virus in domestic cats. This came after reports of illness in cats from two different homes. In one case, the cats had ingested raw milk that was recalled, while in the other case, a cat had been exposed to a type of commercially available raw pet food that wasn’t specified.
On December 23, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department reported that two pet cats from separate homes had tested positive for H5 avian flu. This strain of influenza A is uncommon in felines, and the affected cats showed serious neurological signs before unfortunately passing away from the illness.
The origin of the infection is still being looked into.
"The health department has stated that there is currently no indication of H5 bird flu being transmitted between cats, from cats to humans, or between people. The overall risk to the public remains low. However, individuals who come into close contact with wild birds or their droppings, infected cats, dairy cows or raw milk, sick poultry, and infected felines might have an increased chance of exposure."
Dairy Herd Detections Exceed 900 Amid Rising Cases
As of December 23, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has reported an additional 25 cases of H5N1 found in dairy cattle in California. This brings the total number of cases in the state to 685, while the nationwide count rises to 901 across 16 states.
APHIS has reported additional outbreaks in poultry flocks across five states. This includes three more egg-laying farms in three counties in California: Riverside, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus.
The virus has also affected poultry farms in Adair County, Oklahoma, Lawrence County in Illinois, and Ottawa County in Michigan.
The virus has also affected backyard chickens in Missouri, Vermont, and California.
In the meantime, APHIS has announced that over 60 additional cases of H5N1 have been found in wild birds throughout various regions of the country, primarily among waterfowl. The samples were collected from late November into December.
The findings include a combination of animals that were hunted, those that died from various causes, and live specimens collected for research. A significant portion of the samples comes from states like Georgia, Iowa, New Mexico, and several states in the Northwest, such as Washington.
