BIRD FLU + RAW CAT FOOD

UPDATE Dec 31st 2024

While the investigation into the incident with Northwest Naturals Frozen Turkey food continues, some in the industry are questioning the circumstances in which the H5N1 virus was discovered in the packaging in question.

Susan Thixton - a well respected voice in the field of pet food, has stated she is skeptical about the testing the Oregon DOA did on the food, noting that the sample tested was from an opened bag of food and that they did not test any unopened bags from that batch to confirm the virus came from the food.

The owners of the store in which the food was bought have also made a statement:

"My wife and I own Pacific NW Pets in Sherwood and Wilsonville, Oregon. The customer who's cat passed, bought the "so called" contaminated pet food from our store in Sherwood. We have been in business since 2007 and have never had a customers pet die from eating raw pet food. This customer, who's pet passed, presented false statements to the FDA, stating that her cat was a "strictly indoor cat". We have proof that this is not true as the customer often brought in her cat riding on her shoulder. We are demanding for a public statement as to why the Department of Agriculture ignored all regulatory procedures that were required of them BEFORE they issued a press release. The food they tested was from an opened and partially used bag that had gone home with the customer and was fed to her cat. Proper protocol is to test an unopened bag of food, from the same batch, which has still not been done, and which needs to be done before issuing a National recall on a product.
Sincerely,
Matt & Jenny Flanagan
Pacific NW Pets"

With the cat having access to the outdoors and the lack of testing of other food from that same batch it does appear that the Oregon Department of Agriculture made a statement too early.
Certainly, raw food advocates are tired of regulatory bodies taking an "anti-raw" stance. We maintain that caution should always be taken with raw food, however the benefits of raw out weigh the risks usually. 
Northwest Naturals have also shared more information:

“Last week, the ODA visited our office to inform us of a presumptive positive test for H5N1 and we began pulling data requested by the ODA. The ODA subsequently informed us on December 24th that the test was confirmed, and we issued the recall the same day. Despite the fact that our QC Manager — who has 23 years’ experience working with USDA — expressed concerns about the accuracy of a test performed on an open bag of food (typically only sealed packages are eligible for accurate testing with the sample split between both parties), the ODA was confident the source was our food.

“Since the single batch of affected turkey identified by the ODA was purchased and processed in May 2023, the facility that processes Northwest Naturals’ product has processed over 40 million pounds of product containing various types of protein, including over 1 million pounds of turkey. Prior to learning of the unfortunate death of the feline reported to us by the ODA and cited in various press stories, we had no indication or reports of any HPAI contamination associated with any of our products. The food contained in the two recalled lot codes was sold in August 2024. To date, we are unaware of any other verified case of HPAI allegedly associated with our products aside from the single case cited by the ODA.” (link)

 

Considering that there has been no other case of a cat acquiring H5N1 from raw food and the handling of sampling and testing - this does reassure us that the risk of bird flu pathogens in commercially processed raw food is very low at this time. There is no evidence that all safety measures had failed in this case - we would expect more cases and more concrete proof of the source of contamination if the risk was high, considering how many other bags of this food would have been sold and consumed by now.

Below are links to the manufacturers we stock who have made comment and provided reassurance of their safety procedures:

Vital Essentials

Small Batch

RDBK + 3P

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December 28, 2024

 

Dear customers,

A lot of cat owners are understandably concerned by the news from Oregon of a cat passing from H5N1 (avian flu) acquired from raw food.

 

Raw food, like for humans, has inherently more risks associated with it as the cooking process kills off common pathogens. Many manufacturers use HPP (high pressure processing) as it is considered a gold standard for food safety in raw food and has proved very effective for bacteria like salmonella and e-coli. The recalled food was treated with HPP so this is now a concern for those companies that use it to admit that it has failed against this emerging virus. The US Department of Agriculture is now conducting a thorough investigation.

 

The potential failure of HPP means that it becomes even more important to consider the manufacturers sourcing standards, as it is the primary place where the virus is introduced to the process. Different companies have different transparency levels – we highly recommend you investigate the brand your cat currently eats to learn more about how they are mitigating the risk of this virus making its way into their facilities.

 

For example, the first company to make a statement was Red Dog Blue Kat (also manufacturers of 3P Naturals) a much-respected leader in the raw pet food industry. They have reiterated that they source from CFIA-inspected facilities and shared the following:

“At Red Dog Blue Kat, we work exclusively with Canadian farmers and suppliers who follow strict biosecurity protocols to prevent the spread of avian influenza. Our poultry is sourced only from CFIA-inspected facilities, ensuring adherence to the highest safety and biosecurity standards. These measures include:

  • Sourcing human-grade poultry fit for human consumption.
  • Inspecting turkeys and other poultry for disease both before and after processing.
  • Destroying all affected poultry on-site in the rare case of an avian influenza outbreak to prevent contamination.

Our suppliers go beyond these standards to prioritize animal welfare by implementing advanced biosecurity measures such as controlled access to farms and regular health inspections. This ensures that every step of the process is focused on safety and ethical practices.

 Ongoing Vigilance and Quality Assurance

To further ensure the safety of our raw pet food, our quality assurance team continuously monitors industry updates on avian influenza (H5N1); we maintain ongoing collaboration with our poultry farmers and suppliers and adjust protocols as needed. While no program can eliminate 100% of the risks, we are confident that our stringent measures minimize any potential exposure to H5N1. Transparency and adaptability remain core to our approach, allowing us to address emerging concerns effectively."

 

Irregardless of the bird flu risk – they have always been very transparent and clear on their safety protocols as outlined here:

"How Is RDBK Controlling Pathogens?

    1. Our most critical control measure is ensuring we only use the best suppliers for our ingredients. To make our Approved Supplier List, we require each company’s food safety documents, which typically include a Letter of Guarantee and annual copies of their audits (food safety, animal welfare, and/or organic certificate). The CFIA, or the suppliers’ respective countries’ food safety monitoring bodies, regularly audits these suppliers and ensures they are meeting criteria for controlling pathogens.
    2. To ensure we are never introducing pathogens through our environment, we implement a robust Environmental Monitoring Program, Quality Management Program, Sanitation Program, and Personnel Training Program. We conduct weekly (five swabs per week) environmental listeria testing as well as daily ATP swabs (two per day) on our equipment to verify that our sanitation practices are effective. In addition, our sanitizer concentration is verified weekly and our facility is monitored routinely for the presence of yeast and mold.
    3. We use probiotics and bacteriophages, nature’s way of controlling pathogens, where appropriate . The species-specific probiotics in our meals produce substances that inhibit the growth of pathogens, such as C. Perfringens, S. Typhimurium, and Enteropathogenic E. Coli. Our bacteriophages originate from the Netherlands and are CFIA, USDA and FDA GRAS approved for use to target and kill Salmonella and E Coli 0157:H7. For more information, see this great video on The Bacteriophage"

 

This is the level of information that every raw food manufacturer should be providing at this time and we will be collecting that information and monitoring closely. RDBK have also provided a guide on how to safely gently cook their raw food if pet parents are very concerned, you can find that here.

 

The frozen raw food we sell is all sourced from Canada and US so the risk is present for all of those items. Freeze-dried raw is another unknown – it does go through extra processes and the removal of moisture probably has an effect on transmission of pathogens but we cannot say the risk level currently.

 

The one exception is Feline Natural freeze-dried as it is made in New Zealand and currently the variant there has no history of being transmitted to humans or mammals. New Zealand also has incredibly strict bio-security rules – at this time we would consider freeze-dried raw from them as safe as it can be.

 

It’s important that our customers understand that they are the ones who must make a decision based on their own circumstances and judgement. We do not have the information yet to offer definitive answers. For those very concerned, perhaps with a more medically vulnerable cat, switching to wet food, or to a different non-poultry raw is a valid choice amid these unknowns.

 

We will keep you updated as we know more,

 

Happy Cat Feline Essentials