Wild Coast Raw Pet Food is being recalled because it may be contaminated with the H5N1 bird flu virus, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). The recall has been issued because indoor cats in Oregon got sick with the virus beginning in early February.
The owners of the cats had to euthanize their pets because the illnesses were so severe. After health department officials investigated, they found that the cats had all consumed the same brand of pet food: Wild Coast Raw.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture collected samples from the affected cats pre- and post-mortem, and from open containers of the raw pet food. Tests conducted by the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (ODVL) at Oregon State University and the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI or bird flu) in both cats and the food samples.
This public health notice was posted in response to these findings. More testing that was conducted by WSDA on unopened containers of the raw pet food, manufactured by Wild Coast Raw, confirmed the contamination .
Pets with H5N1 infections may have a fever, lethargy, low appetite, reddened or inflamed eyes, discharge from the eyes and nose, difficulty breathing, and neurological signs like tremors, seizure, incoordination, or blindness. If your pet has consumed this product and has any of these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian immediately.
No human infections have been reported to date in connection with people who handled this raw food. But there have been cases of human illness reported, among those who work with poultry.
Anyone who thinks they may have been exposed to H5N1 should monitor themselves for symptoms of H5N1. Those symptoms can include eye redness or irritation (conjunctivitis), cough, sore throat, sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, muscle and body aches, headaches, fatigue, fever, trouble breathing, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting. Pet owners or handlers showing these signs should contact their healthcare providers.
