Because the announcement via Oregon Division of Agriculture in overdue December 2024 {that a} uncooked dog food was once the supply of avian flu that brought about a cat loss of life (which grew to become out later the dog food was once NOT the supply of the cat’s an infection), the #1 query I’ve won from puppy house owners is: ‘will have to I prevent feeding my cat uncooked meals?’
My reaction to those questions stays: I’m nonetheless feeding my very own pets (5 cats, 2 canines) each uncooked meals and cooked meals, section business and section house ready. I’ve no longer modified the way in which I feed my very own pets, and I’ve no longer modified the way of meals I give my very own pets – nor do I’ve any plans to switch.
For essentially the most section, puppy house owners have ONLY been instructed about avian flu being detected in cats when it was once related to uncooked dog food or uncooked milk. However, while you take a look at what regulatory government have NOT instructed us…the knowledge tells us a distinct tale about avian flu.
In keeping with the USDA Animal Plant Well being Inspection Products and services (APHIS), Extremely Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been detected in 105 home cats since Might 2022 (in the United States).
Beneath is a USA map indicating the detection of HPAI in mammals (from Might 2022 via March 4, 2025).
While you glance intently on the above map, the more than a few icons at the map point out the species of animal detected to had been inflamed with HPAI. The small black field is the icon for home cat HPAI detections. Realize that those cat HPAI detections aren’t uniform throughout the United States. If truth be told, within the space of the map colour coded as mild blue (the jap segment of the United States) – there is just one case of home cat an infection.
On the contrary, puppy meals are allotted national. IF dog food was once the supply of HPAI infections in cats – we will have to see a map with a uniform distribution of instances throughout the United States.
The vast majority of those 105 home cat instances (and possibly all of those instances) had been related to: “An infection is believed to have took place by the use of publicity to inflamed birds or different animals. In overdue March and early April 2024, Texas reported detection of HPAI A(H5N1) in numerous cats from a number of dairy farms experiencing HPAI A(H5N1) virus infections in dairy cows, suggesting the virus unfold to the cats both from affected dairy cows, uncooked cow milk, or from wild birds related to the ones farms.”
Which aligns with additional information from the Facilities for Illness Keep watch over, confirming the chance of uncooked dog food is minimum.
The Facilities for Illness Keep watch over (CDC) printed a steering file outlining the company’s suggestions “for fighting human exposures to extremely pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) viruses and an infection prevention and regulate measures.” This steering from CDC stocks a possibility class via publicity desk, explaining the “classes of particular person possibility for influenza A(H5N1) virus an infection via environment and publicity.”
This CDC steering states (word – this steering is directed in opposition to human publicity, no longer particularly puppy publicity):
Thought to be: “HIGH RISK OF EXPOSURE“.
“Running on farms with poultry or cows with showed HPAI A(H5N1) virus an infection or unwell poultry or cows uncovered to these with showed HPAI A(H5N1) virus an infection; identified shut animal touch.”
Examples equipped for possibility actions on farms come with:
Milking cows
Getting splashed in face or eyes with uncooked milk from cows
Feeding or watering poultry or cows
Dealing with carcasses of useless cows, poultry culling, depopulation, butchering, evisceration
Thought to be: “HIGH RISK OF EXPOSURE“.
“Shut or extended touch with wild birds with showed HPAI A(H5N1) virus an infection or their infected environments; identified shut fowl touch.”
Observe: “shut fowl touch” was once expressed as inside of 6 ft.
Examples equipped for possibility actions of shut fowl touch come with:
Folks in direct touch with unwell or useless wild birds
Folks all in favour of depopulation/culling of untamed birds
Natural world company workers in direct touch with unwell or useless wild birds, together with defeathering, carcass removing and disposal
Hunters who take care of wild birds
Touching surfaces or fabrics (e.g., animal muddle or bedding subject matter) infected via wild birds with saliva, mucous, or feces
When it comes to uncooked milk…
Thought to be: “These days, stage of possibility to people is unknown however top stage of shock in response to to be had animal information.”
Instance equipped for possibility of uncooked milk: “Ingesting, eating or publicity to infected uncooked cow’s milk from cows with showed or suspected HPAI A(H5N1) virus an infection or different merchandise comprised of infected uncooked cow’s milk.”
And considerably, the CDC’s point of view on intake of uncooked meat/eggs…
Thought to be: “LOW RISK OF EXPOSURE”.
“Eating doubtlessly uncooked or undercooked poultry merchandise or eggs from poultry with showed HPAI A(H5N1) virus an infection.”
Once more, this CDC steering is just in response to human possibility – no longer puppy possibility – however, the tips equipped turns out very transparent; the best possibility of HPAI virus an infection is NOT eating uncooked meat or eggs (uncooked dog food). The best possibility of HPAI virus an infection is with shut animal touch to inflamed wild birds and inflamed poultry and livestock.
Yet another statistic.
The AVMA states there have been 73.8 million cats in US in 2024. The class of uncooked dog food is between 2-3% of the United States dog food marketplace.
If 2% of US cats had been consuming a uncooked dog food, that will be 1,476,000 cats eating a uncooked dog food day-to-day. IF the instances of HPAI recently being investigated take a look at to substantiate the dog food was once the supply (estimating 5 attainable instances), the chance of uncooked dog food exposing your cat to HPAI is an estimated 0.0003%.
The better possibility (to me)…feed grade dog food.
In a FDA Caution Letter issued to Mid The united states dog food, the company said “FDA Investigators noticed rainwater getting into your facility throughout the roof whilst you had been production a couple of plenty of pet food.“
Hen feces at the roof of this facility may contaminate the dog food with HPAI.
In an inspection document of a Mars Petcare facility, the FDA famous this dog food producer:
Failure to investigate cross-check, segregate, or in a different way take care of uncooked fabrics and substances utilized in production underneath stipulations that may offer protection to the animal meals towards contamination and reduce deterioration.
Failure to take efficient measures to exclude pests out of your plant and offer protection to towards contamination of animal meals via pests
In 2008, in a Petco distribution middle: “All the way through an FDA inspection of a PETCO distribution middle in April, common and energetic rodent and fowl infestation was once discovered. The FDA inspected the ability once more in Might and located proceeding and common infestation.”
Feed grade puppy meals and feed grade production are NOT held to the similar protection requirements as human meals. With identified contamination dangers being top with wild birds, production and warehousing requirements will have to be freed from fowl infestations to give protection to the security of the puppy meals.
With relation to pets, the CDC states: “Unwell animals could possibly transmit influenza virus to folks of their saliva, feces or droppings, and different frame fluids. Human infections can happen when the virus is inhaled or will get into an individual’s eyes, nostril, or mouth. This may occur when virus is within the air (in droplets or mud) and an individual breathes it in, or when an individual touches one thing that has virus on it after which touches their mouth, eyes, or nostril.”
Each puppy proprietor has to make up their very own thoughts to what they really feel is secure for their very own pets. For me, I’m placing my believe in puppy meals manufactured and warehoused to human meals protection requirements.
Susan Thixton
Puppy Meals Protection Recommend
Writer Purchaser Beware, Co-Writer Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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