Pet Food Recall Linked to Bird Flu Contamination: What to Know
Pet food company Northwest Naturals is recalling a batch of raw turkey pet food after a cat died from bird flu linked to the product.
in a Press release This week, the Oregon-based company said two pounds of its Cat Turkey Formula raw frozen pet food tested positive for the avian influenza virus.
The recall highlights growing concerns about the potential for avian influenza to spread between animals and humans, with cases recently reported in cats and people. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the risk to the public remains low.
The voluntary recall applies to plastic bags with “best before” dates of 05/21/26 and 06/23/2026. The product is distributed through multiple retailers in the United States and British Columbia.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture also Make a statement about the recall, noting that testing confirmed a domestic cat was infected with the H5N1 strain and died after consuming the product.
“We believe the cat contracted the H5N1 virus through consumption of raw and frozen pet food from Northwest Naturals,” Oregon Department of Agriculture veterinarian Ryan Scholz said in a statement. “The cat strictly “This was an indoor cat; it had no environmental exposure to the virus, and the genome sequencing results confirmed that the virus recovered from the raw pet food was an exact match to the infected cat.”
Pet owners who purchased the product are advised to throw it away immediately and contact the company for a refund.
The recall follows news last week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirm The first serious case of human infection with avian influenza in Louisiana, USA, was related to exposure to sick birds in a backyard chicken flock. The CDC recently reported two other human cases: an adult in Missouri in September and a child in California in November, neither of whom had clear exposure to a sick animal.
this bird flu It is also related to the recent recall of raw milk in California that tested positive for the virus. Two cats that ate milk and subsequently died were found to have avian influenza.
For more information about the Northwest Naturals recall, consumers can contact the company at info@nw-naturals.net or 866-637-1872.
