WSDA and ODA identifies raw pet food as source of bird flu infections

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The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) issued a warning to pet owners about the risks of raw pet food in cats after several indoor cats in Oregon were diagnosed with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) starting earlier this month.

The owners of the infected cats, after consulting with their veterinarians, elected to euthanize each of the cats due to the severity of their illness. After looking into potential sources of the illness, officials discovered that all of the sick feline patients ate the same brand of raw pet food, manufactured by Wild Coast, LLC, before becoming sick.¹

The illnesses were reported to the ODA, prompting the ODA to collect samples from the affected cats, pre- and post- mortem, and from the open pet food containers. The samples were then sent for testing at Oregon Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratories at Oregon State University and the National Veterinary Services Laboratories at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), confirming the presence of HPAI in the both the cat and food samples.

In response to the findings, ODA and WSDA issued a public health notice and the WSDA conducted further testing on unopened containers of the food. Both departments are urging cat owns to check the lot numbers on Wild Coast, LLC products at home. The specific lot numbers are:

• Wild Coast LLC – Boneless Free Range Chicken Formula Photos Lots #22660 and #22664 – Best By Date 12/2025

“We are writing to you regarding a developing situation concerning H5N1 and the affected cats in the Portland area. On February 7th, [WSDA] notified us of a house cat that tested positive for H5N1, with a potential link to our food. Open containers from the household were tested and came back as non-negative and negative,” said Tyler Duncan, founder of Wild Coast Pet Foods, in an organizational statement.²

“A non-negative result in a diagnostic test, indicates that the test produced a result that isn’t clearly positive or negative. It suggests something might be present, but the test lacks the specificity or sensitivity to confirm it. It’s an indeterminate result, requiring further investigation. In further investigation twelve additional sealed samples were then purchased at retail locations including the same lot code that came back as non-negative from the open container test (Lot #22660). These results yielded one non – negative result (Lot #22664) and the rest negative including from Lot #22660.We were given this information late Thursday 2/13. On Friday 2/14 the WSDA and ODA made a public health warning advising customers to not feed these two lots,” he continued.

RELATED: Several cat deaths reported following bird flu exposure through raw pet food and milk

Pets infected with H5N1 could present with¹:

• Fever
• Low appetite
• Lethargy
• Reddened or inflamed eyes
• Discharge from the eyes and nose
• Difficulty breathing
• Neurological signs such as blindness, incoordination, seizure, or tremors.

If any pets have consumed the product from Wild Coast LLC and is presenting with these symptoms, WSDA and ODA encourages pet owners to call their veterinarian immediately.

At this time, there have been no human infections linked to handling raw pet food products. They normally become infected when the virus enters their eyes, nose, our mouth, such has handling contaminated pet food or touching a surface that is contaminated, especially without thoroughly washing their hands after coming into contact with contaminated surfaces. Anyone suspected of coming into contact with H5N1 should contact their healthcare provide and monitor themselves for symptoms such as:

• Eye redness or irritation
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Sneezing
• Runny/stuffy nose
• Body/muscle aches,
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Trouble breathing
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea

For veterinary professionals, avian influenza is a notifiable disease by the World Organization for Animal Health. Professionals should immediately report any suspected cases of HPAI in any bird, or of H5 or H7 low pathogenic avian influenza, to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the USDA and the applicable state animal health official(s). If a case comes in after hours and on weekend’s professionals should call the USDA foreign animal disease hotline at 866-536-7593.³

“…I sincerely apologize and deeply regret not conveying this information to you sooner and know many of you heard about this through other channels. Moving forward, I am committed to keeping you promptly informed on the evolving situation and will be updating our website as the information becomes available,” Duncan concluded.²

References

1. Raw pet food identified as source of bird flu infection to house cats. News release. Washington State Department of Agriculture. February 14, 2025. Accessed February 18, 2025. https://agr.wa.gov/lookuptypes/recallfile/131
2. Wild Coast Statement. News release. Wild Coast Pet Foods. Accessed February 18, 2025. https://wildcoastpets.com/wild-coast-safety-steps-for-h5n1/
3. Avian Influenza. American Veterinary Medical Association. Accessed February 18, 2025. https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/animal-health-and-welfare/animal-health/avian-influenza