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Source: https://1190kex.iheart.com/content/2024-12-24-cat-food-linked-to-bird-flu-death/
Cat Food Linked To Bird Flu Death
Dec 24, 2024
The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is alerting pet owners that samples of Morasch Meat’s Northwest Naturals brand 2lb Turkey Recipe raw & frozen pet food tested positive for a H5N1 strain of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus. Testing conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) and the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (ODVL) at Oregon State University confirmed a house cat in Washington County contracted H5N1 and died after consuming the raw frozen pet food. Tests confirmed a genetic match between the virus in the raw and frozen pet food and the infected cat.
“We are confident that this cat contracted H5N1 by eating the Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food,” said ODA State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz. “This cat was strictly an indoor cat; it was not exposed to the virus in its environment, and results from the genome sequencing confirmed that the virus recovered from the raw pet food and infected cat were exact matches to each other.”
Morasch Meats, a Portland, Oregon-based company, is voluntarily recalling its Northwest Naturals brand 2lb Feline Turkey Recipe raw & frozen pet food. The recalled product is packaged in 2-pound plastic bags with “Best if used by” dates of 05/21/26 B10 and 06/23/2026 B1. The product was sold nationwide through distributors in AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MD, MI, MN, PA, RI and WA in the United States, and British Columbia in Canada. Pet owners are urged to immediately check their supplies and dispose of the product. For additional information or questions, customers may contact Troy Merriman of Morasch Meats of Portland at 503-257-9821 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm PST, Monday through Friday.
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and local public health officials are monitoring household members who had contact with the cat for flu symptoms. To date, no human cases of HPAI have been linked to this incident, and the risk of HPAI transmission to humans remains low in Oregon. Since 2022, OHA has partnered with ODA through a One Health approach to investigate human exposures to animal outbreaks of avian influenza...
Cat Food Linked To Bird Flu Death
Dec 24, 2024
The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is alerting pet owners that samples of Morasch Meat’s Northwest Naturals brand 2lb Turkey Recipe raw & frozen pet food tested positive for a H5N1 strain of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus. Testing conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) and the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (ODVL) at Oregon State University confirmed a house cat in Washington County contracted H5N1 and died after consuming the raw frozen pet food. Tests confirmed a genetic match between the virus in the raw and frozen pet food and the infected cat.
“We are confident that this cat contracted H5N1 by eating the Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food,” said ODA State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz. “This cat was strictly an indoor cat; it was not exposed to the virus in its environment, and results from the genome sequencing confirmed that the virus recovered from the raw pet food and infected cat were exact matches to each other.”
Morasch Meats, a Portland, Oregon-based company, is voluntarily recalling its Northwest Naturals brand 2lb Feline Turkey Recipe raw & frozen pet food. The recalled product is packaged in 2-pound plastic bags with “Best if used by” dates of 05/21/26 B10 and 06/23/2026 B1. The product was sold nationwide through distributors in AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MD, MI, MN, PA, RI and WA in the United States, and British Columbia in Canada. Pet owners are urged to immediately check their supplies and dispose of the product. For additional information or questions, customers may contact Troy Merriman of Morasch Meats of Portland at 503-257-9821 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm PST, Monday through Friday.
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and local public health officials are monitoring household members who had contact with the cat for flu symptoms. To date, no human cases of HPAI have been linked to this incident, and the risk of HPAI transmission to humans remains low in Oregon. Since 2022, OHA has partnered with ODA through a One Health approach to investigate human exposures to animal outbreaks of avian influenza...
