Wild Coast Raw, a pet food company based in Olympia, Washington, has issued a voluntary recall of specific lots of its frozen raw cat food after health officials detected the H5 strain of avian influenza in the product. The affected food is linked to multiple cases of severe illness in cats across Oregon and Washington.
The recall, announced on March 1, applies to certain lots of Wild Coast’s boneless free-range chicken formula. These products were distributed to pet stores in both states. Six of the recalled lots have best-by dates of December 25.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture first issued an alert in mid-February after identifying two lots tied to sick cats. Since then, additional cases of illness in domestic cats exposed to the food have been reported.
This is not the first time raw pet food has been linked to avian influenza in cats. Earlier in 2024, California officials traced similar illnesses to another locally made raw cat food. In late 2023, Oregon health officials connected a case to Northwest Naturals, a brand with national distribution.
In a broader update on the spread of H5N1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed new detections of the virus in backyard poultry flocks in three states: New York (Suffolk County), North Carolina (Dare County), and Ohio (Portage County).
Health officials continue to urge pet owners to be cautious when feeding raw diets to cats, especially during ongoing outbreaks of avian flu.
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