FDA recommends pet food companies revisit safety plans amid bird flu outbreak
The FDA has advised pet food companies to revisit food safety plans as a growing number of cats have gotten sick or died from eating food contaminated with bird flu.
As a growing number of cats have gotten sick or died after consuming raw pet food or raw milk contaminated with the H5N1 virus, health officials have advised pet food companies to take extra precautions to protect against bird flu.
In recent guidance, the Food and Drug Administration suggested that pet food manufacturers take precautions in their food safety plans, such as “seeking ingredients from flocks or herds that are healthy” and “taking processing steps, such as heat treatment, that are capable of inactivating viruses.”
Since the H5N1 virus began spreading in 2022, there have been outbreaks in birds in every state.
Cats appear to be especially vulnerable to the H5N1 virus. Since the current outbreak of H5N1 began in 2022, dozens of domestic and feral cats have been infected. Some farm cats got sick from drinking raw milk. Others died after eating raw pet food contaminated with the bird flu virus.
Dr. Jane Sykes, a professor of small animal internal medicine at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, said the FDA guidance is short on details.
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