The Portland-based pet food brand, Northwest Naturals, has voluntarily recalled bags of its “Turkey Recipe” raw frozen pet food after a cat died from eating the bird-flu contaminated product
A brand of pet food has been recalled after a cat died from eating the bird-flu contaminated product.
Northwest Naturals has voluntarily recalled its “Turkey Recipe” raw frozen pet food, which contains 98 per cent turkey meat, organs and bones, after tests came back positive for the bird flu virus.
The product was primarily sold in the US through distributors in Washington, Arizona, Rhode Island, Georgia, Maryland and a number of other states. They’re also available in Canada and through specialist resellers in the UK.
Lab tests were carried out on the cat, which found a “genetic” connection between the infected feline and the virus found in the pet food.
Owners should know the signs of bird flu infection in their dogs and cats, which include fever, a lack of energy, loss of appetite, stomach issues and seizures.
One virus-related death has been linked to the product in a domestic cat. There have been no human cases linked to the pet food to date.
The product was sold in 2lb plastic bags with a label showing a “best if used by” date of 05/21/26 and 06/23/2026. The Oregon Department of Agriculture is investigating the circumstances around the recall, and the company is said to be co-operating in the case.
Commenting on the case, ODA State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz said: “We are confident that this cat contracted H5N1 by eating the Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food.
“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.”
Owners who purchased the product are being asked to immediately discard it and contact where they bought it from for a full refund.
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