Bird Flu & Raw Feeding
Got Bird Flu concerns in relation to raw pet food? Here’s our round-up of current information and our suggestions.
The TL;DR
Bird flu is on the rise, and is a cause for concern for humans and animals alike. Therefore, we want to implement practices that prevent the spread of the virus for protecting animals, people, the environment, and the food supply.
Eliminating or cooking any raw products fed to cats is recommended to avoid the risk of infection because of their increased susceptibility to death from bird flu. Furthermore, eliminating or cooking poultry and beef products that are fed to dogs is recommended until further data is obtained on cross-species transmission.
Some alternatives for pet parents to consider base mixes for cooking at home, wet food, gently cooked foods, or kibble. Read on for more detailed suggestions and explanations on the situation.
The Current Situation
As you may have heard, Avian Influenza (H5N1) , also called bird flu, is on the rise in the US. The CDC reports that the current public health risk is low. However, it’s still something to take note of and learn about to make the best choices for us and our pets. Bird flu has begun spreading to other species, most recently affecting dairy cattle in addition to wild and domestic poultry. There have been confirmed cases in humans, cats, and dogs that have had contact with the virus. Cats are more susceptible to contracting bird flu than dogs, and it’s more likely to be fatal in cats than dogs. Pets can become infected by consuming contaminated meat or milk.
In July of 2024, The CDC issued a report that highlighted concerns around H5N1 in dairy cattle and farm cats. The farm cats contracted the virus after consuming unpasteurized milk from infected cows, and later died.
Northwest Naturals, a producer of raw food for dogs and cats, issued a voluntary recall in December of 2024, following the death of a cat from bird flu after consuming their food. Testing from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Oregon State University confirmed the frozen raw pet food contained bird flu. You can find out more about this specific recall here.
There are safety measures taken by some raw food manufacturers to eliminate pathogens. The most common is High Pressure Pasteurization/Processing (HPP). HPP is done by subjecting food to high levels of pressure. This inactivates pathogens while maintaining the food's nutritional content and flavor. However, its effectiveness H5N1 avian influenza specifically has not been conclusively established in all food types. For example, Northwest Naturals uses HPP, and yet they had to make the recall. They may have been other factors at play that negated the HPP process, but nothing can be confirmed at this time. Therefore, HPP cannot be relied upon to eliminate bird flu.
As of January 2025, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that manufacturers of cat and dog foods using uncooked or unpasteurized materials derived from poultry or cattle must reanalyze their food safety plans to include H5N1 as a known or reasonably foreseeable hazard. This is good news for pet parents, since we know HPP cannot be relied upon. We’ll be keeping a close eye on development relating to this new FDA protocol.
It has been confirmed that cooking meat that is contaminated neutralizes the virus. Beef should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 145ºF, and poultry to 165ºF. Other processing methods such as freeze drying and low heat dehydrating will not render the virus non-infectious. If you decide to cook your pre-made raw, check the fat percentage on the nutritional label. If it exceeds 11% you must drain the cooked fat to avoid pancreatitis. You can “cook” freeze dried raw food by hydrating it with boiling water at a minimum temperature of 145ºF. Low heat dehydrated chews and treats should be “oven blasted” at 165ºF, however most commercial dehydrated foods have undergone this process.
What does all this mean for raw feeders and pet parents? Out of an abundance of caution, we recommend the following:
-Eliminating or cooking any raw products fed to cats is recommended to avoid the risk of infection because of their increased susceptibility to death.
-Eliminating or cooking poultry and beef products that are fed to dogs until further data is obtained on cross-species transmission.
Of course, this is just our recommendation. Your specific situation may vary, or you may draw a different conclusion from the information provided! Not all employees at Humboldt Pet Supply follow these recommendations exactly, as they may have specific needs or household considerations.
We’ve gathered statements from raw food brands we carry on their current advice and protocols surrounding the prevention of bird flu. We’ve provided them at the end of this article, for you to read and make your own informed decisions.
If you decide to step away from raw food for the time being, we have some suggestions for alternatives to feed your pets here.
Raw Food Alternatives
Wet food: Wet foods provide a less processed and moisture rich diet over kibble. Since all canned food is cooked, bird flu is not a concern.
Base mixes: Brands such as Dr. Harvey’s & Honest Kitchen make base mixes, where you only have to add meat (and sometimes an oil) to make a complete and balanced meal. You can source and cook your own meat, and therefore have 100% certainty to its safety. This is an easy way to make a home cooked diet without the hassle of having to stress about balancing it.
Home cooked food: If you want to make a fully home prepared diet, we highly recommend checking out Perfectly Rawsome. You can buy custom meal plans, and there’s a ton of free resources for starting off too.
Dehydrated & air dried food: This suggestion comes with a bit of a caveat. You have to reach out to the company and ask what temperature they process their food. It may be too low to ensure inactivation of bird flu. We know beef needs to be processed at 145ºF and poultry at 165ºF. We reached out to Honest Kitchen about their cooking temperatures; they stated it was proprietary information and could not disclose it. So we cannot recommend it. On the other hand, we reached out to Open Farm, and their air dried is processed at a high enough temperature to be safe. So you’ll have to do some due diligence: or ask us to!
Kibble: all kibble is cooked at a high temperature, ensuring it’s safe from bird flu. To provide more moisture, we recommended soaking the kibble in warm water. For specific brand recommendations, come in and we’ll help you find a brand that works for your pet.
Sources for this article:
If you’d like to explore this topic in more detail, we highly recommend reading the articles we referenced in writing this post. They’re all linked below.
Brand Statements
Vital Essentials
We understand public concern surrounding the recent avian influenza (H5N1) outbreaks and their potential impact on the raw pet food industry - and ultimately, our pets’ health. As a team full of pet parents ourselves, we believe in open and honest communication with our valued customers, and we appreciate the opportunity to provide you with more information on Vital Essentials' commitment to quality and safety.
Vital Essentials is fully committed to maintaining the highest standards of food safety and quality. We go to great lengths to ensure the quality and safety of our products. To ensure the highest level of safety, every ingredient supplier undergoes a rigorous approval process that includes 3rd Party GFSI Certifications, HACCP control documents and must have a full supplier disclosure regarding the safety of their materials.
We have been taking great lengths to further protect pets & their parents from Avian Influenza. Our poultry suppliers are part of the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP), which is a collaborative program involving poultry industry, state, and federal authorities that aims to monitor and stop the spread of dangerous diseases like avian influenza in captive birds, especially those raised for food. The birds are regularly tested for avian influenza, and any flocks with positive birds - even if there are only a few - are euthanized to further prevent spread of the disease. The birds are housed in open enclosures to prevent exposure to disease from wild birds and to limit possible transmission between captive flocks. Only healthy birds that test negative prior to slaughter are being processed. Our suppliers have also implemented enhanced biosecurity measures, including PPE for personnel that come into contact with birds, limiting personnel onsite, and detailed procedures minimizing risks for vehicles that enter the property.
We’ve also conducted an extensive review of our supply chain and can confirm that Vital Essentials is not implicated in any recalls related to avian influenza, and we do not source poultry from any of the affected areas. Our suppliers are fully committed to maintaining the health of their flocks and will continue to follow all recommendations to prevent avian influenza.
As this is a rapidly evolving situation, we will continue to monitor all available information on this topic and update protocols as necessary. We are confident in the safety of our products, and we appreciate you placing your trust in us to provide your pets with the highest quality raw food and treats.
Primal Pet Foods
As the latest news about the avian influenza outbreak in the United States has become more concerning to pet parents, we want you to feel confident in the steps that our Primal Pet Foods team has been taking to ensure your pet’s food is safe.
We have been actively monitoring the latest information and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and state agricultural officials about the current outbreak, working closely with our trusted ingredient suppliers, and reviewing our internal safety measures to ensure the continued safety of our raw pet food. Below, we’ve outlined some additional details about the safety processes and procedures we have in place:
Primal Pet Foods follows a comprehensive food safety and quality assurance program in our manufacturing facilities that includes Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) to ensure product safety and consistency. Our team has identified multiple preventative controls throughout the production process and developed a robust environmental monitoring program. Additionally, our state-of-the-art freeze-drying facility in Abilene, Texas, is SQF (Safe Quality Foods) certified, which is an internationally recognized program for food safety and quality management.
We have a strict supplier approval program in place where each ingredient supplier undergoes a rigorous vetting process. This includes providing us with Letters of Safety Guarantee, country of origin documents, valid third-party audit certifications and/or internal risk assessment measures, approved specifications, which include required testing and detailed food safety questionnaires.
Our suppliers maintain strict measures to ensure that the raw ingredients they supply to Primal meet our high standards for quality and nutrition. They have been following guidance about avian influenza from the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and local agricultural officials and have increased their vigilance to keep avian influenza away from their animals, property, and people. For example, at the farm where we source our goat milk, the goats do not have access to uncovered water sources and the feed and grain are covered to deter birds. Additionally, the farm is partnering with local veterinarians to closely monitor the health of the herd.
Our experienced Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) and Procurement teams have been working closely with our beef and poultry suppliers to ensure all safety protocols are consistently followed. For example, a USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) veterinarian is always present to visually inspect cattle at our suppliers for signs of disease prior to processing and our poultry supplier tests for avian influenza before processing the turkeys or chickens. The USDA remains confident that the meat supply is safe. Additionally, our goat milk supplier has been actively testing every batch/lot of our raw milk for several months in partnership with the state department of agriculture.
Upon receipt of raw materials at our manufacturing facilities in California and Texas, our team thoroughly inspects the ingredients to ensure that processing and storage parameters are carefully maintained throughout the production process to safeguard product safety and quality.
We use high-pressure processing (HPP) to ensure our raw frozen products are safe for your pets to consume. HPP is a non-thermal technology that has been proven to inactivate microorganisms, including viruses, with minimal influence on the integrity of the nutrients in foods. Based on literature published on the effect of HPP, viruses should be inactivated under our specific processing conditions. This is supported by current research*, which indicates that HPP is effective at mitigating avian influenza when applied at appropriate parameters, including pressure levels, duration, water activity, etc.
We share your concern about this emerging issue and will continue to monitor and quickly follow any new guidance outlined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), CDC or USDA. As always, if you have any concerns about your specific pet, we recommend consulting with your family veterinarian. If you have any additional questions that we have not addressed, please reach out to our Consumer Support team at support@primalpetfoods.com.
Bones & Co
We understand how important it is for you to feel confident in the safety of the food you provide for your pets. At Bones & Co., we take food safety and quality very seriously. In light of the ongoing Bird Flu concerns, we want to assure you that our products are produced with the highest standards of food safety and quality control. While Bird Flu primarily affects poultry, and the risk of transmission through properly handled and prepared meat products remains extremely low, we are committed to maintaining rigorous safety protocols throughout our entire production process.
Impact of Bird Flu on Dog Food
To date, there has been only one documented illness which was found in a feline. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasize that cats are more susceptible to contracting the virus through direct exposure to infected poultry or birds, rather than through consumption of properly handled and processed meat. As you know Bones & Co. does not make cat food. The risk of canine exposure from commercially processed raw food, including our products, is extremely low.
Impact of Bird Flu on Goat Milk
It’s important to note that Bird Flu primarily affects poultry. However there has been an increased infection rate in Dairy Cattle, not Dairy Goats. The USDA requires that any positive test from a herd is reported to federal authorities and mitigation actions are enforced. The following biosecurity measures are the most important to prevent disease spread and promote herd health:
Limiting visitors on the farm and minimizing foot traffic;
Avoiding contact with wild and domestic fowl;
Avoiding the sharing of farm equipment;
Making sure feed and water sources are covered and free of contaminants, limiting the attraction of wild fowl and pests; and
Employing effective pest and wild bird management practices.
Our Approach:
Sourcing from Human Grade Trusted Suppliers: We work with trusted, certified suppliers who adhere to the strictest food safety standards. All of our poultry is sourced from USDA inspected human grade farms, and we ensure that the farms we work with follow best practices for biosecurity, minimizing the risk of contamination.
USDA Biosecurity Measures: The U.S. has the most robust monitoring and surveillance programs in the world – and detailed plans in place to control spreading among flocks and eliminate the virus completely. All U.S. flocks are tested year-round for avian influenza, and if a single bird in a flock were to test positive for avian flu, then none of those birds would be allowed to enter the food supply. The USDA and the poultry industry as a whole continue to monitor for the virus closely, and have increased surveillance and biosecurity measures to keep flocks protected.
Ongoing Monitoring and Testing: In addition to the above, we conduct ongoing microbiological testing of our ingredients, kitchen and finished products to ensure they meet our high standards for safety and quality. This includes regular testing, which covers a broad range of potential contaminants, including those that could be associated with avian viruses.
We understand that safety is a top priority for our customers, and we want to emphasize that, as with all raw food products, handling practices at home—such as proper storage and sanitation—are critical to maintaining the health and safety of your pet. We recommend following the guidelines for safe food handling, including washing hands and surfaces thoroughly after handling raw food.
We hope this information provides peace of mind, and we want to assure you that we are continually monitoring and adapting our practices in accordance with the latest research and industry guidelines. Should you have any further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to support you and your pet.
Thank you for being a part of the Bones & Co. pack!
Smallbatch
All of the humanely raised and harvested poultry we source is of human consumable quality and regularly inspected by the USDA. It is sourced from various locations within the US. All flocks are tested for the avian flu before harvesting and cannot be harvested if that test does not come back as negative. Our suppliers are very aware of the situation and have many procedures in place and have heightened their biosecurity measures as well as implemented additional testing. Fortunately, due to the high standards in place for animal husbandry and care this has not been a concern for any of our suppliers.
Should there ever be an issue with our supply due to the flu, they will let us know and we will proceed accordingly. But just to confirm, flocks that have a positive test cannot be harvested and must be culled and properly disposed of and farms quarantined to prevent further spread, so this is not a concern of spreading through our products. The only issue this could pose to our products would be low/no supply of raw materials due to mass culling/disposal efforts.
Our team is also keeping a close eye on this, is in regular contact with our suppliers and is looking into additional testing for added safety.
