Avian flu, raw food: the newest, greatest FEAR campaign has begun!

And we are off to the races, once again!

As of December 26th, the newest fear campaign has been launched. The star of the show is the Avian influenza virus, H1N5. They are managing to bring in the supporting actors of small farmers and small food producers by targeting raw milk and raw pet food.

For the raw milk issue and California dairies, I highly recommend watching this video with Nicole Shanahan and RAWMI Chairman Mark McAfee:

Northwest Naturals Pet Foods recalled one lot of frozen turkey cat food after one cat died, with both the food and the cat testing positive for avian flu. I have a few questions to ask about this:

• Was it just one cat? Were any other cats sick?

• Did that cat have any other health issues? On any medications?

• What diagnostics were done on the cat? And what were the results?

• How did they test for the virus? If PCR, at what amplification?

• How likely can the virus survive stomach acid and cause respiratory disease?

• And why cats? It makes me suspicious because cats are one of the species used in laboratory testing before the trials make it to humans.

From Chelseas Kent of Solutions Pet Products:

“The risk of dogs and cats contracting avian influenza from consuming raw, contaminated meat appears to be primarily theoretical rather than a widely documented mechanism of infection.

Evidence for Infection from Contaminated Raw Meat

1. Proven Cases of Infection:

There are no robust studies or well-documented, large-scale incidents proving that dogs or cats contract avian influenza from consuming contaminated raw meat alone.

Reports of avian influenza in pets (e.g., cats in Asia infected with H5N1) often involve direct exposure to infected live or dead birds rather than through meat consumption.

Experimental studies in laboratory conditions have occasionally demonstrated infection when animals were deliberately exposed to high viral loads, but this does not reflect normal dietary or environmental exposures.

2. Gut Environment as a Barrier:

The acidic pH (~1) of a dog or cat's stomach, especially in animals accustomed to raw diets, is highly hostile to most pathogens, including viruses like avian influenza. The low pH inactivates or destroys many pathogens before they can colonize or infect the host.

The FDA Salmonella study supports this protective mechanism: when 16 dogs were fed chicken that was intentionally contaminated with Salmonella, 56% successfully neutralized 100% of Salmonella strains in their gut, 100% exhibited no symptoms, and only 8% shed the pathogen they were fed in their feces.

3. Transmission Pathways:

The primary risk pathway for pets contracting avian influenza remains inhalation of respiratory secretions or direct contact with infected birds or their excretions, not ingestion of meat.

Any risk from raw meat would likely depend on:

- High viral load in the meat.

- Compromised gastric acid levels (e.g., due to medications like antacids or illnesses).

- Pre-existing mucosal or intestinal injuries.”

Here is a great summary of the situation from my number one recommended pet food company, Solutions Pet Products:

We cannot forget the new vaccine waiting in the wings!

This is not a time to panic and fall for the bait. Keep a cool head, do your research, follow people you trust. It might be wise to just stay off of social media.

Keep yourself, your family, and your pets healthy through good nutrition. You might want to stock up on some antivirals as well.

Let me know if you want to learn about antiviral formulas that work!