Raw food for pets is all the rage. Is the fad worth the risk of bird flu, salmonella?

Michael Loria, USA TODAY
Updated ·5 min read

Duck necks as pink as a set of gums. Rabbit hearts. Beef bone. Turkey liver. The spread of raw meat and poultry isn't a witch’s brew but dinner for the rich and powerful… dog or cat.

Well-heeled pet owners nationwide are taking up the fad of feeding Sparky the way his ancestors dined thousands of years ago — on raw foods. The trend is growing in the United States, fueled by claims of health benefits, but experts warn raw pet food can be deadly — diseases thrive in raw environments and can sicken the very pets the food is meant to nourish.

Health authorities in the US and elsewhere have issued dire warnings against feeding pets raw food, noting cases of contamination with salmonella, E. coli and listeria. In recent weeks, at least three house cats died after eating raw foods contaminated with bird flu: one in Oregon fed raw turkey and two in California given raw milk.

Yet raw pet food has grown into a $3 billion industry in the U.S.

"Knowing how popular raw food diets are in California, I really haven't been surprised by these cases, I was just waiting for these to happen," said Dr. Jane Sykes, a veterinarian at the University of California, Davis. "If this virus continues to spread, I'm sure we’ll see a lot more cases. I expect a lot of cases are not getting diagnosed."

Authorities are warning people not to feed pets raw foods after three cats died from bird flu after eating contaminated chow.
Authorities are warning people not to feed pets raw foods after three cats died from bird flu after eating contaminated chow.

Why raw pet food?

Sykes has charted the rising popularity of raw food diets at the UC Davis clinic. Raw food diets began becoming popular around 10 years ago and took off during the pandemic, she said.

"People want to care for their pets like they would for their kids or their family members," Sykes said. With dogs, the idea is to take them back to the less processed diet of a non-domesticated wild animal.

"And they think cats are natural predators eating other animals so it's natural for them to be eating these types of food. But you know domestic cats are not really wild cats any more, they’re very different genetically, they've evolved and probably their diets have evolved as well."

But the risk of food-borne illness in a raw food diet is so severe, Sykes said, that veterinarians at the UC Davis clinic began labeling which pet patients are on raw food diets in recent years. Those pets are handled with extra care for fear of diseases including salmonella and E. coli, which can be transmitted to humans and other animals.

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Cats keep catching bird flu: Is your cat safe?

Companies tout benefits of raw pet food

Raw pet food companies, for their part, promise unpasteurized foods offer various health benefits. They will prepare them, package them and deliver them to your door as part of subscription meal delivery plans that range from $50 a month to more than $200. (Standard kibble is roughly $1-$2 per pound)

The sourcing of ingredients can read like a Michelin star tasting menu.

Northwest Naturals, the company that recalled raw turkey that health officials linked to the death of the cat in Oregon, offers free range beef from the Pacific Northwest, shrimp from the Atlantic Ocean and lamb from New Zealand.

“Adding some raw food to a pet’s current diet or switching one meal a day a few times a week can be very beneficial to your pet’s overall health,” the company says on its website. Benefits of a raw diet, according to the company, include healthy teeth, shinier skin and coat and increased mobility in older animals.

The company did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Raw pet food contamination fuels multiple recalls

U.S. Food and Drug Administration studies dating back to 2012 have found that raw pet foods are far more likely to carry disease. The FDA's list of recalls and withdrawals includes at least 10 recalls due to contaminated raw pet foods since 2018.

Pet food company Viva Raw LLC of North Carolina recalled a range of raw turkey and beef products earlier this year due to potential listeria contamination. Listeria monocytogenes can cause potentially fatal infections in pets that ingest contaminated foods, according to the FDA. Humans who become infected, either through contact with the pets or leftover foods, could have nausea, vomiting, aches, fever and diarrhea, or more serious and even fatal illnesses.

In September, Answers Pet Food recalled a line of its beef and chicken products for dogs due to possible listeria and salmonella contaminations, according to the FDA. Salmonella can result in serious symptoms for both pets and pet owners handling the raw food, including diarrhea, vomiting, fever and even fatal illness.

Both companies said they took action to remedy the risks and food safety is a top priority.

Raw pet food industry grows despite risks

The industry keeps growing despite recalls and health authority warnings.

Market research estimated the raw pet food industry in the U.S. was worth $3.1 billion in 2023 and projected it would grow to $8.72 billion by 2032.

Researchers attribute the growth to increased pet ownership, more widespread availability and a push to gain owners' trust and sell them on potential health benefits.

"There's been heavy marketing to make consumers think that raw food diets are healthier but that’s not necessarily the case," Sykes said. "People genuinely think they're doing the right thing for their pets and don't realize they can be contaminating their animal."

The 'raw food diet' is an online fad. But, can dogs eat raw meat?

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: As raw pet food sales soar, bird flu and disease threats follow

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