Man says two of his cats died after drinking raw milk recalled for bird flu

[ad_1] A California man whose two cats died after ingesting uncooked milk recalled for fowl flu danger says he meant to maintain his beloved pets wholesome, however his efforts tragically backfired.

“It’s horrible if you understand that you just’re the one that truly gave them the milk that killed them,” mentioned Joseph Journell, 56, of San Bernardino.

Journell misplaced his 14-year-old tabby, Alexander, and Tuxsie, a 4-year-old tuxedo cat, in late November. A 3rd cat, 4-year-old Massive Boy, was hospitalized for per week earlier than exams confirmed the animal was contaminated with the H5N1 fowl flu virus.

The cats drank unpasteurized milk from tons recalled by Uncooked Farm, of Fresno, whose dairy merchandise had been pulled from California retailer cabinets in December after well being officers discovered the virus in milk on the market, he mentioned. The animals' deaths had been confirmed by state and county well being officers. The cats had been stored indoors, with no entry to doubtlessly contaminated birds, and ate standard, not uncooked, pet meals, the proprietor mentioned.

Journell mentioned he had been ingesting Uncooked Farm milk himself for a number of months as a result of he heard it had “higher immunity and therapeutic properties” than pasteurized milk. He thought it'd have the ability to assist Alexander, who had been losing a few pounds.

“I used to be making an attempt to make him more healthy and make him dwell longer,” Journell mentioned.

As an alternative, Alexander died on Thanksgiving Day. Tuxsie adopted two days later.

Massive Boy was hospitalized and handled with antiviral medicines, Journell mentioned. The veterinary staff collected urine samples from the cat, which had been confirmed optimistic for H5N1 at labs run by the U.S. Agriculture Division and Cornell College, information present.

Massive Boy returned house blind and with out using his again legs, although he's recovering, Journell mentioned. A fourth cat, Cleo, didn’t drink the milk and remained wholesome.

Journell has demanded that Uncooked Farm proprietor Mark McAfee compensate him for the greater than $12,000 he spent treating the cats, in accordance Seattle meals security lawyer Ilana Korchia, who's representing him.

In an interview, McAfee disputed that the virus was able to sickening the animals days after it was bottled and offered, citing preliminary analysis.

However Richard Webby, an influenza skilled at St. Jude Kids’s Analysis Hospital, mentioned flu virus survival seemingly varies broadly in several plenty of milk. Consultants with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention beforehand confirmed that cats that drank uncooked milk from contaminated cows developed neurological illness and died.

“I feel the poor cats are one of the best indicator!” Webby wrote in an e-mail.

Practically a dozen cats in California have died since early December after consuming uncooked milk or uncooked pet meals contaminated with fowl flu, well being officers have mentioned.

The infections have adopted an enormous outbreak of the fowl flu virus in dairy cows, which has affected in additional than 900 U.S. dairy herds in 16 states. About 80% of these herds are in California.

Federal and state well being officers have warned individuals to not drink uncooked milk due to the potential for an infection with fowl flu and a bunch of different germs. Officers even have cautioned pet homeowners to keep away from feeding unpasteurized milk and uncooked meat diets to their animals.

“Cats shouldn't be fed any merchandise from affected farms if these merchandise haven't been completely cooked or pasteurized to kill the virus,” the FDA warned final month.

After the cats received sick, Journell mentioned he fell sick himself and sought care at a Kaiser Permanente hospital in Fontana, Calif. He mentioned he wasn't checked for fowl flu, regardless of his recognized publicity to the virus, as a result of medical employees did not have exams accessible to detect it.

A Kaiser spokesperson declined to touch upon Journell's case particularly, however mentioned the hospital system is following CDC tips for screening for fowl flu.

Journell has recovered bodily however mentioned he is nonetheless affected by the “psychological anguish" of shedding his pets. Regardless of the ordeal, he mentioned he nonetheless thinks uncooked milk presents some well being advantages.

Nonetheless, he will not be ingesting it any time quickly.

“Not proper now,” he mentioned. “And never within the foreseeable future.”

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The Related Press Well being and Science Division receives assist from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Instructional Media Group and the Robert Wooden Johnson Basis. The AP is solely liable for all content material.