A California man whose two cats died after consuming uncooked milk recalled for bird flu risk says he meant to maintain his beloved pets wholesome, however his efforts tragically backfired.
“It’s horrible while you notice that you just’re the one that truly gave them the milk that killed them,” stated 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 Huge Boy, was hospitalized for every week earlier than checks confirmed the animal was contaminated with the H5N1 bird flu virus.
The cats drank unpasteurized milk from heaps recalled by Uncooked Farm, of Fresno, whose dairy merchandise were pulled from California retailer cabinets in December after well being officers discovered the virus in milk on the market, he stated. 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 typical, not uncooked, pet meals, the proprietor stated.
Journell stated he had been consuming 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 be capable of assist Alexander, who had been losing a few pounds.
“I used to be making an attempt to make him more healthy and make him stay longer,” Journell stated.
As a substitute, Alexander died on Thanksgiving Day. Tuxsie adopted two days later.
Huge Boy was hospitalized and handled with antiviral drugs, Journell stated. The veterinary group collected urine samples from the cat, which had been confirmed constructive for H5N1 at labs run by the U.S. Agriculture Division and Cornell College, information present.
Huge Boy returned house blind and with out using his again legs, although he’s recovering, Journell stated. 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 knowledgeable at St. Jude Kids’s Analysis Hospital, stated flu virus survival probably varies extensively in several numerous milk. Specialists with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention beforehand confirmed that cats that drank uncooked milk from contaminated cows developed neurological disease and died.
“I feel the poor cats are the perfect indicator!” Webby wrote in an e mail.
Almost 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 stated.
The infections have adopted a large 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 house owners 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 acquired sick, Journell stated he fell ailing himself and sought care at a Kaiser Permanente hospital in Fontana, Calif. He stated he wasn’t checked for fowl flu, regardless of his recognized publicity to the virus, as a result of medical employees did not have checks out there to detect it.
A Kaiser spokesperson declined to touch upon Journell’s case particularly, however stated the hospital system is following CDC pointers for screening for fowl flu.
Journell has recovered bodily however stated he is nonetheless affected by the “psychological anguish” of shedding his pets. Regardless of the ordeal, he stated he nonetheless thinks uncooked milk presents some well being advantages.
Nonetheless, he will not be consuming it any time quickly.
“Not proper now,” he stated. “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 Academic Media Group and the Robert Wooden Johnson Basis. The AP is solely liable for all content material.
