The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is advising residents to not feed their pets Monarch Raw Pet Food sold at several farmers markets in California due to detection of H5 bird flu virus in product samples. A house cat that consumed this product has been confirmed H5 bird flu positive. Four other house cats from the same household are presumed to have also been positive for H5 bird flu after consuming the product.

Residents who fed their pets Monarch raw pet food products or other raw meat or dairy products and notice their pet is experiencing symptoms should immediately contact their veterinarian. A listing of farmers market locations where the raw pet food was sold can be found on the product website.

Residents should avoid consumption of all raw milk and raw meat products and not feed these to their pets.

Public Health recently confirmed H5 bird flu in four house cats from a separate household that consumed recalled raw milk and became sick and died, which is part of an ongoing investigation. Cats infected with H5 bird flu can develop severe illness that may including neurologic signs, respiratory signs or liver disease that can rapidly progress to death. There have been no human cases of bird flu associated with exposure to these cats yet identified.

About H5 Bird Flu

H5 bird flu refers to various strains of influenza A viruses that typically infect birds. While these viruses mainly affect wild birds, sometimes they also infect other animals, including wild and domestic animals (including seals, foxes, cats, and cows). H5N1 is one type of avian influenza that has been spreading among birds and mammals, leading to a nationwide outbreak. This is the first time these bird flu viruses have been found to be spreading in cows. The overall risk of H5 bird flu to the public remains low. There is currently no evidence of person to person spread of this virus.

Public Health has been working with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the local LA County agricultural community to ensure key risk groups, including farm workers, workers at dairy, egg, and meat processing facilities and backyard flock owners receive information and resources to help identify and protect against this infection; this includes access to gloves, face masks and eye protection along with access to testing and flu vaccines.

Public Health has confirmed the first case of H5 bird flu in a human in Los Angeles County who was exposed to livestock infected with H5 Bird flu at a worksite.

Symptoms of H5 bird flu virus infection in humans may include:

Eye redness or discharge

Cough

Sore throat

runny or stuffy nose

Diarrhea

Vomiting

muscle or body aches

Headaches

Fatigue

trouble breathing

Fever

Symptoms in cats infected with H5 bird flu may vary and include:

Loss of appetite

Tiredness

Respiratory and/or neurological signs

For questions or to find a nearby clinic or doctor, residents can call the Public Health InfoLine at 833-540-0473. Open every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For more information, visit these websites:

Avian flu in animals: publichealth.lacounty.gov/vet/HPAI.htm

Avian flu in humans: ph.lacounty.gov/acd/diseases/h5n1.htm