Dec. 19, 2024, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is urging residents to avoid consuming or feeding to their pets raw milk due to the ongoing spread of H5 bird flu in dairy cows. A recent statewide recall by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) reported additional detections of bird flu virus in samples taken from a raw milk bulk tank at the Valley Milk Simply Bottled dairy farm of Stanislaus County.

Residents should avoid consumption of all raw milk and not feed it to their pets — whether obtained from a licensed retailer, local farm, neighbor, or friend. Raw milk, which is milk that has not been pasteurized, can harbor harmful bacteria and viruses, including bird flu, which can pose serious risks to public health. While consuming raw milk is never advised from a public health standpoint, the risk is especially concerning at this time, given the ongoing spread of bird flu virus among dairy cattle and following recent multiple detections of the virus in raw milk products.

No human illnesses associated with this raw milk recall have been reported in LA County. Public Health had confirmed H5 bird flu in four cats 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.