Lincoln pet food store urging caution over recent bird flu outbreak

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A recent report from the Food and Drug Administration urges pet food manufacturers to take precautions against the bird flu.

Since the bird flu outbreak began in 2022, dozens of domestic and feral animals have been infected.

The FDA says these animals got sick from drinking raw milk or eating raw pet food that has been contaminated with the virus.

Dave Titterington, the owner of Arnie’s Pet Food Store, told Channel 8 this is not something you should be super concerned about because most pet food isn’t made with chicken.

“If I were a pet owner, I’d just be a little leery about buying any pet products that are chicken-based,” he said. “It all comes back to biological controls. You don’t know where the manufacturer’s getting the chicken or if it’s a place that has good biological control.”

He said pet owners should think carefully before buying from big brands, because you can’t be sure where the ingredients are coming from.

“The pet food you see advertised on TV aren’t made by a pet food company,” he said. “They’re all made by these big huge conglomerates. Mars, Nestle, and Colgate Palmolive produce 90% of the pet food in this country. Whereas ours, a lot of what we get, we know where it’s coming from and we know where the meat that’s going in there comes from.”

Titterington said the bird flu is not much different than the flu that humans get, some survive and some don’t.

He also said you do not need to be worried about the birds in your backyard, as they don’t contract the virus as often as birds in a confined flock.

“People that feed backyard birds are aware that, as of right now, there’s no need to even be concerned with your feeders,” Titterington said.  “It’s extremely rare that they were to contract bird flu, and if they were, they’re really unable to shed the virus very well so it’s not an issue. We do ask people to keep their feeders clean. If you have pets, you’re cleaning up after your pets. If you feed birds, you should clean up after the birds.”

If you have more questions about the bird flu and your pet’s food, Titterington said they are always available to lend a hand.