One Inland Empire man reports that his cherished dogs contracted the infection after consuming tainted raw milk, as worries about avian flu continue to spread throughout the nation.
Having owned cats for fifteen years, Joseph Journell is aware of the unconditional affection that can be shared with a pet. To ensure that no one else has to experience what he has, he is working to increase awareness.
He claims that two of his four cats, Alexander the Great and Tuxsie the Tuxedo, perished after consuming raw milk tainted with the avian flu virus, which has also affected people in California and across the US.
“After a couple days I noticed they weren’t eating their wet food and also not drinking the milk I offered to them after that,” Journell explained. “My oldest cat Alexander, he jumped up on the bed and put his head down and that’s when I knew something was wrong.”
According to Journell, he has the tests to demonstrate that his cats have contracted the virus and the receipts to show that he purchased raw milk, which he claims is what caused the infection.
California state officials say 11 cats have died in California alone since last month after eating raw milk and raw pet food. Two of those cats, Tuxsie and Alexander, were from San Bernardino County, while the other seven were from Los Angeles County.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a federal order requiring the gathering of unpasteurized milk samples from dairy farms for additional testing in an attempt to determine how the virus is spreading.
A video message about the state quarantining their herd and temporarily stopping their milk production was placed online by Raw Farm, a Fresno-based company that produced the raw milk that Journell claims killed his cats. “There are no illnesses associated with H5N1 in our products, but rather this is a political issue,” reads part of the message that accompanied the film. Our products don’t have any problems with consumer safety or food safety.
According to Journell, he’s still attempting to accept his loss.
“I’m gonna have to live with that,” he replied. “That I actually gave the milk to my kitties and killed two of them.”
He claims that after drinking the same raw milk, Big Boy, one of his other cats, became wheelchair-bound and required a lengthy and expensive hospital stay before he could walk again.
In spite of everything, Journell continues to maintain that pure batches of raw milk improved the health of his cats and that raw milk offers many advantages for both people and pets.
“I won’t say it’s harmful for people because I believe it’s good. However, we obviously need to evaluate every lot of milk further,” he said.
Journell is seeking that Raw Mlik pay back the roughly $12,000 he spent on veterinary bills. He says he hasn’t reached that stage yet, but if it did, he would think about filing a lawsuit.
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