What was recalled
Wild Coast LLC d/b/a Wild Coast Raw of Olympia, Washington voluntarily recalled 16-oz and 24-oz frozen Boneless Free Range Chicken Formula raw pet food for cats after coordinated sampling by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) detected Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in the product. The affected lots are identified by sticker numbers #22660, #22653, #22641, #22639, #22672, and #22664 with a Best By date of 12/25. Distribution was concentrated in pet food retailers in Washington State and Oregon.
The FDA published its formal recall notice at the 2024-2025 Recalls archive. WSDA’s parallel notice traced the H5N1 detection to a specific multi-cat infection cluster across both states.
Why it was recalled
The recall was initiated after sampling conducted by ODA and WSDA revealed the presence of the same H5N1 strain in the affected cats and in the Wild Coast Raw product they had been fed. The strain matched the broader 2024-2025 U.S. HPAI outbreak strain affecting commercial poultry, dairy cattle, and a growing list of domestic and wild felines. The genetic match established the raw cat food as the source of feline infection rather than environmental exposure or wild-bird contact — an important epidemiologic finding because all confirmed-feline cases were in indoor-only cats with no possible direct wild-bird contact. WSDA’s coverage at the WSDA news release describes the cross-state coordinated traceback. This event occurred within 60 days of the structurally similar Northwest Naturals Turkey Recipe H5N1 event, reinforcing concerns about raw-poultry sourcing during active HPAI circulation.
Health risks for your pet
Wild Coast Raw cats infected with H5N1 from the recalled product showed the same acute presentation documented in the Northwest Naturals event: severe lethargy, anorexia, respiratory distress, fever, and rapidly progressing neurologic signs including ataxia, tremors, seizures, and cortical blindness. Multiple cats in the WSDA/ODA traceback cluster died. The CDC continues to monitor for human H5N1 infection in close-contact owners and veterinary workers; while no human cases have been tied directly to Wild Coast Raw product, the zoonotic risk pathway is documented. AVMA’s 2024-2025 feline-HPAI clinical guidance describes the diagnostic workup and supportive-care protocol for suspected feline H5N1.
What to do if you bought affected product
If you have any Wild Coast Raw 16-oz or 24-oz Boneless Free Range Chicken Formula with the recalled sticker numbers (#22660, #22653, #22641, #22639, #22672, #22664) and Best By date 12/25 in your freezer, do not feed it and discard the product securely so wildlife cannot scavenge it. Wash food bowls, prep surfaces, and hands with hot soapy water. If your cat ate the recalled product and shows lethargy, respiratory difficulty, or neurologic signs, contact your veterinarian immediately and disclose the recent raw-food exposure. State veterinary diagnostic labs in WA and OR are actively running PCR testing on suspected feline H5N1 cases.
How this affects KibbleIQ’s grade
Wild Coast Raw is not in the KibbleIQ scored database — our methodology v15 covers dry kibble, fresh cooked, and selected raw-coated kibble formats per our published methodology. The 2024 H5N1 event reflects a category-level risk specific to raw poultry-based pet food during the ongoing 2022–2025 HPAI epidemic, not a single-brand quality-systems failure. Wild Coast Raw cooperated with WSDA and ODA on the traceback and voluntarily recalled affected lots once the genetic match was confirmed. The structural concern, however, is that raw poultry sourcing during active HPAI circulation cannot guarantee a pathogen-free incoming-ingredient stream through standard quality-systems testing alone — HPAI in muscle meat is not on most pet food manufacturers’ routine pathogen panels. Pet owners committed to raw feeding should look for brands with explicit HPAI sourcing protocols and pathogen-inactivation processing steps (HPP, freeze-drying), though neither fully eliminates the risk under current epidemiologic conditions.