The $6.3 trillion wellness industry is built on misinformation and fear-based marketing, putting human and animal health at risk. The industry’s anti-science approach is not only harming pets but also increasing the spread of zoonotic diseases like H5N1 bird flu.
Raw pet food companies are misleadng pet owners into thinking raw diets are safe, despite overwhelming evidence that they increase the risk of bacterial and viral infections. This includes H5N1, which has already killed pets in California and has a 50% mortality rate in infected cats.
The industry’s claim that “natural” methods can boost immunity to diseases like H5N1 is false. There is no scientific basis for this claim, and the alternative preservation methods touted by wellness influencers do not render flu viruses inert.
This is not an isolated incident, as the same anti-vaccine and anti-public health mindset fueled Covid-19 misinformation. The wellness industry’s business model relies on convincing people that mainstream medicine and science experts are untrustworthy, then selling alternative solutions with no scientific basis.
The FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, which monitors zoonotic diseases like H5N1, has been hit hard by recent layoffs. It is crucial to strengthen regulatory oversight, implement laws and oversight on raw pet food manufacturing and distribution, and increase funding for disease control infrastructure.
The real threat is not the virus itself but the anti-science movement that enables its spread. Pseudoscience has killed through history, and the industry’s actions are making it easier for H5N1 to spread among humans. We need science-driven animal health policies, including vaccination of domestic poultry and other animals, and culling protocols to prevent the unchecked spread of H5N1.
The future of human and animal health hangs in the balance. The wellness industry must be held accountable for its actions, and we must prioritize evidence-based disease control over pseudoscience.
Source: https://www.statnews.com/2025/04/10/raw-pet-food-diet-safety-dogs-cats-h5n1-bird-flu-veterinary-wellness-misinformation