At Poppy’s Picnic, we know that feeding your dog fresh, raw food is one of the most loving choices you can make. Naturally, when headlines appear about avian influenza (H5N1), it’s only right to pause and ask questions about safety — especially if your dog enjoys our delicious raw chicken or duck meals.

Let us reassure you: the risk of H5N1 transmission to dogs through properly prepared raw pet food in the UK is extremely low. Here’s why.

🧪 Strict Standards, Right From the Start

Every ingredient in our meals is carefully selected and sourced from trusted British farms and suppliers. We only use human-grade meat, and we never include anything that we wouldn’t feel comfortable feeding to our own dogs.

All of our chicken and duck is produced to rigorous UK standards, and we’re proud to work only with producers who follow best practices for animal welfare and biosecurity. These measures are vital in preventing the spread of diseases like avian influenza long before the meat even reaches our kitchen.

❄️ Frozen for Freshness and Safety

All of our meals are immediately frozen after preparation, which not only preserves the nutrients but also plays an important role in food safety. Freezing is widely recognised as an effective method to minimise the presence of pathogens.

Combined with our meticulous in-house food handling procedures and small-batch preparation, this makes the chance of H5N1 being present in any Poppy’s Picnic meal extraordinarily low.

🐾 What the Science Says

While there have been rare reports of dogs being infected with H5N1, these cases typically involve direct contact with infected wild birds or environments — not properly handled raw pet food.

UK raw dog food producers (like us!) are subject to stringent regulations, with oversight from both the Food Standards Agency and Defra. These controls are in place specifically to protect both pets and people from emerging risks.

🔍 Vigilance and Transparency Are Key

We continuously monitor the latest guidance and research on pet health and raw feeding. If risks were to change, we would act quickly and transparently — because your dog’s wellbeing is always our top priority.

That’s one of the benefits of preparing all our food in-house: we know exactly what goes into every meal and how it’s made. Nothing is left to chance.

❤️ You Can Feed With Confidence

Feeding raw shouldn’t feel like a risk — and with Poppy’s Picnic, it isn’t. Our meals are prepared with the utmost care, using top-quality ingredients, and frozen to preserve safety and nutrition.

So go ahead — serve up your dog’s favourite chicken or duck Power Balls, or portion out a hearty helping from one of our complete meal packs. You can feel confident knowing you’re giving them the very best, with no compromise.

👉 Discover our full raw food range and see how simple, safe, and scrumptious fresh feeding can be.