RECALL: Popular Raw Pet Food Recalled For Listeria Concerns

If you have been ordering raw food online for your pets, pay attention to this recall alert.

Viva Raw, an online supplier of quality raw diets for cats and dogs, has issued a voluntary nationwide recall of some of its turkey products, as they were contaminated by Listeria monocytogenes.

The affected products (sample photos shown below) are all from Lot 21244, and include Viva Turkey for Dogs Ground, Viva Turkey for Dogs Chunked, Viva Turkey for Cats, Viva Pure Turkey, and Viva Beef & Turkey for Puppies. Items were shipped in May and June, 2024.

What to do if you have an affected product

If you discover Viva Raw products from Lot 21244, Viva Raw asks that you do the following:

• Contact info@vivarawpets.com for a refund.
• Do not touch the product with bare hands.
• Destroy the product "in a way that children, pets, and wildlife cannot access." A recommendation is to place the contaminated food in a sealed plastic bag and throw it in the garbage.
• Sanitize all surfaces that may have come in contact with the product.
• Do NOT feed the recalled product to any pets, wildlife, or other animals. Do NOT sell or donate it.

Questions may be sent to Viva Pets at the above email address, or by calling or texting (919) 371-8882 between 9:00 am – 5:00 pm EST Monday to Friday.

Get our free mobile app

How did this product reach customers?

Viva Raw explained that this product was shipped to customers unintentionally. The product had already been tested and identified as contaminated by the FDA, and slated for destruction including at third-party warehouses. However, Viva states:

After receiving a customer email, we realized some product from this lot was inadvertently released from the 3rd party warehouses. We promptly made the FDA aware and as soon as we received their review & approval, expanded the recall to notify our customers. We are actively investigating how this happened. At this time, we have reason to believe a limited amount of product may have been distributed.

As a result of this recall, Viva Raw has stated that it will hold all products at an intermediary warehouse until all test results are verified, and that "we are no longer holding products with pending test results in out-of-state warehouses that ship to end consumers."

Why is Listeria monocytogenes dangerous?

Listeria is a food-borne illness that can cause fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea in humans, with more severe symptoms including miscarriage and death for vulnerable people.

In pets, Listeria can cause diarrhea and vomiting, or worse symptoms such as fever, pain, breathing problems, pregnancy loss, and death. The FDA also warns that while many household pets may show little or no symptoms of Listeriosis, they can spread the disease to other animals and humans, particularly through fecal matter.

 As a final note, keep your pets safe during the upcoming heatwave.