Pet Food Recalled After Testing Positive for Salmonella and Listeria

This was a voluntary recall by the company itself.

February 1, 2024

Pet parents who buy their pups and kitties Viva Raw food should be aware of a voluntary recall from the company. The recall includes the following from Lot 22853: Viva Duck for Dogs (Ground), Viva Duck for Dogs (Chunked), Viva Duck for Cats, and Viva Pure Duck. The company shipped the first of this lot on October 24 of last year, and the final lot went out on December 6, per a statement from Viva. The company also added that the affected lot was shipped to 1,500-plus customers.

“We want to be as open and candid as we can with all of you but there’s a lot of information that we cannot share, and there’s a lot that we are working to understand ourselves,” the company wrote in their statement. “As you can imagine, things happened extremely quickly and we’re doing our best to work through this.”

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They went on to say that they had only heard from about a problem with their food from one customer, and they haven’t received any other complaints since then. Per Truth About Pet Food, following the customer complaint, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that the samples were positive for Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.

This bacteria can affect animals eating this food, but it can also be harmful to any humans who handle it, and it’s very important to wash your hands while handling any raw food.

“Pet parents worried that their puppy or kitten may be affected by Salmonella or Listeria from contaminated food should watch for early symptoms of intestinal upset, such as loss of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, lethargy, and abdominal pain,” veterinarian Dr. Bartley Harrison told Kinship earlier this month, after news of the Blue Ridge Beef pet food recall. “Pets who are more severely affected can develop symptoms of shock like pale gums, low blood pressure, and collapse due to the toxins made by the bacteria.”

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As for this particular recall, Viva says they will continue to keep their customers informed and have provided a series of FAQs below their initial statement. They urge pet parents to get in touch with any questions after reviewing the information they’ve provided. You can contact Viva at info@vivarawpets.com or call/text them at 919-371-8882
between 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST Monday to Friday.

They conclude: “We’re a small team so we ask for your patience with us as we work to help you guys. Above all else, know the health and safety of our food and your pets always come first for us.”

Hilary Weaver

Hilary Weaver is the senior editor at Kinship. She has previously been an editor at The Spruce Pets, ELLE, and The Cut. She was a staff writer at Vanity Fair from 2016 to 2019, and her work has been featured in Esquire, Refinery 29, BuzzFeed, Parade, and more. She lives with her herding pups, Georgie and Charlie.