If you’re a pet parent who feeds your furry family members raw food, you’ll want to pay attention to this one. The FDA just issued a pet food recall that’s got us all checking our freezers and feeling a bit nervous about what we’ve been serving up for dinner.
What’s Being Recalled in This Pet Food Recall?
Viva Raw LLC has voluntarily recalled two specific lots of their frozen raw dog and cat food after routine testing by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture found potential contamination with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. Yes, those are exactly as scary as they sound.
The affected products come in those familiar 1-pound frozen bricks wrapped in clear vacuum packaging. Here’s what pet parents need to look for:
Lot 21495 includes:
- Viva Ground Beef for Dogs
- Viva Beef & Turkey for Puppies
Lot 21975 includes:
- Viva Ground Chicken for Dogs
- Viva Chunked Chicken for Dogs
- Viva Chicken for Cats
- Viva Pure Chicken
Where This Pet Food Recall Affects Pet Owners
This pet food recall impacts pet parents across seven states: Illinois, New York, South Carolina, Florida, Kansas, California, and Arizona. The products were distributed between July 2 and August 21, both directly to consumers nationwide and to select retailers.
In the Chicago area specifically, Wild Miles in Lake Forest carries these products, so local pet owners should definitely check their freezers.
Health Risks That Make This Pet Food Recall Serious
Here’s where things get concerning. Both Salmonella and Listeria can make your pets seriously ill, and here’s the kicker—you can get sick too just from handling the contaminated food.
Your pet might show symptoms like lethargy, diarrhea (sometimes bloody), fever, and vomiting. Some pets might just seem off their food or have stomach pain. The tricky part? Even healthy pets can become carriers and spread the infection to other animals or family members.
For humans, the symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and fever. Pregnant women face especially serious risks, as Listeria can cause miscarriage.
What Pet Parents Should Do About This Pet Food Recall
If you’ve got products from lots 21495 or 21975 sitting in your freezer, don’t panic—but do act quickly. Contact Viva Raw at info@vivarawpets.com or call (919) 371-8882 for a refund. Then dispose of the food safely where kids, pets, and wildlife can’t get to it.
The good news? No illnesses have been reported yet related to these specific lots. But with pet food recall situations like this, it’s always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to our beloved companions.
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