The following information was sent from Viva Raw to its customers on 8/25/25:
We are voluntarily recalling two lots of our recipes due to contamination with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. The recall is for Lot 21495 (Viva Ground Beef for Dogs; Viva Beef & Turkey for Puppies) and Lot 21975 (Viva Ground Chicken for Dogs; Viva Chunked Chicken for Dogs; Viva Chicken for Cats; Viva Pure Chicken).
No other lots or product lines are affected.
Salmonella and Listeria can affect animals eating the products, and there is a risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.
Healthy people infected with Salmonella or Listeria should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella and Listeriacan result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.
Pregnant women are especially susceptible to Listeria infection, which can result in miscarriage. The young, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems are more vulnerable to infection.
Pets with Salmonella or Listeria infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever, and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.
The products were distributed between July 2, 2025 and August 21, 2025 directly to consumers nationwide and to a small number of select retailers in NY, IL, SC, FL, KS, CA, and AZ. The product is distributed as frozen 1 lb bricks in clear vacuum packaging, and the lot number is printed on the top of the packaging. Please see the attached example of product labels.
No illnesses in dogs, cats, or humans related to these lots have been reported to date, however, we have decided to voluntarily recall these products in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The potential for contamination was identified after routine testing was conducted by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture. We are committed to investigating and addressing the root cause of this issue.
If you have products from Lot 21495 or 21975, complete this response form, and we will reach out to you to provide a refund for any remaining product. You should then dispose of the food in a way that children, pets, and wildlife cannot access. Do not sell or donate the recalled products. Do not feed the recalled product to pets or any other animals. Wash and sanitize pet food bowls, cups, and storage containers. Always ensure you wash and sanitize your hands after handling recalled food or any utensils that come in contact with recalled food.
If you have any questions regarding this notice, feel free to email us at info@vivarawpets.com or call/text us at (919) 371-8882 between 9:00 am – 5:00 pm EST Monday to Friday.
FDA recall notice: https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/viva-raw-issues-voluntary-recall-two-lots-dog-cat-foods-due-salmonella-and-listeria-monocytogenes
Susan
August 26, 2025 at 1:55 pm
I used to have a standing order with Viva Raw (because I figured out that several canine nutritionists I respect used this brand). However, there very quickly became a point in time where both of my dogs refused their rabbit complete and also their rabbit grind. Next they refused the duck. I ended up throwing out a lot of food and so cancelled my subscription. It was the case that I thought that the texture of their food had changed and seemed less dense and more like a “pink slime”. My observation was then validated by several other dog owners I corresponded with on a Facebook, raw feeding forum. I even tried Viva Raw once again and no luck. So, I’m not surprised by this second (or is it third) recall. It is my opinion that the quality control has changed over the years and that perhaps they no longer should enjoy their original, good reputation. I should say that I did not observe that my dogs got ill from eating their food but although I tried to dilute it into other foods so as not to waste it, I realized that I needed to listen to my dogs– They couldn’t talk but by not eating it straight or diluted, they were trying very hard to shout to me that I needed to stop!!!!!!!!
Bethany
August 26, 2025 at 3:57 pm
I’m disgusted by yet another Viva Raw recall. I have been a Viva Raw customer for a little over two years and in that time there have been three recalls. How can customers really believe what owners Zach & Jenny say anymore about their rigorous testing before any product is released when these recalls keep occurring?
Bethany
August 26, 2025 at 6:02 pm
This month, Inc magazine features an article on Viva Raw founders Zach & Jenny:
“This Couple Built Their $10 Million Raw Pet Food Business Like a Tech Startup: Jennifer Wu and Zach Ao applied lessons from their previous careers to scale their startup smartly.”
I wasn’t able to access the article but it seems they should have been more concerned about safety than scaling their business at a rate of 5,670% over three years.
Sue
August 29, 2025 at 4:33 pm
I’m so sorry to hear that there has been another recall. I’m only familiar with two recalls. I felt that they had been doing an excellent job with having well balanced meals for our dogs and their safety practices they have said they use. I’m left not sure on what to do. I do often wonder if they are possible being targeted by FDA due to the raw meals and also that they are two young entrepreneurs.
Frank
August 30, 2025 at 4:11 pm
How can you say they are being targeted being a young couple. Do more research and you will find that the place that makes their food has been written up numerous times for being filthy. I also used to purchase their food and noticed the quality going downhill with each purchase. Their chicken and turkey look like pink mush and my dogs would have to lick it up instead of eating it and every time I called to complaint there was always a different excuse.
My dogs began to refuse to eat the food and even when they did; they would either throw up or have diarrhea. Since putting them all of a different company all of these problems have gone away. Same as a previous comment being made; if you are not allowing any product to be sent out until the tests come back negative then what gives. ITS CALLED PROFIT AND TRY NOT TO GET CAUGHT.
Bethany
September 1, 2025 at 4:49 pm
And another thing…recall email notifications only went out to customers who purchased the food in question. As a customer who wasn’t directly impacted (this time around), I had to find out about the recall by third-party websites, mainly this one! Viva Raw sends out emails all the time. Why didn’t they alert ALL their customers about the recall? That’s important information we should all be privy to so we can make decisions going forward. That lack of transparency is a red flag in my book.
Joann
September 9, 2025 at 10:41 pm
I would love Susan Thixton thoughts on this please!