Viva Raw is voluntarily recalling some of its dog and cat food products due to contamination with salmonella and listeria.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the recall affects lot 21495, which includes Viva Ground Beef for Dogs and Viva Beef & Turkey for Puppies, and lot 21975, which includes Viva Ground Chicken for Dogs, Viva Chunked Chicken for Dogs, Viva Chicken for Cats and Viva Pure Chicken.
The food is frozen in one-pound bricks in clear vacuum packaging with the lot number printed on the top of the packaging.
The products were distributed between July 2 and Aug. 21 directly to consumers nationwide from the North Carolina-based company, as well as a small number of select retailers in New York, Illinois, South Carolina, Florida, Kansas, California and Arizona.
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Officials said the potential contamination was discovered in routine testing conducted by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture.
Salmonella and listeria can affect animals eating the products and also pose risks to humans handling the contaminated pet products. No illnesses in dogs, cats or humans related to these lots have been reported to date, the FDA said.
The FDA said pet owners should thoroughly wash their hands after having contact with the products and clean any surfaces exposed to these products.
Symptoms of salmonella or listeria include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Pregnant women are especially susceptible to listeria infection, which can result in miscarriage, the CDC said. The young, the elderly and people with weak immune systems are more vulnerable to infection.
The FDA said pets with salmonella or listeria infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting — while 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, the FDA said.
Consumers with any of these symptoms after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, contact your veterinarian.
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