2 Pet Food Recalls Have Been Issued—What You Need to Know

Yasmine Coleman
·2 min read

Two pet food recalls have been issued for products made for dogs, cats, and hedgehogs.

The recalled items have caused panic around bacterial infections in animals affected, as possible contamination can cause symptoms such as illness and, in some extreme cases, even death.

The FDA (Food & Drug Administration) issued a notice for dog/cat food brand Viva Raw LLC of Hillsborough, North Carolina, for potential listeria monocytogenes and the associated health risks to both humans and pets.

The government entity shared the announcement on its official website on Monday, July 1, noting that the affected products were all manufactured under Lot 21244 and include:

  • Viva Turkey for Dogs Ground

  • Viva Turkey for Dogs Chunked

  • Viva Turkey for Cats

  • Viva Pure Turkey

  • Viva Beef & Turkey for Puppies

According to the communication, the lot number listed is the only one to be wary of as of the time of writing, and Viva Raw is contacting all customers who were shipped any Turkey or Beef & Turkey for Puppies products between May 16 and June 28, 2024. The products were sold across all 50 states of the U.S. as well as Washington, D.C.

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The FDA's notice also explained that listeria monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in pets, though rare. However, infected pets may experience symptoms including mild to severe diarrhea, anorexia, fever, nervousness, muscular and respiratory signs, miscarriage, depression, shock and/or death.

Additionally, it shared that animals exposed to contaminated food can become infected without showing symptoms and can act as carriers to their owners or others.

Symptoms for humans are similar and include nausea, vomiting, aches, fever and diarrhea. It can also lead to meningitis and other potentially fatal illnesses and miscarriage, making pregnant people exceptionally vulnerable to the associated illnesses.

No related illnesses have been reported as of Wednesday, July 3, but the notice suggests contacting the company at info@vivarawpets.com for a refund on any remaining products, then destroying the food “in a way that children, pets, and wildlife cannot access” while wearing gloves or using paper towels to handle them.

As for the hedgehog food, Vitakraft Sun Seed Inc. of Weston, Ohio, has voluntarily recalled various lots of Sun Seed Vita Prima Hedgehog Food and Vitakraft Vita Smart Hedgehog Food due to potential Salmonella health risks.

Included in a July 1 notice are a slew of lot numbers listed on the FDA's website.

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