DOH alerts public to Viva Raw LLC pet food recall

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health Food and Drug Branch is alerting residents to a recall issued by Viva Raw, LLC of raw dog and cat food products due to potential listeria monocytogenes contamination. These products were sold online by Viva Raw, LLC, and available to consumers in Hawaiʻi. The company will notify local customers who purchased the frozen bricks of pet food.

The Food and Drug Branch recommends the following:

• Do NOT feed the contaminated food to animals.
• Do NOT touch the contaminated food with your bare hands. Use gloves or plastic bags to place the food in a zip-top bag, seal it, and throw it away.
• Double check the lot numbers on your products with the ones below. The numbers should be stamped on the front and back of the plastic pouch, in purple ink.
• Dispose of the products completely, ensuring they are inaccessible to children, pets, and wildlife.
• Sanitize all areas that may have come into contact with the contaminated product.
• Thoroughly wash your hands after handling food or having contact with your pet.

Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious and sometimes fatal infection in pets as a result from eating Listeria-contaminated food. People can become exposed through handling the contaminated products, having contact with pets that have eaten the contaminated products, and/or contact with surfaces that have touched contaminated food, such as bowls, utensils, or countertops.

The disease primarily affects pregnant individuals, newborns, the elderly, and others with weakened immune systems. Listeriosis can cause miscarriages and stillbirths. Healthy individuals may suffer symptoms such as fever, severe headache, muscle aches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and or diarrhea. Although people can develop listeriosis up to two months after exposure, symptoms will usually start within several days of exposure, often with diarrhea. Listeriosis may be treated with antibiotics. Please contact your health care provider immediately if you are exhibiting symptoms after exposure to any of the recalled products.

Listeria monocytogenes illnesses in pets are rare, and infected pets may display symptoms including mild to severe diarrhea, anorexia, fever, nervousness, muscular and respiratory issues, miscarriage, depression, shock and death. Pets exposed to contaminated food can also be asymptomatic, acting as carriers and transferring Listeria monocytogenes through feces and saliva to people and other pets in the household. If your pet has eaten the recalled product(s) identified by lot number below, please contact your veterinarian immediately.

To date, there have been no reports of illness or adverse events attributed to the recalled products.

If you received the recalled products from Viva Raw, LLC, contact them at info@vivarawpets.com to request a refund on any remaining product and for any additional inquiries. Customers may also contact Viva Raw, LLC by calling 919-371-8882 Monday through Friday, between 3 a.m. and 11 a.m. HST.

Product descriptions and relevant information for the recalled products are listed below: