Michigan, don't feed your pets this recalled cat and dog food

Random sampling detected Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes in cat and dog food, leading to a voluntary recall.

Traces of this bacteria were found in both Viva Raw's cat and dog food. Although the company produces USDA-approved raw pet food for cats and dogs exclusively through e-commerce, Michigan pet owners should be wary of any Viva products they may have recently purchased .

Viva said the last shipment of affected pet food was returned to more than 1,500 customers nationwide on December 6.

From a statement on Viva's website:

We want to be as open and honest with you as possible, but there's a lot of information we can't share and a lot of things we're still trying to understand ourselves. As you can imagine, things happened very quickly and we are doing our best to resolve this issue.

The specific product in which traces of salmonella and listeria were found was from lot number 22853, a duck recipe for cat and dog food. The specific products are listed as Viva Duck for Dogs (Shattered), Viva Duck for Dogs (Chunk), and Viva Pure Duck for Dogs and Cats. You can view product photos here.

A customer report to the FDA led to product testing and subsequent recall. Customers who purchased the product should have received an email with instructions on what to do with leftover product, including properly disposing of the product and receiving a refund.

Viva said it had only received one complaint and had no confirmed cases of illness in humans or pets.

Pet owners who may have given their pets affected products should monitor their pets for symptoms of lethargy, diarrhea, fever, and vomiting and contact their veterinarian if symptoms occur. Pets that eat the food but do not show symptoms can become carriers and eventually infect other animals or humans. Communicate all concerns to your veterinarian.

More information about the recall from Viva can be found on their website.