TOPEKA (KSNT) - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning cat and dog owners to avoid feeding their pets a type of raw food which contains a serious health risk.
The FDA announced on Monday, July 1 that Viva Raw LLC of North Carolina is voluntarily recalling some of its dog and cat foods as they have been found to contain listeria monocytogenes. This poses a health risk both to pets and their owners who come into contact with the food.
Five products are included in this recall. They were sold directly to customers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Products in the recall include:
Listeria can cause serious and even fatal infections in pets who eat contaminated products. People can be exposed to the listeria through touching the contaminated food, coming into contact with pets who have eaten the recalled food and surfaces which have been in contact with the listeria-laden food.
The FDA said people who are infected with listeria may show signs of nausea, vomiting, aches, fever and diarrhea. Listeria can spread through the bloodstream to the nervous system and result in meningitis along with other potentially fatal illnesses. Pregnant women may experience miscarriages and stillbirths if infected with listeria. Others who are especially vulnerable include young people, older adults and those who have weakened immune systems.
Pets infected by listeria, while rare, may show signs of mild to severe diarrhea, anorexia, fever, nervous, muscular and respiratory signs, miscarriage, depression, shock and death. Pets may be infected but show no outward signs of symptoms. Infected pets can spread listeria through feces and saliva to other pets and people.
The FDA said only products from Lot 21244 are impacted by the recall. Customers who purchased the recalled products between May 16 and June 28 this year are being notified by Viva Raw. No illnesses have been reported yet in connection to this recall.
The issue was discovered following a facility inspection by the FDA and North Carolina Department of Agriculture. Samples were tested by the FDA of Viva Turkey for Dogs and found samples from Lot 21244 were positive for listeria. All products included in this recall are set to be destroyed though some of the recalled products from this lot were inadvertently released from the warehouse.
The FDA warns those who have any of the recalled products to contact Viva Raw at info@vivarawpets.com for a refund and destroy the food in a way that children, pets and wildlife cannot access it. People are encouraged to avoid coming into direct contact with the recalled food. You can also reach the producer at 919-371-8882 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST from Monday to Friday.
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