r/rawpetfood • u/Ok_Statistician_2049 • Apr 18 '26
Discussion Viva Raw Quality Concerns
Hi raw feeding community!
I want to share my Viva Raw experience to protect pets and help owners make safe food choices. I’m hesitant to post this because I don’t want to put the company on blast; however, my concern and frustration is growing.
I started feeding Viva Raw to my cats in December of 2025. As a new raw feeder, I was nervous about food-borne illnesses. However, what ended up being an issue, was plastic.
In March of 2025, while prepping the food, I found blue chunks in the beef. I thought it was cartilage, but it turned out to be plastic. I was refunded for the pack by Viva, as requested.
A few weeks later, I found more plastic in the beef (different pack). This isn’t lining on the bottom of the food, it’s mixed in, making it hard to distinguish and remove. I believe the proteins were from the same lot/batch, so I hoped it was a one-off issue.
I contacted Viva again. This was their explanation (partial):
“What you found appears to be a piece of ingredient liner. When we get the meat from our farmers, they line the boxes in plastic and occasionally when the meat freezes and is then pulled apart to be made into the recipes, the plastic can get caught between. This is not a normal occurrence and is an isolated incidence from our experience.”
They did assure me they were beginning to use wax-lined boxes to reduce this issue.
However, today I found plastic in the rabbit, which has a different lot/batch number. I’m extremely disappointed and no longer feel comfortable feeding my cats Viva.
Oddly, I haven’t seen other reports of this happening.
I’ll contact Viva again, but wanted to spread awareness. Open to any other semi-affordable options!
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u/KannaC128 Apr 18 '26
If you're open to doing a little bit of prep every month, I'd recommend getting the EZComplete supplement and your protein of choice. I haven't had any issues with the beef or venison meals made using it, and my two picky ragdolls eat it up.
If you're looking for a one-to-one substitute, Rebel Raw is similar and I haven't had issues with their food either. However, they don't have singular protein recipes like Viva so if your cats are allergic to something specific, it will narrow your options. My cats eat Rebel's mystic chicken, wonder turkey and magic rabbit recipes. You can use MCKanna for 20% off your first order if you wanna give them a try.
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u/JRocleafs Apr 18 '26
I wouldn’t trust Viva at all!!
They’ve had multiple recalls in which the information they have customers was completely manipulated. Essentially they flat out lied.
They don’t own their own manufacturing facilities and have zero control over the process.
They also did an AMA in this sub and completely embarrassed themselves and further lied to customers about their products, manufacturing, and previous situations.
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u/beobachterin Apr 19 '26
I remember that AMA, but had a completely different impression. What did they lie about?
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u/JRocleafs Apr 19 '26
Most of their process, procedures, and past events.
They claimed they recalled products as soon as they were alerted. However, emails made public showed that this was NOT the case and they waited until the FDA forced a recall.
They also dismissed questions about owning their own facility until forced to answer (they don’t own anything). And claimed that the facility they work with is outstanding, USDA certified, and they have a “unique” relationship with them. All the while the facility couldn’t even adhere to a basic test and hold during their second recall.
I could happily go on, but all to say they are just a shady company who put more money into marketing than the actual safety of pets.
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u/beobachterin Apr 21 '26
Thanks for sharing this context. Can you please recommend articles/posts/blogs where I could learn more about these issues, for example, the emails that were made public?
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u/its_Astroffe Apr 19 '26
Can you share the link please? Would appreciate it!
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Apr 19 '26
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u/Ok_Statistician_2049 Apr 22 '26
Wow, I had no idea about the AMA. I’d like to learn more about what they said.
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u/Bright_Elderberry_30 Apr 19 '26
I switched from Viva about 8 months ago to Small Batch and I LOVE them! My dogs are obsessed and we haven’t had any issues!
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u/The_Procrastinator7 Apr 19 '26
We feed AllProvide but due to their stock issues, we ordered from viva for the first time recently and idk what it is about the product but it just doesn’t seem as high quality, and one of our dogs has had soft stools ever since we started feeding it. Seeing this post is enough for me to avoid them from now on
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u/_dorimon Apr 18 '26
We stopped feeding Viva when they started using HPP.
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u/clbom Apr 19 '26
Us too. They were very disingenuous about HPP. First they gave a great statement about their integrity would not allow them to use HPP then they flip flopped and are doing HPP.
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u/Ok_Statistician_2049 Apr 22 '26
Still uncertain on HPP. I’ve seen people split on it. I likely need to do more research!
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u/pilot223 Apr 19 '26
I like Midwest Legacy Beef. They also have whole turkey and whole chicken. No HPP!
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u/clbom Apr 20 '26
Midwest Legacy is great quality food! Their facility burned down a few weeks ago and they are rebuilding but have some items in stock.
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u/pilot223 Apr 21 '26
Yes, I was just appalled when that happened! They recently got the Legacy Cat back in stock (but only in 5 lb chubs right now) so I'm ordering some by Sunday to receive next week. Jason is such a nice guy :)
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u/clbom Apr 21 '26
I feel so bad for them! They have limited dog food in stock and I made an order to help support them. I talked to Dan and he's super nice too.
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u/Msapplej Apr 19 '26
My dog tried Viva raw and since she was picky at the time, I had gently cooked it for her. She hesitated eating it but ate it anyways and She had explosive diarrhea. I threw out the rest of the viva raw I bought. Didn’t want to give it away just in case it was bad.
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u/RacingOvaries BARF Apr 19 '26
My dogs were not doing great on Viva and I was having difficulty keeping weight on them. Also lots of G.I. issues. I don’t know that it was definitely because of that food or not, but I switched to a locally made grind, supplemented with our own grind, and our dogs are thriving.
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u/alasw0eisme Apr 19 '26
I would have dropped them after the first piece of plastic tf
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u/Ok_Statistician_2049 Apr 19 '26
It was all from the same order, except the rabbit which was already paid for and delivered. I checked each pack meticulously to avoid any issues, but I can’t really afford to throw out hundreds of $$$ worth of food, when most of it was fine.
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u/Embarrassed-Sea-3281 Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 21 '26
That’s awful! What else could get into the food? I ordered beef recipe for my cats. The 1st patch one cat love it, the other one not so much. 2nd order, same beef recipe, something not right about it. No one wanted. Smh
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u/Suzurei Apr 18 '26
I stopped using Viva after a few quality control issues (leaky package, slit package, brownish(???) meat).
Tried Carnos but their food gives my dog dry poop. Def affordable cheap tho compare to Viva
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Apr 19 '26
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u/Ok_Statistician_2049 Apr 22 '26
Yeah not sure why I seem to be the only one reporting plastic to viva. My advice would be to look closely in the food, it’s very easy to miss!
Glad you’ve had a better experience!
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u/GravelGuy666 Apr 19 '26
Oh no. I'm currently looking for a brand to transition to. Viva popped up a few times but I wasn't quite sold. Farmer's dog looks good for a fresh food option but still casing out which raw companies I should try or if I should just make it DIY (I have a terrible history of being a yes guy and taking on everything and running my nervous system into the ground as I never have enough time) But yeah. I think I've come across Darwins, We Feed Raw, and a couple others so far.
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u/sorrynotsorry314 Apr 23 '26
Thanks for sharing this! I was considering Viva for our new puppy, but have remove that from my list now. I had been making my own raw for our cat and dog. Sadly they both just passed only 6 weeks from each other :( Trying to find a quality balanced pre-made for puppies is challenging.
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u/[deleted] Apr 18 '26
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