My very, very old ladycat was previously fed a raw diet. She had some abnormal labs and vet said she needed "renal diet". Fast forward to now. She was not thriving. She hated every renal diet. Basically was not eating, underweight, etc. I knew it was the diet. Bought some viva after watching jess caticles. All of my cats devoured it! Cacia, my little old lady basically would eat none stop on the viva if I let! She is eating and gaining weight, muscle and alertness back. Her coat is improving! I don't know what her labs look like yet, but to see her enjoying life and thriving again is a blessing!
I have been using Viva for my dog for almost a year now. The packaging is very easy to open unlike other frozen foods I have tried in the past. My dog gets 1¼ package per day and it's very easy to separate the food into fourths and it sort of reseals - enough to keep the food in place until her next meal anyway. I had some issues with FedEx delivering my food several days late and then leaving it in the hot sun before it got to me. Customer service sorted it out and I have not had an issue since. I really like this company
I bought several packages for my cat, however, the 1 lb pouches don’t make much sense. I’m not sure how to keep the package fresh while only feeding her 1/8 of the package at a time, while she’s getting used to the product. I tried separating them up and re-freezing but she won’t eat the re-frozen food. Perhaps small cans would be better for cats?
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback! I'm sorry to hear that your kitty isn't enjoying the food that you portion and re-freeze. I emailed you some troubleshooting tips and some additional questions to find out why your kitty may not be enjoying the food that you've portioned out. I'll be on the lookout for your reply there. I've also shared your feedback regarding smaller packaging with the team as it is helpful for future improvements/offerings.
Both my Cavaliers have many allergies so VIVA ingredients are perfect for them. I gently cook the food because we had an issue with one of our dogs but the love it.
My cats enjoy Viva Raw Rabbit and the Duck. Cats can be a challenge to feed. But these two proteins are generally acceptable to my one adult cat and two 6-month-old kittens. The price is reasonable when compared to other companies. We love Viva Raw.
We love Viva Raw, or 2 year old corgi has been on Viva for over a year and our 10 month old vallhund has only eaten Viva his whole life. Our dogs are healthy, they love to eat and get so excited at meal time. We also love that there's no synthetics!
I’ve been feeding my cat with Viva Raw and the results have been fantastic. My cat’s coat is shinier, her energy levels are higher, and she seems healthier overall. I also appreciate that it's free of fillers and artificial preservatives. The portion sizes are convenient, and she loves the taste. While it’s a bit pricier than kibble, the nutritional benefits make it worth the investment for a healthier, happier cat.
Also, I was really impressed with how fast the shipment from Viva Raw arrived. The order was processed quickly, and I received the product within 2 days, but they also specify that they deliver until Wednesday, that way your food won't get lost or rotten. The packaging was secure, ensuring the raw food stayed fresh and cold during transit. Considering it's a perishable item, the speed and care in shipping exceeded my expectations.
I have a rescue Chorkie and the transition wastes the 1 pound package. It is like throwing money away, Why do you not have smaller , like 8 ounces when starting? I just had to throw 8 ounces away from being in the fridge too long.
I totally understand your frustration with that! I have a small pup myself so I can relate! I like to recommend partially thawing a 1lb package in the fridge, portioning it out, and then re-freezing the portions you won't be using within the 2-3 day timeframe. This should help! I've also shared your feedback with the team regarding offering smaller packages!
We have fed raw for many years and love it. But two of my 5 fur babies wouldn’t eat the guinea food, one cat and one dog. Just an FYI. I fed the guinea/duck to the other three 😉
my dogs are usually picky eaters when it comes to raw food, but they totally loved viva. They always leave there bowls clean.
My 5 yo cat ate it for couple of days, got an upset tummy and now won’t touch it. My kitten loves it, but it upset her stomach as well and gave her liquid diarrhea. I followed the suggested transition plan but didn’t work for us. I may try cooking it some for them at a later date snd see how that works.
I’ve used raw cat food with previous pets and never had any issues. I know the benefits from it. Disappointed we’re having a rough time with it.
I am sorry to hear that the transition hasn't gone well with your kitties! Cats can be a bit tricky to transition to a new food; some need a slower transition period than others. That may be the case for your crew! Diarrhea is a common transitional symptoms when it comes to introducing a new food as well. I've emailed you a follow up with some suggestions that may help, such as doing micro-changes to slow down the transition period as well as gently cooking the food. Keep us posted on how this goes!
I'm switching from BJs Raw Cat food; so my cats are already used to a raw diet. This made the transition seamless.
My critiques are this:
1. Unique proteins are stupid expensive everywhere; for an animal that reproduces as quickly as rabbits do, you would think the cost would be less. My cats will probably only eat chicken in future purchases with rabbit being a treat. (not so much a critique as an observation.)
2. Delivery takes time. It took a little over a week to reach me here on the east coast. That being said, The packaging was enviromentally friendly (finally I don't have to "recycle" a pound of insulated poly styrene each month) & the food arrived completely frozen (as it should.) I was sacred I would run out of their old food before it arrived.
3. The chicken is pretty sticky. I use a metal Tbsp scoop to measure their meals and the chicken formula sticks to the spoon A LOT. The mix I was getting from BJs was less finely ground so that the muscle, tendon & bone could help "clean" their teeth. I'm honestly glad this formula is so easy to work with in many ways...but it probably doesn't need to be THAT finely ground.
4. Do your portion research. This can be a really expensive path to take for your pets nutrition. If you follow the guidelines on the site, you may find yourself paying out the nose. I use a kcal calculator on an independent (read unsponsered) veterinary website (bc a lot of vets get a paycheck bonus for "recommending" food that's not necessarily good for your pet - its a whole thing you learn when working for a vet & tangental to this review) to calculate food volume by calorie content. Just, give it a go. I could save you money and your pets joints to do that little bit of extra research...and let's face it, a company wants to sell you more food for their profit...they probably are fudging portions sizes to that end.
Pros:
1. Variety of options that include essential supplements not found in other raw foods at the same price point.
2. Lower costs overall compared to previous company. Shipping & handling seems reasonable for the distance being covered. (Would still love to understand what makes rabbit more expensive than chicken tho🫠.)
3. Active involvement in supporting charities (that's actually what brought this company to my attention.)
I know it sounds like I blasted Viva to all hell, but I do genuinely feel the experience was positive. Reading other people's reviews, I probably won't do subscriptions to avoid any customer service fiascos. I'm disabled & it would probably take a huge toll to try & iron out any issues that might arise.
My little beagle cross fur baby is the pickiest eater I’ve ever seen. I’ve tried dozens of different kinds of high quality foods for her with no luck. I’ve read a lot about feeding a raw diet and thought I’d give it a try. The first time I fed her Viva she absolutely loved it! I would definitely recommend it to anyone!
Our pup won’t eat it raw but likes it cooked with cheese sprinkled on top. We just discovered he hates traditional bowls but likes food spread out on a tray. We will keep buying if we can find good coupons but can’t afford otherwise.
My 3 dogs and 3 cats love this food - customer service was great! I ordered pure instead of complete by accident and they quickly fixed my order for me!
All my fur babies love this food. They all have different ones that work best for their individual tummies, and the subscription keeps it all organized for me so I don't even have to think about it. When I do need to make changes, the customer service is stellar every time. Thank you Viva!
There was zero convincing him to eat it. He walks us to his dish, that’s how much he loves it. Right now he’s getting the beef recipe, but after a month we will give him options!
I ordered a trail sample of 2 pounds of each food no shipping charges. I did everything I could think of doing to get them to eat this, *Slow Introduction * Mixing this with their regular food * Slightly warming by adding warm broth * Adding toppers * Sitting with them * After a all day fast. It ended up being a waste of time effort and money. The possums outside enjoyed it. I had Rabbit and Duck left and thought I would try again after months of not. With success Cairo ate it and it has been about a week now. Phoenix still won't touch it. I alternate raw with other food to keep her interested and because I am on my last pack. I wish there was an option to receive another sample with no shipping charges so I can continue to really try this before I sign up for a subscription.
I know this sounds cliche but my mini-pincher is like a new dog after only 4weeks on Viva. He is 11 going on puppy! Just magic, truly.
I have a dog with digestive issues and VIVA has been the best thing for him. Customer service is always exceptional when I need them.
My cat is very sensitive to food and has only successfully eaten prescription rabbit food. We feed her small amounts about every 2 1/2 hours to keep her from regurgitating.
We had another cat that did well on raw but could eat any meat. When I discovered rabbit was available I was curios to see if my cat could handle it...and hopefully heal enough to be able to eat larger amounts without regurgitating.
She has been on this diet for two weeks now and is 3/4 raw 1/4 prescription and we still have to feed her small amounts but she is able to go longer times between meals. I believe the raw is satiating her appetite.
There was a challenging start. She is hyper sensitive to smells. Every day when I come home she has to smell where I've been so she can record new smells. She refused even the tiniest raw mixed in her food. I eventually found success by sprinkling a small amount of prebiotic on top. By the fourth feeding she gad accepted it and by the sixth, she was looking forward to it.
She has all the positive signs of a cat eating raw. When she is ready to eat she wants ut NOW and us quite vocal and impatient about it. I love the progress that she has made and hope she eventually will have a more regular eating schedule.
Let me SPEAK TO A FREAKING HUMAN!! I want EVERYTHING cancelled! I can't figure out how to work this f'ed up system, and you WON'T LET ME SPEAK TO A HUMAN, SO I'M O U T !!!
I'm sorry that you are feeling frustrated with us! We are always happy to chat with you! We have several ways of reaching us, some are a bit quicker than others for us to respond to you. We offer a text message option, a chat feature on our website, & email. If you prefer a call just leave us a voicemail and we'll get back to you as soon as possible! We did just try to give you a call a little bit ago and left you a voicemail; I've also emailed you if you would like to follow up with me there.
My cat loves this food and empties the plate every single time. She’s much better off since I choose to give her Viva raw chicken. It’s expensive but worth it
I have two Goldens who are picky! Very picky and they clean their plates with this raw food.