Viva Raw Review 2024: Good for Your Pet?

Overview

Viva Raw offers raw food for both dogs and cats. But you might wonder how it stacks up and compares to the rest of the competition, like We Feed Raw , for instance. Learn everything there is to know about the company in my Viva Raw review. Find out if your money is well spent here or if you should be looking elsewhere.

I’ve thoroughly researched, examined, and looked at Viva Raw to find out the truth. I wanted you to know if I stand behind the company and recommend it to you, or if it’s a case of “stay away”. I’ve looked at the meal options, menu variety, ingredient quality and selection, nutritional information, pricing, ease of use, the unboxing experience, and much more.

Overall, I have to say that Viva Raw impressed me quite a bit. It offers raw pet food for both cats and dogs that comes in ground or “chunked” form for more chewing enjoyment. You can choose mixed food, which includes meats, vitamins, and superfoods, or simply the “Pure” option, which is just meat. Let’s peel back the layers so you can get the full breakdown.

Viva Raw’s Meals: Nutritious Foods Formulated by Animal Health Experts

At Viva Raw, you’ll find a collection of about 18 meals (combined) for cats and dogs. There’s also a special recipe just for cute little puppies. Before we explore the recipes in greater detail, I'd like to point out that several experts formulate the recipes. This includes veterinary professionals like James Pendergast, world-renowned veterinarian Dr. Barbara Royal, and Dr. Richard Patton. All 3 are top experts in the field of animal health and nutrition.

At Viva Raw, you’ll find a collection of about 18 meals (combined) for cats and dogs. There’s also a special recipe just for cute little puppies. Before we explore the recipes in greater detail, I'd like to point out that several experts formulate the recipes. This includes veterinary professionals like James Pendergast, world-renowned veterinarian Dr. Barbara Royal, and Dr. Richard Patton. All 3 are top experts in the field of animal health and nutrition

Plans & Recipes for Dogs: 7 Recipes for Adults & 1 for Puppies

You can choose from 7 available adult dog-only recipes and 1 puppy recipe at any given time. These include:

• Emu & Venison

• Chicken

• Turkey

• Beef

• Duck

• Rabbit

• Turkey & Beef combo for puppies

Each recipe comes in 2 styles – ground or chunked. Ground means the food is all ground up together for a softer, less chewy texture. Chunked means the food is kept close to its original form and comes in roughly 1-inch cubes, or “chunks”. Chunked food, as the company claims, can be more enjoyable for some animals to eat.

Interestingly, there’s absolutely no information anywhere on the site about allergies. You can fill out a questionnaire that asks about your dog’s breed, age, weight, and what foods he or she prefers to avoid, but the quiz is a bit anemic. In my professional experience, there are companies that have a much better quiz.

For example, The Farmer’s Dog is our highest-rated dog food delivery service. It offers a better questionnaire that asks you a variety of questions about your dog’s stats and health. 

Plans & Recipes for Cats: 6 Recipes (But No Option for Kittens)

The cat food is identical to the dog food, with the only difference being that there are only 6 choices here. Unlike for puppies, you won’t find a Turkey & Beef recipe for kittens. 

Cat food options include:

• Emu & Venison

• Chicken

• Turkey

• Beef

• Duck

• Rabbit

Just like dog food, cat food isn’t customizable. Everything else stays the same as the dog food here. 

Viva Raw “Pure”: A Meat-Only Option

If your pet isn’t really into carbs and veg, the Pure option contains only meat products. Just keep in mind that it’s not recommended to only feed your cat or dog pure meat foods.

Here are the options from the Pure menu:

• Emu & Venison

• Chicken

• Turkey

• Beef

• Duck

• Rabbit

You’ll find that the Pure meal options contain meat, ground bone, heart, gizzards, and liver. No other ingredients are present in these meals.

Ingredients: High-Quality Meats From Small Farms

Viva Raw claims to source high-quality, USDA-inspected meat from smaller farms. Allegedly, these farms also never administer hormones or antibiotics and are certified humane through third-party audits like G.A.P. (Good Agricultural Practices) or the American Humane Program.

The company also produces its cat and dog food in the same facility as human food, which I find really interesting. Why does it do that? Who knows. Your guess is as good as mine. Nonetheless, Viva Raw seems to be proud of this fact. Everything is also made in small batches and tested for pathogens.

Sample Ingredients: Chicken Recipe for Dogs

Standout feature: This recipe comprises 90% humanely raised chicken with no antibiotics or hormones, 8% organic fruits and veggies, and 2% natural supplements.

Full ingredients list: Chicken with ground bone, chicken heart, chicken gizzard, chicken liver, organic carrots, organic cranberries, organic broccoli, organic green beans, organic flaxseed oil, organic ginger, organic Icelandic kelp, cod liver oil, organic wheatgrass, vitamin E (tocopherols), organic shiitake mushrooms, and New Zealand green mussels.

It’s great to see that meat is the #1 ingredient here. Too many “lower-quality” companies love saving money at the expense of your dog’s health by using tons of fillers, grains, wheat, and other rubbish ingredients. With Viva Raw, you get wholesome ingredients that’ll supercharge your dog’s health – and I don’t say these things haphazardly!

Aside from that, you do get some superfoods. Ingredients like carrots, cranberries, broccoli, and flaxseed are known to promote excellent overall canine health. 

Sample Ingredients: Beef Recipe for Cats

Standout feature: This recipe comprises 97% humanely raised beef with no antibiotics or hormones and 3% natural supplements.

Full ingredients list: Beef, beef heart, beef liver, beef kidney, beef bone, organic psyllium husk, Chilean mussels, organic egg yolk, taurine, cod liver oil, organic Icelandic kelp, nutritional yeast, fish oil (anchovy, sardine) powder, vitamin E (tocopherols), oysters, and manganese proteinate.

Again, I can’t stress enough how important it is for meat to be the first ingredient. Aside from a healthy serving of beef, you get some additional health-promoting ingredients for your cat, like vitamin E, kelp, and manganese proteinate. 

Manganese proteinate is a chelated trace element important for your cat’s health. It supports bone health, enzyme functioning, his or her reproductive system, and blood clotting. It’s a powerful antioxidant, a group of micronutrients equally important for cats as for humans.

Sample Ingredients: Pure Emu & Venison Recipe for Dogs and Cats

Standout feature: The Pure line isn’t intended as a complete and balanced diet. It’s only suitable once in a while, in conjunction with your pet’s regular, balanced diet.

Full ingredients list: Venison, emu heart, venison heart, emu bone, emu liver, and venison kidney.

Keep in mind that a pure meat diet won’t provide all the nutrients your pet needs. However, it can be a great addition thanks to the overwhelmingly irresistible flavor and texture your dog or cat will probably love – once in a while only!

Nutrition: Viva Raw Offers Very High Crude Protein Levels

Dog Food Nutrition and Guaranteed Analysis

The dog food options range in crude protein from about 12.9% to 15.8%, which is actually very high compared with pretty much any other competitor. That’s what sort of raises an eyebrow – could this actually be true? Sadly, we can never know, so we just have to go off of what the website copy says.

The beef recipe contains the highest amount of crude protein, at 15.8%. The recipe with the second-highest crude protein is the rabbit at 15.2%, which is then closely followed in third place by the turkey and beef for puppies recipe at 14.8%.

As you can see, Viva Raw’s minimum crude protein levels are significantly higher than even leading competitors like We Feed Raw. For instance, We Feed Raw’s highest crude protein level can be found in its Lamb Patty recipe, which contains 13.9%.

Cat Food Nutrition and Guaranteed Analysis

The company’s cat food contains even higher amounts of crude protein than the dog food. Options here range from about 13.9% to 18.6%, which is also crazy high, like the dog food.

The emu and venison recipe contains the highest amount of crude protein, at 18.6%. The recipe with the second-highest crude protein is the rabbit at 16.7%. Oddly, the rabbit for cats recipe contains more crude protein than the same for dogs. This is then closely followed in third place by the beef recipe at 16.2%.

Pure Food Nutrition and Guaranteed Analysis

Viva Raw’s Pure line of raw food follows a similar trend. It contains high levels of crude protein. As a matter of fact, the Pure line contains the most crude protein since it’s purely meat-based.

The meal with the highest crude protein is the Pure Emu & Venison at 18.9% – and the one with the lowest is the Pure Chicken at 14%. The Chicken meal, despite being the lowest, still has a higher level of crude protein than many other raw food delivery competitors out there.

Unboxing: Well-Organized Frozen Meals in Recyclable Packaging

Your items arrive fully sorted in individual bags inside a cardboard delivery box. All of the meals are in 1-lb bags that are freezer-ready. It’s a bit unfortunate to see that the food gets frozen, but I do understand the benefit. Freezing food as quickly as possible once it’s in its edible form preserves vital nutrients for longer.

All products also arrive in fully biodegradable or curbside recyclable insulation with dry ice. That said, though Viva Raw states that they’re good for a year, meals really should only remain frozen for up to 3 to 6 months and only in the original packaging. Keep any thawed meals in the fridge for no longer than 2 to 3 days, at most.

Aside from all of that, the meals require zero preparation. Simply cut open the bag, pour the contents into your cat or dog’s dish, and let them devour the deliciousness that awaits them. If you’ve already cut open a bag, know that it’s perfectly acceptable to re-freeze food that you may not use within 2 to 3 days.

So what about the cost of all this? Let’s explore that next.

Prices: Costs Vary a Lot Depending on the Recipe

Pricing has quite a big range, with the meals falling somewhere between $6 to $11.25 per lb. Cat food is more expensive, at around $8.80 per lb on average. Dog food averages out at around $8 per lb.

The most expensive dog and cat food is the Emu & Venison recipe. The most affordable dog and cat food is the Chicken recipe.

Shipping is free for orders over $250 and falls somewhere from $10 to $20 otherwise. Free shipping isn’t available in certain areas of Texas and Montana. Your shipping fee gets calculated at checkout.

Shipping & Delivery: Lots of Flexibility & Trial Boxes Available

You can place one-time orders or subscribe for recurring deliveries every 2, 4, 6, or 8 weeks. If you choose to subscribe to auto-ship, you’ll be sent a 2-week trial box for your pet to sample their food. 

Shipping is available to all 48 contiguous states. At this time, shipping isn’t available in Alaska or Hawaii.

You can’t choose your delivery day, but your order takes 24 hours to process. Viva Raw ships between Mondays and Wednesdays. Your order arrives roughly 2 to 3 days after processing via standard ground shipping.

Changing an order is easy – you just have to do it before your credit card gets billed. You’re able to change and reschedule any delivery by logging into your online account dashboard.

How Viva Raw Works (Step by Step Guide)

You can place an order quite easily by completing the quiz or simply ordering food. Here’s how it all works.

How to Sign Up (Just 5 Easy Steps)

1. Click Start Now or Start Box on the homepage.

2. Enter your name and email address. Then, click Continue.

3. Complete the quiz or skip it. You’re not required to complete the personalization questionnaire. You can choose to do it, or simply click Skip All Questions. If you decide to do the quiz, it’ll ask you about your pet’s name, body type, gender, diet, and any foods they prefer to avoid (chicken, turkey, beef, duck, or rabbit).

4. Pick your meals and subscription type. Accept the pre-chosen meals or pick your own, then choose whether you want to subscribe for auto-ship or simply place a one-off order. You can choose delivery frequencies of 2, 4, 6, or 8 weeks.

5. Review the information and checkout.

Managing Your Subscription

Simply log in to your account dashboard to manage your delivery or account. You can change your address, delivery day, and more – just be sure to do so before your order gets processed and charged to your credit card.

If you need help with this, contact customer support via live chat, phone, or email.

Customer Service: Efficient Live Chat, but the FAQ Isn’t Searchable

Customer service can be reached in 3 different ways: live chat, phone, and email. Live chat and phone are available from 8 am to 5 pm EST. Call the team at (919) 371-8882, or send an email to [email protected].

There’s also an FAQ section you can use to look for questions you may have. Sadly, the FAQ isn’t searchable, so you’ll have to search it manually. Use CTRL + F or CMD + F on your Windows or Mac computer to look for your target keyword.

With all that in mind, I went ahead and tried out the live chat feature. An agent connected to the chat in about 60 to 90 seconds and answered my questions equally quickly. I have no complaints.

All in all, my live chat experience was neutral, as the agent did what they were supposed to do – nothing less, nothing more. This is exactly what I expect from live chat support. No waiting, no half-answers, and no taking ages to answer my question(s)!

Viva Raw Recalls: No Recalls to Date

There aren’t any current recalls.

How Viva Raw Compares to Other Pet Food Services

• Viva Raw vs. We Feed Raw: We Feed Raw is different in 2 ways: it only offers dog food, and the meals contain only meat. If your pup tends to suffer from allergies, or if he or she can’t digest lots of different non-meat ingredients like veggies, We Feed Raw can be a much better option. Viva Raw still offers a meat-only option called “Pure”, so the choice is yours.
• Viva Raw vs. Open Farm: I think Open Farm is a great alternative to Viva Raw. It prioritizes ethical sourcing, using only humanely raised animals and non-GMO produce. Its traceability promise allows you to know exactly where ingredients originate as well, which is a bit of a rarity in the industry. Besides that, it also offers far more selection than Viva Raw. For example, for both dogs and cats, you can get dry food, RawMix (kibble mixture), freeze-dried raw, wet food, and even bone broth. For dogs specifically, you can also get gently cooked food, treats, and supplements (just not for cats). There are food options just for puppies, adult, senior, and small breed dogs, adult and senior cats, and kittens.

The Bottom Line: Is Viva Raw Worth It?

I personally like Viva Raw because of its ingredient quality and menu variety, so yes. Viva Raw is an excellent contender in the raw animal food space. If you’re looking to maximize your pet’s health, well-being, and happiness, Viva Raw meals certainly fit the bill.

It offers 6 to 7 different recipes for both dogs and cats. Each recipe is jam-packed with meat as the first ingredient and a laundry list of superfood veggies.

Aside from that, pricing seems to be on par with other raw food services, which is good to see. Sure, you’re paying a premium for raw food, but that's typical for most raw pet food delivery services. For more options, check out our list of the top raw dog food delivery services.

FAQ

Is Viva Raw good for dogs?

Absolutely – raw food has been proven to be some of the best for dogs. However, if you’re concerned about it, always speak to your vet first. If you’ve already gotten approval, check out what Viva Raw has to offer. There are roughly 6 to 7 different high-quality recipes for you to choose from for your furry buddy.

Do vets recommend raw food for cats?

Possibly. For example, chewing raw meat can help reduce tartar buildup and improve digestion, promoting better overall health. However, it’s always best to consult with your vet first before changing your feline friend’s diet. If your vet has given the OK, Viva Raw offers around 6 excellent raw food meals for your cat!

Do dogs live longer on a raw diet?

A dog’s lifespan depends on many different variables. The current research is divisive at best and anecdotal at worst. As usual, it’s always best to check with your veterinarian if you have any questions about what diet is best for your pup.

What I can say is that raw food contains lots of protein, which is imperative for a dog’s health. Fortunately, many of Viva Raw’s meals contain exceptionally high levels of crude protein, along with tons of other superfood ingredients. Both of these combined lead to better health for your furry friend.

What is the disadvantage of raw meat for dogs?

Feeding raw meat to dogs can lead to bacterial contamination from pathogens like Salmonella or E. coli. An improperly balanced raw diet may also cause nutritional deficiencies or excesses, and bone fragments can pose choking hazards or cause tooth fractures and internal injuries.

Luckily, there are good raw dog food companies like Viva Raw. All its meals are closely inspected by the USDA and are prepared in kitchens that also happen to prepare human food. This ensures that you’re avoiding all of the pitfalls of raw dog food that I just mentioned above.

How often should dogs eat raw meat?

Again, always confer with your vet to get a definitive answer from a professional. It’s up to him or her to work closely with you and your pup to determine the optimal raw food feeding frequency. Also, Viva Raw is a great option if you’d like to start your dog on a 2-week trial to see if it’ll work out for him or her.