Toxic Amounts of Vitamin D Spur Dog Food Recall

by WebMD December 4, 2018

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Dec. 4, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Eight brands of dry dog food have been recalled because of potentially deadly amounts of vitamin D, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.

Vitamin D is an important nutrient for dogs. But too much can cause symptoms such as vomiting, appetite loss, increased thirst and urination, excessive drooling and weight loss. Toxic levels of the vitamin can lead to kidney failure and death.

If your dog has eaten any of the recalled brands and show these symptoms, you should contact your veterinarian immediately, the FDA said.

The recalled brands include Nutrisca; Natural Life Pet Products; Sunshine Mills, Inc.; ANF, Inc.; Lidl (Orlando brand); Kroger; ELM Pet Foods, Inc., and Ahold Delhaize.

For a detailed list of recalled products, which were sold nationwide, look here.

All the recalled brands were made by a common contract manufacturer.

The FDA began testing samples after receiving reports that dogs eating certain dry foods suffered vitamin D toxicity. Lab tests found that the recalled dog foods contained as much as 70 times the intended amount of vitamin D.

Currently, dog food is the only pet food known to be affected, according to the agency. However, it said this is a developing situation, and updates will be issued when new information becomes available.

If you have bought any of the recalled brands, don’t feed the food to your pets. Contact the company listed on the package for further instructions or put the dog food in the garbage and ensure that children, pets and wildlife cannot get at it, the FDA said.

You can report suspected illness to the FDA electronically through its Safety Reporting Portal: http://www.safetyreporting.hhs.gov/.

The FDA also said veterinarians should be aware that vitamin D toxicity may look like hypercalcemia, which can occur after eating rodent poisons. Asking dog owners about diet history can help verify whether the dog has eaten any of the recalled foods.

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