Unfortunately there has been another recall on dog food. This time for excessive Vitamin D in dog food. The recall was originally done by the FDA in December 2018 for dry dog food from certain manufacturers, but it has continued to grow as time has passed.
Check which dog foods are affected by recent recalls
Currently there hasn’t been any cases relating to cat food.
Table of Contents
Symptoms Of Vitamin D Toxicity
According to the FDA, symptoms that you should watch for in dogs include vomiting, loss of appetite, increased thirst, increased urination, excessive drooling and weight loss. All of these symptoms could be caused by something else as well.
Symptoms will usually show up within 12 to 36 hours after ingestion of the dog food.
At high levels of toxicity your dog could experience kidney failure and it could lead to death.
Vitamin D is an important vitamin for dogs, but they are finding that levels are up to 70 times greater than the intended amount of Vitamin D in the affected dog foods.
If you believe that your dog is affected with Vitamin D toxicity, take your dog to your veterinarian immediately to get checked out.
What Dog Food Is Affected By This Recall
The problem started with a common unnamed contract manufacturer providing ingredients to many dog food companies. The dog food is marketed under several different brand names. This dog food has been distributed throughout the entire country.
Excessive thirst is a symptom of excessive Vitamin D
Some of the products that are affected are the following:
- Old Glory
- Evolve
- Sportsman’s Pride
- Nutrisca
- Natural Life
- Nature’s Promise
This is not a complete list and the FDA is updating as new information is gathered. You can go to the FDA Site for all the latest updates. They provide the UPC numbers that are currently affected by this recall. They will also be updating this site if more dog food is affected.
It is believed that more will get added to this list, as many stores market products under their own name, but it is the same food as others are selling.
You are encouraged that if you believe your dog has been affected by dog food with too high of levels of Vitamin D to report it to the FDA. They have a place to do so on the above link that I have provided.
Hill’s Science Diet And Hill’s Prescription Diet Recall
Hill’s Dog Food has also done voluntarily recalls on January 31, 2019, of over 20 kinds of canned dog food for excessive Vitamin D. These included canned food from both the Science Diet line and the Prescription Diet line.
They have stated that it would be product distributed through retail stores and veterinary offices. If you have any unopened cans that are affected by the recall, you can return them to your retailer for a full refund.
Do not feed your dog any dog food that is included in this recall.
You can go to Hill’s Pet Nutrition for a list of the dog food that they are recalling. They have also stated that no dry dog food, treats or cat food has been affected in their line of products.
Hill’s Dog Food has stated that they have identified and isolated the error, and to prevent it from happening again they have added some safety measures. They will be requiring their supplier to implement additional quality testing prior to releasing ingredients and Hill’s is also adding further testing on their end for all incoming ingredients.
Regulation Of Dog Food
The FDA regulation of pet food says there is no requirement that pet food products have pre market approval by the FDA.
However, the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act or FFDCA requires that pet foods be pure and wholesome, safe to eat, produced under sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances and be truthfully labeled. That is it.
As a dog owner, it frustrates me quite a bit that there aren’t more controls on the food that we feed our beloved pets who are part of our family. It seems that every few months there is some type of recall on dog food. Maybe if there were some better controls in place, this wouldn’t be happening as often.
Conclusion
Make sure if your dog is showing any signs of Vitamin D toxicity that you get him to the vet immediately. There are things that they can do to help your dog recover. Excessive Vitamin D in dog food can be a very serious matter.
Watch for what the dog food recalls are on the FDA site that I provided you with. They will continue to update it if any new dog food is added to the list, and make sure if you experience any issues with a dog food not on the list, that you forward the information to help protect all dogs and dog owners.
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