The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating the presence of elevated, potentially toxic levels of vitamin D in several dry pet foods.
Published on the FDA website today 12/3/18:
Fast Facts
- The FDA is alerting pet owners and veterinary professionals about recalls of several dry dog foods after receiving complaints that dogs eating the food experienced vitamin D toxicity.
- Testing found that samples of the dog food contained excessive, potentially toxic amounts of vitamin D. Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for dogs, but very high amounts can cause serious health problems like kidney failure or death.
- At this time, the only pet products that have been impacted are food made for dogs.
- Pet owners should discontinue feeding these recalled products.
- The FDA is asking veterinarians who suspect vitamin D toxicity in their patients to report them through the Safety Reporting Portal or by calling their local FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators. Pet owners can also report suspect cases to the FDA.
- This is a developing situation and additional recalls may be announced.
What is the Problem?
The FDA has become aware of reports of vitamin D toxicity in dogs that ate dry dog food common contract manufacturer and marketed under several different brand names. This is a developing situation, and the FDA will update this page with additional information as it becomes available.
What are the Symptoms of Vitamin D Toxicity?
Excess vitamin D in the diet can cause vomiting, loss of appetite, increased thirst, increased urination, excessive drooling and weight loss. Vitamin D at toxic levels can cause kidney failure and death. Pet owners whose dogs have been eating the recalled brands and are showing these symptoms should contact their veterinarians.
What Brands Have Been Recalled?
This is a developing situation and this list may not be complete. The FDA will update this list as more information becomes available.
The list of recalled dry dog food products provided to the FDA include:
- Nutrisca
- Chicken and Chickpea Dry Dog Food
- UPC 8-84244-12495-7 – 4 lb. bag
- UPC 8-84244-12795-8 – 15 lb. bag
- UPC 8-84244-12895-5 – 28 lb. bag
- Best by date range: February 25, 2020 through September 13, 2020
- Chicken and Chickpea Dry Dog Food
- Natural Life Pet Products
- Chicken & Potato Dry Dog Food
- UPC 0-12344-08175-1 – 17.5 lb. bag
- Best by dates range: December 4, 2019 through August 10, 2020
- UPC 0-12344-08175-1 – 17.5 lb. bag
- Chicken & Potato Dry Dog Food
- Sunshine Mills, Inc.
- Evolve Chicken & Rice Puppy Dry Dog Food
- UPC 0-73657-00862-0 – 14 lb. bag
- UPC 0-73657-00863-7 – 28 lb. bag
- Sportsman’s Pride Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food
- UPC 0-70155-10566-0 – 40 lb. bag
- UPC 0-70155-10564-0 – 40 lb. bag
- Triumph Chicken & Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food
- UPC 0-73657-00873-6 – 3.5 lb. bag
- UPC 0-73657-00874-3 – 16 lb. bag
- UPC 0-73657-00875-0 – 30 lb. bag
- Evolve Chicken & Rice Puppy Dry Dog Food
- ANF, Inc.
- ANF Lamb and Rice Dry Dog Food
- UPC 9097231622 – 3 kg bag
- Best by Nov 23 2019
- UPC 9097203300 – 7.5 kg bag
- Best by Nov 20 2019
- UPC 9097231622 – 3 kg bag
- ANF Lamb and Rice Dry Dog Food
- Lidl (Orlando brand)
- Orlando Grain-Free Chicken & Chickpea Superfood Recipe Dog Food
- Lidl product number 215662
- TI1 3 Mar 2019
- TB2 21 Mar 2019
- TB3 21 Mar 2019
- TA2 19 Apr 2019
- TB1 15 May 2019
- TB2 15 May 2019
- Lidl product number 215662
- Orlando Grain-Free Chicken & Chickpea Superfood Recipe Dog Food
- Kroger
- Abound Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe Dog Food
- UPC 11110-83556 – 4 lb. bag, all lots
- UPC 11110-83573 – 14 lb. bag
- All lot codes
- UPC 11110-89076 – 24 lb. bag
- All lot codes
- Abound Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe Dog Food
- ELM Pet Foods, Inc.
- ELM Chicken and Chickpea Recipe
- UPC 0-70155-22507-8 – 3 lb. bag
- D2 26 FEB 2019
- TE1 30 APR 2019
- TD1 5 SEP 2019
- TD2 5 SEP 2019
- UPC 0-70155-22513-9 – 28 lb. bag
- TB3 6 APR 2019
- TA1 2 JULY 2019
- TI1 2 JULY 2019
- UPC 0-70155-22507-8 – 3 lb. bag
- ELM K9 Naturals Chicken Recipe
- UPC 0-70155-22522-9 – 40 lb. bag
- TB3 14 Sep 2019
- TA2 22 Sep 2019
- TB2 11 Oct 2019
- UPC 0-70155-22522-9 – 40 lb. bag
- ELM Chicken and Chickpea Recipe
- Ahold Delhaize
- Nature’s Promise Chicken & Brown Rice Dog Food
- UPC 068826718472 – 14 lb. bag
- All lot codes
- UPC 068826718471 – 28 lb. bag
- All lot codes
- UPC 068826718473 – 4 lb. bag
- All lot codes
- UPC 068826718472 – 14 lb. bag
- Nature’s Place Real Country Chicken and Brown Rice Dog Food
- UPC 72543998959 – 5 lb. bag
- All lot codes
- UPC 72543998960 – 15 lb. bag
- All lot codes
- UPC 72543998959 – 5 lb. bag
- Nature’s Promise Chicken & Brown Rice Dog Food
The recalled products were sold nationwide.
What is FDA doing to address the situation?
After receiving complaints from pet owners about dogs with vitamin D toxicity, one of the firms reported to the FDA that it was recalling dry pet food due to potentially toxic levels of vitamin D. Many other brands with a common contract manufacturer have also been recalled. The FDA is working with the contract manufacturer to provide a comprehensive list of affected brands.
FDA scientists are still analyzing reports and the information currently available to determine whether the illnesses are definitively connected to diet.
FDA scientists have evaluated samples of some of these products, and State and private lab test results indicate that the food contained as much as approximately 70 times the intended amount of vitamin D. Consuming food with such high levels of vitamin D is potentially toxic to dogs and in severe cases may lead to kidney failure and/or death.
What Do Retailers Need To Do?
Don’t sell the recalled foods. Contact the manufacturer for further instructions. The FDA also encourages retailers to contact consumers who have purchased recalled products, if they have the means to do so (such as through shopper’s card records or point-of-sale signs).
What Do Pet Owners Need To Do?
If your pet is having symptoms of vitamin D toxicity, contact a veterinarian immediately. Provide a full diet history to your veterinarian. You may find it helpful to take a picture of the pet food label, including the lot number.
Don’t feed the recalled products to your pets or any other animal. Contact the company listed on the package for further instructions or throw the products away in a way that children, pets and wildlife cannot access them.
You can report suspected illness to the FDA electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal or by calling your state’s FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators. It’s most helpful if you can work with your veterinarian to submit your pet’s medical records as part of your report. For an explanation of the information and level of detail that would be helpful to include in a complaint to the FDA, please see How to Report a Pet Food Complaint.
What Do Veterinarians Need To Do?
The FDA encourages veterinarians treating vitamin D toxicity to ask their clients for a diet history. We also welcome case reports, especially those confirmed through diagnostics. You can submit these reports electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal or by calling your state’s FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators. For an explanation of the information and level of detail that would be helpful to include in a complaint to the FDA, please see How to Report a Pet Food Complaint.
Veterinarians should also be aware that vitamin D toxicity may present as hypercalcemia, similar to dogs that have consumed rodenticide. In these cases, we suggest that you confirm diet history to verify whether the dog has been eating any of the recalled products.
The information in this release reflects the FDA’s best efforts to communicate what it has learned from the manufacturer and parties involved in the investigation. The agency will update this page as more information becomes available.
Additional Information
- Nutrisca Recall Press Release
- Natural Life Pet Products Recall Press Release
- Sunshine Mills Recall Press Release
- ANF Pet Inc. Recall Press Release
- Orlando/Lidl Recall Press Release
- ELM Recall Press Release
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
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Cannoliamo
December 3, 2018 at 7:48 pm
The Vitamin D toxicity concerns have been known since before November 5.
https://www.foodqualityandsafety.com/article/nutrisca-recalls-dry-dog-food-due-to-elevated-levels-of-vitamin-d/
Today is December 3.
“At doses as low as 0.1 mg/kg, we can start to see signs of vitamin D poisoning.”
http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/dog-health/dog-toxins-poisons/vitamin-d-poisoning
Symptoms of Vitamin D toxicosis can be seen with doses as low as 0.1mg/kg, and a lethal dose in a mature dog can be as low as 2mg/kg
https://www.iowaveterinaryspecialties.com/student-scholars/vitamin-d-toxicosis
Chris
December 4, 2018 at 12:51 am
Yet another problem that should have been found by testing prior to any product being shipped out-
“Nutrisca became aware of the elevated levels of vitamin D after receiving complaints from three pet owners of vitamin D toxicity after consuming the product. An investigation revealed a formulation error led to the elevated vitamin D in the product. ”
https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm625015.htm
Johnica Grover
December 7, 2018 at 3:35 pm
I find it very concerning that my King Soopers (Kroger company) had Abound Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe Dog Food on sale and ONLY that flavor in Abound. This was the first week of November. Almost like they knew but was trying to push it as not to lose profits. I will never buy dig food from the Kroger store again as long as I love. How can I trust them after a stunt like I witnessed? I can not. Dies this mean their human food should also be looked at?
Peter
December 11, 2018 at 1:28 pm
Very little human food contains vitamin D in sufficient quantities to result in optimal levels; we evolved to manufacture vitamin D in our skin. On days when your shadow is never shorter than your height, you should supplement with vitamin D3. At my latitude of 49 degrees, I take 10,000 IU vitamin D3/day during the winter. Some recommend taking approx 1000 IU/11kg/day. The medical establishment recommends far less. See http://www.vitamindcouncil.org .
Peter
December 11, 2018 at 1:15 pm
We need to know what the actual vitamin D levels in the suspect foods are. Even though toxicity signs may begin to appear at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg, which is 4000 IU/kg, the vitamin D LD50 is vastly higher. The 8.5 kg dog described in the report at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5109633/ may have ingested ~200,000 IU vitamin D (23,529 IU/kg) which resulted in a serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D concentration only marginally above the normal reference range. The report of four dogs at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2841268 showed that 10 mg of cholecalciferol/kg (400,000 IU/kg) resulted in hypercalcemia and hyperphosphatemia and then death; this is a massive dose that would normally only be attained by ingesting a rodenticide. Interestingly the study at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24205918 suggests that low concentrations of 25(OH)D may be a risk factor for congestive heart failure. The question is how many dogs die as a result of too little vitamin D compared to too high?