On December 3, FDA issued an alert to pet owners and veterinary professionals about the recalls of several dry dog foods with potentially toxic levels of Vitamin D. Thus far, FDA believes the affected dog food has been produced by one contract manufacturer who makes dry dog food for several national brands. However, the name of the contract manufacturer has not yet been released. In order to ensure all affected dry dog food brands are accounted for, FDA is working with the contract manufacturer to generate a comprehensive list of the dry dog food brands that they work with.

The issue came to FDA’s attention after one brand notified FDA that it was recalling their dry dog food due to potentially toxic levels of Vitamin D. The reason for the recall arose after the brand had received complaints from customers that their dogs were experiencing symptoms of Vitamin D toxicity. It appears that shortly thereafter, other pet food brands who use the same contract manufacturer, followed suit and also instituted recalls. Thus far, eight brands have instituted recalls of products that were sold nationwide, however FDA notes that the issue is still developing and additional brands could also be recalled.

Testing conducted on the dry dog food samples found excessive, potentially toxic levels of Vitamin D. In some cases, the dry dog food contained as much as 70 times the intended amount of Vitamin D. While Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that regulates the calcium and phosphorus balance in a dog’s body, exposure to very high amounts can cause serious health problems, such as kidney failure or death.

FDA’s alert warned pet owners to discontinue feeding the recalled dry dog food products – a list of the affected brands, flavors, and lot numbers is provided by FDA on their website. Retailers have also been advised not to sell the recalled products and to contact consumers who have purchased such products, if possible. Additionally, FDA asked veterinarians who suspect that their patients have Vitamin D toxicity to report the events through a Safe Reporting Portal or by calling local FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators. Pet owners are also encouraged to report suspected cases.