Some dry dog foods may have harmful excess vitamin D

By Greg Cima
Published on
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Dry dog foods from at least eight companies may have harmful excess vitamin D.

At least six dogs have been sickened with vitamin D toxicosis, although Food and Drug Administration officials have received no reports of deaths, according to Anne Norris, a spokeswoman for the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine. A Dec. 3, 2018, announcement states that the following companies are recalling dry dog foods: Ahold Delhaize, ANF Inc., Elm Pet Foods Inc., Kroger, Lidl (Orlando brand), Natural Life Pet Products, Nutrisca, and Sunshine Mills Inc.

Testing showed some of the products contained about 70 times the intended amounts of vitamin D. Eating foods with such high amounts could cause kidney failure or death. Excess vitamin D can also cause vomiting, loss of appetite, increased thirst, increased urination, excessive drooling, and weight loss. The FDA recommends that pet owners contact their veterinarians if their dogs have eaten the recalled brands and show any of these signs. The owners should provide full diet histories and take pictures of the pet food labels, including the lot numbers.

FDA officials asked that veterinarians report suspected vitamin D toxicosis through the Safety Reporting Portal, or call a local FDA consumer complaint coordinator, numbers for whom are listed.

The following products are recalled:

Ahold Delhaize

  • Nature's Promise Chicken and Brown Rice Dog Food in 4-pound bags with UPC 068826718473, 14-pound bags with UPC 068826718472, and 28-pound bags with UPC 068826718471.
  • Nature's Place Real Country Chicken and Brown Rice Dog Food in 5-pound bags with UPC 72543998959 and 15-pound bags with UPC 72543998960.

ANF Inc.

  • ANF Lamb and Rice Dry Dog Food in 3-kilogram bags with UPC 9097231622 and "best by" date of Nov. 23, 2019, and in 7.5-kilogram bags with UPC 9097203300 and "best by" date of Nov. 20, 2019.

Elm Pet Foods Inc.

  • Elm Chicken and Chickpea Recipe in 3-pound bags with UPC 0-70155-22507-8 and codes of D2 26 FEB 2019, TE1 30 APR 2019, TD1 5 SEP 2019, and TD2 5 SEP 2019 and in 28-pound bags with UPC 0-70155-22513-9 and codes of TB3 6 APR 2019, TA1 2 JULY 2019, and TI1 2 JULY 2019.
  • Elm K9 Naturals Chicken Recipe in 40-pound bags with UPC 0-70155-22522-9 and codes of TB3 14 Sep 2019, TA2 22 Sep 2019, and TB2 11 Oct 2019.

Kroger

  • Abound Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe Dog Food in 4-pound bags with UPC 11110-83556, 14-pound bags with UPC 11110-83573, and 24-pound bags with UPC 11110-89076.

Lidl

  • Orlando Grain-Free Chicken & Chickpea Superfood Recipe Dog Food with Lidl product number 215662 and codes of TI1 3 Mar 2019, TB2 21 Mar 2019, TB3 21 Mar 2019, TA2 19 Apr 2019, TB1 15 May 2019, and TB2 15 May 2019.

Natural Life Pet Products

  • Chicken & Potato Dry Dog Food in 17.5-pound bags with UPC 0-12344-08175-1 and "best by" dates from Dec. 4, 2019, through Aug. 10, 2020.

Nutrisca

  • Chicken and Chickpea Dry Dog Food in 4-pound bags with UPC 8-84244-12495-7, 15-pound bags with UPC 8-84244-12795-8, and 28-pound bags with UPC 8-84244-12895-5, all with "best by" dates from Feb. 25, 2020, through Sept. 13, 2020.

Sunshine Mills Inc.

  • Evolve Chicken & Rice Puppy Dry Dog Food in 14-pound bags with UPC 0-73657-00862-0 and 28-pound bags with UPC 0-73657-00863-7.
  • Sportsman's Pride Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food in 40-pound bags with UPCs 0-70155-10564-0 and 0-70155-10566-0.
  • Triumph Chicken & Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food in 3.5-pound bags with UPC 0-73657-00873-6, 16-pound bags with UPC 0-73657-00874-3, and 30-pound bags with UPC 0-73657-00875-0.

The FDA notice is available at jav.ma/VitaminDrecall. Any further recalled products will be listed at the AVMA or FDA websites.