Hill’s Pet Nutrition said the company found out that some of its canned dog foods contained mistakenly high levels of vitamin D because of a supplier error. Several varieties of Hill’s Pet Nutrition canned dog food have been recalled due to the food potentially causing dogs to suffer from vitamin D poisoning. A dog also might receive special antacids that bind with phosphorous, IV saline fluids to flush calcium from the body, prednisone to remove calcium and other medications to stop calcium and phosphorous from mineralizing the soft tissues. In some cases, dogs will be given charcoal because it binds the poison from the intestines and can successfully decontaminate the animal. Some dogs may suffer a predisposition to chronic kidney failure the remainder of their lives if the poisoning is not aggressively treated quickly. Severe cases of vitamin D overdosing require 24-hour care for a minimum of the first two days. The veterinarian also might order x-rays to see if soft tissue has begun to mineralize and to check for cancer or kidney/bladder stones. Tests Determine Vitamin D Poisoning and TreatmentĪ veterinarian will conduct blood work to look at the creatinine and BUN levels to determine kidney functionality, urine makeup and electrolyte levels of calcium and phosphorous to diagnose a vitamin D overdose, according to the Pet Health Network.
This means excess vitamin D cannot be excreted in the urine, but is stored in the fat tissue and the liver. However, vitamin D is not a water-soluble vitamin, but is a fat-soluble one. Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that helps dogs maintain strong bones.
The kidneys are particularly at risk of this mineralization process, as are the gastrointestinal tract, the aorta, and the heart. A dog may start to have the soft tissues become hard because of the excess minerals in the body. Symptoms of such poisoning include vomiting, loss of appetite, increased thirst, frequent urination, unusual drooling, diarrhea, bad breath, weakness, and weight loss.Īccording to the Pet Health Network, high levels of vitamin D in a dog can result in hypercalcemia, which occurs with high levels of calcium, and hyperphosphatemia, which happens when too much phosphorous is present. High doses of vitamin D can cause kidney failure in dogs, says the U.S.
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