Hill’s Pet Nutrition is expanding on its nationwide recall of canned dog food with potentially toxic levels of vitamin D. It took the action after saying it had received “a limited number of complaints of pet illnesses” related to additional products.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued its own alert to pet owners and veterinarians about the expanded recall of 85 total lots of 33 varieties of canned dog food made by Hill’s after “receiving complaints that dogs eating the food experienced vitamin D toxicity.”
Vitamin D is a nutrient that helps dogs regulate the balance and retention of calcium and phosphorus, but it also can cause serious health problems in dogs when too much is consumed, the FDA said. Unlike water-soluble vitamins, where excess nutrients get excreted, vitamin D gets stored in fat tissue and the liver, and excessive levels can cause kidney failure and death.
The expansion came after the FDA requested Hill’s test samples that were not part of the original recall, the agency said Thursday in its statement. Hill’s conducted that testing, which led to the expanded recall.