Hill’s Science Diet Dog Food recalled over toxic levels of vitamin D

Wonder how high vitamin D amount was in the food?

I know that very occasionally, there would be manufacturing problem that lead to excessive amount of vitamin D in protein shake supplement (we are talking about by hundreds of thousands of IU per serving, maybe even by million of IU. I'd have to look it up for specific number but it was way too much).

I don't recall humans ever dying from it... though.

[link to bluebuffalo.com (secure)]

I used to feed my dog with it. He never did well with cheap ass dog food from grocery stores so I had to get more expensive stuff so my dog could tolerate it and not throw up all over the house. Maybe because he was part coyote? Dunno...

Poor doggy !

I'm so sorry. How horrible.

I've been thru many foods with my two. Both developed bladder stones from blue buffalo.
Now mine get Diamond Naturals dry kibble and 3-4 times a week they get chicken, beef or veal mixed with rice.

Both are thriving now

Do Dogs Need Vitamin D From Sunlight?
[link to dogcare.dailypuppy.com (secure)]

Dogs need same stuff the wolves eat; they get vitamins from internal organs. They eat liver, kidneys, heart.

Last Edited by Avýssou on 01/31/2019 08:50 PM

I just check my food and thankfully my stock isnt the lot in question. All my food lots start 1021, rather than 1020. Those numbers are the expiration dates. My food is new this week and expires 10/21. The lots in question expire 10/20.

That tells me this has been a problem FOR A YEAR BEFORE ANYTHING QAS DONE ABOUT IT!!!! all of those food lots have long since been consumed. Holy shit, what a fucking scam.

Dunno. The so called experts said humans don't need that much vitamin D... in USA, the guideline is 600IU a day... which is far too low. I have to take 5,000 IU a day so I don't catch flu, cold, seasonal allergy attacks, etc. Medical treatment to treat vitamin D deficiency is one 50,000 IU pill once a week for 2-3 months... Why such a discrepancy?

I hear you on how others try very hard to trick us with misinfo.

however, in this case...

Vitamin D in humans and animals can indeed be toxic, if too much is taken, because it is fat-soluble. Some Vitamins like B-Vits, when we get more than our bodies need, just get peed out. Not so with Vitamin D.

When we or our animals get too much Vitamin D for our bodies, it starts a chain reaction inside. The liver starts producing too much of a chemical called 25(OH)D.

When levels of that chemical gets too high, it causes high levels of calcium to develop in the blood. High blood calcium is known as hypercalcemia. And thats when humans and our animals can feel sick, get very thirsty, have tummy trouble and pain, muscle weakness and pain, become tired, confused, and etc etc..

Total B.S.

Just ask yourself. Look at the causes of death in pets. Do you ever see this dog had too much Vitamin D. Answer: No

But I know many pets that have died of cancer or had real bad cancer. It's the glyphosate (aka g.m.o.) in their food.

Fat soluble's last 6 months in your body vs. a water soluble that last 3 hours. Too much Vitamin A (not the Beta Carotene which is a water soluble) can kill you. However, it would take a while, and you have to take mega doses every day. A person doing this will get really sick and throw up if they do not stop.

Fish Oil is a fat soluble. Ditto Coconut Oil. Vitamin A (non beta carotene), D and K. All though those vitamins are great for you. Like I said you can go a long time taking mega doses.

Most people have too low levels of vitamins, minerals and trace minerals. Most of them leave your body anyhow too.

Oh and the same guy that came up with the U.S. RDA is the same guy that said smoking was good for you. The research on vitamins, minerals and trace minerals was inconclusive. So U.S. RDA is a guess at best.

Iam's and Eukanuba are similar to Science Diet.

If you want to do your dogs a favor feed him a food with no corn, wheat or soy. Plenty of choices out there and actually much better and cheaper than Science Diet or those others I mentioned. Go to your nearest Tractor Supply or similar type farm store. I know Tractor Supply actually carries some good store brand food. Diamond Naturals or 4Health are their brands. Just read the ingredients. You can see the BIG difference compared to Science Diet and such.

What's tolerable for us is not always tolerable for other species.

YEARS ago it was considered the "good" food. That was long before pet owners became more aware of what was in pet food. Years ago I fed it to my cat thinking I was giving him the best. He died of kidney disease fairly early in life, just over 10 years. I later found out that they chemically preserved their food. Duped all those years. From what I have seen they no longer do that but, just be aware of what the chemical preservatives are and read the label.

Thanks for the post OP.

We feed dry science diet to our 3 year old mixed rescue.

I'm watching intently.

Agree about the Diamond Naturals. Affordable (about a dollar a pound) and ingredient list looks like food! No corn, wheat or soy either! I fed my Great Pyrenees that for many, many years (until she tired of it) and she is now approaching her 11th year, quite old for that size dog. Never had a vet issue either except just this past year when she developed arthritis in spine. Diamond Naturals and some raw bone and meat over the years has done her well.

Thanks for posting.

Sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread.

I wanted to bump it once more so that more people are aware of this recall.

Deserves another

I'm relieved to realize my dog eats pro plan, not scienc diet, phew!