Hill’s Science Dog Food Linked to Vitamin D Overdoses

Pet parents are outraged after losing their beloved pets to side effects allegedly caused by toxins in Hill’s Science dog food.

Hill’s Pet Nutrition announced a voluntary recall of 25 varieties of its canned dog food products under the Hill’s Science Diet and Hill’s Prescription Diet brands after dog deaths and illnesses were attributed to potentially unhealthy levels of vitamin D. Nearly 675,000 of canned dog food are covered by the recall, according to Hill’s.

According to The Washington Post, Laura Freeman of Texas says she lost her 4-year-old dog Mocha to an unexplained heart attack on Nov. 9 after the dog had suffered from weeks of gastric upset symptoms. Despite antibiotics and normal X-rays and bloodwork, Freeman says Mocha refused to eat.

After a week of not eating, Mocha’s veterinarian thought Hill’s Prescription Diet i/d canned food, might help. The Hill’s i/d formula is specially made to assist canines experiencing digestive problems.

Instead of bouncing back, Laura told The Washington Post that Mocha began to suffer new issues. Mocha experienced lethargy, constant drooling and diarrhea. The dog started throwing up bile, and Laura returned Mocha to the vet, and then to a local animal hospital for more rigorous tests. That night at the animal hospital, Mocha died of a heart attack.

When Laura found out about the Hill’s Pet Nutrition recall, she says she determined many of Mocha’s symptoms were identical to those of a dog’s vitamin D overdose.

Laura is looking to Hill’s for an apology and for reimbursement of the $3,000-plus in veterinary bills she spent trying to save her pet.

As a features reporter at The Washington Post, Caitlin Gibson is used to reporting on the news, but not being in it herself. She posted on Twitter that her dog exhibited symptoms of a vitamin D overdose before the pet died after eating Hill’s Pet Nutrition dog food affected by the recall.

Vitamin D Error in Hill’s Science Dog Food

According to CBS News, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found some samples of the recalled Hill’s Science canned dog food contained up to 70 times the normal amount of vitamin D. At that level, a dog could experience toxicity that leads to kidney failure and death, said the FDA.

In other testing, the affected Hill’s Prescription Diet products were found to contain four to five times the maximum amount of vitamin D allowed in dog food.

Dr. Linda Jorgensen, a veterinarian from California, told VIN News Service she became frustrated with Hill’s lack of transparency about the vitamin D levels. She says she had Midwest Laboratories test Hill’s canned dog food. The lab performed only one test for a $250 fee, but Dr. Jorgensen says it was enough for her to have an idea of the extent of the problem.

Distraught pet owners say they are further hurt by the fact they picked Hill’s dog foods because they believed the food was absolutely the best choice for their pets, especially because Hill’s Prescription Diet is often recommended and even sold through veterinary clinics.

In a website message regarding the recalled dog food, Hill’s Pet Nutrition blames the excessive amounts of vitamin D on “a supplier error.” Hill’s Pet Nutrition has not identified the manufacturer that made the alleged error, and the FDA indicated it is not allowed to disclose the name of the company.

Join a Free Hill’s Pet Nutrition Dog Food Recall Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you purchased Hill’s Science Diet or Prescription Diet canned dog food, you may qualify to join this Hill’s dog food recall class action lawsuit investigation.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.