Hills Pet Nutrition recalls dog food over illness concerns

Hills Pet Nutrition has voluntarily recalled some of its canned dog food products over concerns the potentially high levels of vitamin D could cause canines to fall ill.

The affected canned dog foods which were manufactured by the Hill’s Pet Nutrition facility in Topeka, Kansas (EU approval # KS-PF0-0004) were distributed through retail pet stores and veterinary clinics and e-commerce. The company said no dry foods, cat foods, or treats were affected.

Hill’s Pet Nutrition learned of the potential for elevated vitamin D levels in some of its canned dog foods after receiving a complaint in the United States about a dog exhibiting signs of elevated vitamin D levels. The manufacturer said its investigation confirmed elevated levels of vitamin D due to a supplier error.

While beneficial to dogs, elevated levels of the nutrient can lead to potential health issues depending on the level of vitamin D and the length of exposure. Dogs may exhibit symptoms such as vomiting, loss of appetite, increased thirst, increased urination, excessive drooling, and weight loss. When consumed at very high levels it can lead to serious health issues in dogs including renal dysfunction.

The manufacturer said pet parents with dogs who have consumed any of the products listed and were exhibiting such symptoms should contact their veterinarian. In most cases, complete recovery is expected after discontinuation of feeding.

Pet parents who purchased the product with the specific lot/date codes listed should discontinue feeding and dispose of those products immediately. To have discarded products replaced at no cost, customers can contact Hill’s at hillsukcustomerservices@hillspet.com or (UK): 0800 282 438, (ROI): 1800 626 002.

A statement by the company said: “We care deeply about all pets and are committed to providing pet parents with safe and high quality products. Hill’s has identified and isolated the error and, to prevent this from happening again, we have required our supplier to implement additional quality testing prior to their release of ingredients.

“In addition to our existing safety processes, we are adding our own further testing of incoming ingredients. All products within Hill’s control have been placed on hold. Hill’s will be contacting all customers to retrieve products.”