Recently, dog owners across the United States were stuck in an immense and sudden worry when the announcement that the Natural Life Pet products of Saint Louis, Missouri, had issued an immediate recall from their chicken & Potato dry dog food. The recall was issued due to the discovery of the elevated levels of vitamin D found in this batch of dog food.

Vitamin D can be found in group vitamins found in liver and fish oils. Vitamin D is responsible for the absorption of Calcium, magnesium and phosphate. An overdose of vitamin D in pets results in the pet experiencing early symptoms such as; vomiting, loss of appetite, increased thirst which results in frequent and increased urination, excessive drooling and eventually weight loss. If the pet is exposed to an increased and ongoing over consumption of vitamin D, the pet can experience renal dysfunction. Renal dysfunction is essentially kidney failure in dogs. It is suggested that a dog experiencing any of these symptoms needs to be taken to the veterinarian as soon as possible.

The Natural life Pet products received complaints by 3 separate pet owners that their pets had been experiencing unusual symptoms and pushed the company for awareness to save other pets. The company took their complaints seriously and pursued an investigation which essentially showed the high levels of vitamin D, 70 times the amount recommended.

However, the recall is a voluntary recall; by definition; “a voluntary recall is just government-speak for a deal that a manufacturer or retailer of a hazardous product has negotiated with the federal agency in charge of overseeing the safety of that product category.” Itis important for consumers to recognize that the Natural Life Pet products company was the initial responder and pushed for the immediate recall.

According to the Natural Life Pet Products website, bags affected have a Best By Date code of May 29, 2020 through August 10, 2020. The Best By Date code can be found on the back or bottom of each bag.

If you have recently given your dog this food and has yet to digest, you are not advised to induce vomiting, a local veterinarian assistant, Isabel, from a local veterinarian office advises.

“I would not try to induce vomiting because if it is already in his system, I would just advise you to take your pet in to the office to have him checked out. In some cases inducing vomit can increase risk for the pet. So, take your pet in and have him run some blood tests,” said Isabel.

The exact dog food that is being recalled: 17.5 lbs. Natural Life Chicken & Potato Dry Dog Food. The Bag UPC: 0-12344-08175-1

If you have purchased this dog food the company says to dispose of it completely or take it back to where you purchased it to receive a full refund. You will be refunded if the UPC code matches exact. However, the bags that are being recalled were only sought to be sold in retail stores in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and California. For further information regarding questions or concerns the company’s’ contact information is listed below. Natural Life Pet Products at (888) 279-9420 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Standard time, Monday through Friday, or by email at [email protected] for more information.

A further list of recalled pet foods is available at; https://www.fda.gov