Tuffy’s Pet Foods is recalling approximately 1,600 cases of NutriSource Pure Vita Salmon Entree Dog Food in a Tetrapak carton following notification from the product manufacturer of potentially elevated levels of Vitamin D.

About Vitamin D Toxicity

According to the Food and Drug Administration:

“…extremely high levels of vitamin D can cause serious health problems. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, so unlike water-soluble vitamins, when a dog… gets too much, the excess is not rapidly excreted in his or her urine. Instead, it’s stored in fat tissue and the liver. Excessive vitamin D can lead to kidney failure and even death.”

Tuffy’s Pet Foods Company Statement

Consuming elevated levels of vitamin D in dog food can cause adverse reactions in dogs of all sizes, including symptoms such as vomiting, loss of appetite, increased thirst, increased urination, excessive drooling and weight loss.

When ingested at excessive levels, vitamin D can lead to serious health issues in dogs including renal dysfunction.

While no reports of illness or injury have been reported from consumers to date, Tuffy’s is acting out of an abundance of caution and is removing the specific lots of product listed below from distribution.

As such, consumers should stop feeding the product listed below to their pets immediately.

Tuffy’s recommends consumers whose dogs have consumed the potentially affected product and are exhibiting any of the above mentioned symptoms contact their veterinarian.

Where Was the Product Sold?

The recalled product was distributed nationwide to distributors and retail stores.

What’s Being Recalled?

The recalled product is limited to Pure Vita Salmon Entrée Dog Food in a Tetrapak carton, bearing UPC Code “0 73893 96202 1” (found on side of the carton).

Products included in the recall are identified by the “Best by Dates” and “Lot Numbers” (found on the top of the carton) as listed in the grid below.

No other Pure Vita dog or cat foods, or treats are affected by this announcement.

What Caused the Recall?

The recall was initiated after Tuffy’s was notified by the product manufacturer that this product may contain elevated levels of vitamin D.

The manufacturer of the affected product has identified and isolated the error and corrective actions are in progress to prevent this from happening again.

There are no other Pure Vita products affected by this recall.

This voluntary recall is being made with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and is being made out of an abundance of caution.

What to Do?

Consumers who purchased the Pure Vita Salmon Entrée dog food product subject to this voluntary recall (as identified above) are urged to return the product to their retailer for a full refund.

For consumer information or questions regarding this voluntary recall, please contact Tuffy’s Pet Foods, Inc. at (800) 525-9155 from Monday-Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm Central Time, or by email at tufcustservice@klnfamilybrands.com.

U.S. citizens can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in your area.

Or go to the FDA’s “Report a Pet Food Complaint” page.

Canadians can report any health or safety incidents related to the use of this product by filling out the Consumer Product Incident Report Form.