Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Vitamin D3 Poisoning in Five Cats from Fish-Based Kitten Food
By Vecchiato, Carla G et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2021·Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Case Report: A Case Series Linked to Vitamin D Excess in Pet Food: Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) Toxicity Observed in Five Cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Five young cats developed serious health issues after eating a fish-based kitten food that contained too much vitamin D3. Symptoms included high calcium levels in the blood and kidney problems, which were identified through tests and imaging. The cats were treated by stopping the problematic food and managing their high calcium levels. While all the cats improved, two of them continued to have kidney issues and were diagnosed with chronic kidney disease.
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Abstract
Cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) toxicity caused by defective pet food formulations is a rare occurrence described in cats. Nevertheless, it poses a health risk, even though the affected pet food is not fed as the sole diet. Excessive vitamin D3 intake might cause hypercalcemia and soft tissue mineralization, which are findings that prompt clinicians to further investigate the feasible etiology. This case series describes the effects of an extremely high vitamin D3 intake in five young cats caused by the consumption of a fish-based complementary kitten pet food (KPF) that was fed to all of the cats as part of their diet (cases 1, 2, and 3) or eaten exclusively (cases 4 and 5). Due to the different amounts of vitamin D3 consumed, diagnostic examinations showed different degrees of severity of hypercalcemia and azotemia as well as different radiographic findings in cases where diagnostic imaging was performed (cases 2, 4, and 5). All of the cats were treated by withdrawing the affected food and providing medical management of the hypercalcemia. All of the cats recovered, except for two persistent azotemic cats, which developed chronic kidney disease. The goal of this case series is, therefore, to describe the occurrence and resolution of an acute vitamin D3 toxicity due to the highest amount of dietary vitamin D3 intake that has ever been described in domestic cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34490396/