Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and, unlike water-soluble vitamins, excess amounts may build up in liver and fat tissue and cause poisoning of calcium in the bloodstream.
If your dog ingests too much Vitamin D or consumes human cholecalciferol rodenticides (the active ingredient found in rat poison), they will need prompt veterinary attention. Your vet will conduct a detailed history review as well as blood tests examining calcium and phosphorous levels to properly diagnose this situation.
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Dosage
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for dogs that helps balance calcium levels. Its various functions include encouraging monocytes to pass from macrophages, supporting hematopoiesis, stimulating insulin secretion and reducing proteinuria – but too much vitamin D can be detrimental and cause toxic symptoms including vomiting, abdominal pain, increased thirst/urination/tremors. When administered orally too much can lead to organ failure within 12 – 36 hours post ingestion of too many supplements/creams with Vitamin D content – organ failure can quickly follow suit causing organ failure as quickly as it progresses further down its pathway of consumption resulting in organ failure!
Vitamin d toxicity in dogs can be easily avoided by keeping food and supplements out of reach, not feeding your dog raw plant material, or giving too many supplements at one time. Furthermore, it’s also crucial that you stay up-to-date with pet food recalls so as to make sure any potentially contaminated items don’t remain in your home.
If your dog exhibits signs of vitamin D toxicity, you must visit the veterinarian immediately. They will obtain a full history and examine them thoroughly; if the ingestion was recent they will induce vomiting or administer drugs that bind Vitamin D so as to stop further absorption; next they’ll take blood samples to assess kidney values, electrolytes, calcium phosphorous levels and Vitamin D levels as well as possible urine samples or an echocardiogram to check its heartbeats – which could also occur with vitamin D toxicity in some dogs who experience slow heartbeats due to Vitamin D exposure.
If your dog’s symptoms are severe, hospitalization will likely be necessary for proper treatment and monitoring. They will likely be placed on an IV to hydrate them and help regulate electrolyte levels as well as encourage excretion of excess calcium through excretion. Medication will likely also be prescribed to protect their kidneys from damage while heart monitors may also be placed as they could be at risk of developing ventricular arrhythmias requiring close monitoring until symptoms improve.
Symptoms
Accidentally giving too much Vitamin D to a dog can have serious repercussions for its internal organs. Early warning signs include not eating, lethargy and weakness – these could progress to high calcium levels in their blood, damaging soft tissues. Other symptoms might include vomiting, thirstier than usual urination sessions, excessive drooling or weight loss; in these instances contact your veterinarian immediately!
Your vet will begin by gathering an accurate history and conducting a physical exam of your dog following ingestion of Vitamin D supplements, possibly including inducing vomiting or administering activated charcoal to absorb any remaining Vitamin D in their intestines. They may then take blood samples for laboratory analysis to look for abnormalities in red and white blood cell counts, calcium, phosphorous levels, Vitamin D concentration levels and kidney values; additionally they’ll run urine analyses to check for abnormal protein concentration levels; additionally an echocardiogram will likely be performed as some dogs suffering from Vitamin D overdose experience slow heartbeats from too much Vitamin D consumption.
At times, it may be possible to treat a dog at home provided their dose was not excessive and symptoms didn’t emerge rapidly. To start treating at home safely and responsibly, contact either your family veterinarian or emergency vet and explain what has occurred. Provide as much detail as possible pertaining to diet (i.e. what foods your dog is receiving and any supplements they are taking) in order for your vet to rule out other possible issues like hypoparathyroidism (which increases calcium levels) that might also contribute.
If your dog has been given recalled pet food, make sure to retain both the bag and lot code so that the FDA can track down its manufacturer and identify other affected products. Additional help and links for reporting it to them can be found on their website. The best way to prevent overdose of vitamin D for dogs is avoiding plants, fungus or yeast that produce high amounts of cholecalciferol as well as rodenticides with toxic forms of this vitamin such as ergocalciferol; both can contain toxic forms of vitamin D for dogs.
Treatment
If your dog exhibits symptoms of vitamin D toxicity, take them immediately to a veterinarian or animal emergency hospital. Decontaminating their system, which may include inducing vomiting or giving drugs that bind with vitamin D to block further absorption may also be required in severe cases; fluids may even need to be administered intravenously in order to avoid drops in blood sodium levels that could result in life-threatening seizures or seizure-type episodes.
Your vet will evaluate your dog by collecting information on his diet and any foods or items the pet might have come into contact with. He or she may perform a complete blood count to check for abnormalities like low red and white cell counts; then conduct blood biochemistry profiles measuring calcium and phosphorous levels while conducting urinalysis tests that check for lower than usual potassium levels and accumulations of nitrogenous waste products; additionally they might run an echocardiogram to measure heartbeat speed since some dogs with vitamin D toxicity have slow heartbeats.
Once a veterinarian has ascertained how much vitamin D your dog consumed, they will begin treating the issue. If ingested recently, induce vomiting or give drugs to bind with and block further absorption of it; once vomiting has subsided, an anticalciuriasis drug will likely be prescribed; in addition to IV fluids which promote excretion.
If the dose was large enough to cause serious toxicity, your dog will need to spend at least 72 hours in hospital for monitoring and decontamination, since high levels of 25VitD can accumulate in organs like the kidneys and liver. Your vet will likely administer lipid treatment that helps increase how quickly it gets expelled by the body allowing bloodstream levels of 25VitD to return to their usual levels.
Prevention
Vitamin D is vitally important to the wellbeing of dogs, but only in moderation. Too much fat-soluble vitamin can cause toxic symptoms including vomiting, bone problems and kidney failure if administered in excess. To avoid an overdose of Vitamin D in either supplement form or food source, carefully monitor your dog’s diet to make sure he’s not getting an excessive dose.
Too much vitamin D intake can result in dangerously high calcium blood levels that can harden various body tissues – including those of the heart, digestive tract and kidneys – leading to organ malfunction or even stopping working altogether. A dog with high levels of vitamin D could even form painful kidney stones that become increasingly uncomfortable as time progresses.
Vitamin D overdose in dogs can have dramatic symptoms, including rapid weight loss, excessive drooling and diarrhea, vomiting, tremors and seizures. Left untreated, this could progress into kidney failure and even death if left untreated. Oversupplementation through diet alone or accidental ingestion of chemical rodenticides that contain cholecalciferol (vitamin D). are both possible sources.
Provide your veterinarian with an in-depth diet history of your pet to aid them in diagnosing vitamin D toxicity. This should include what kind of food they usually eat, where he receives his food from, as well as any additional food sources available to them. They’ll conduct a full exam and may take a urine sample to test calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D levels as well as kidney values.
If your dog exhibits any of the above symptoms, contact your family veterinarian or local pet emergency hospital immediately. A thorough examination may include inducing vomiting and administering activated charcoal to absorb any excess vitamin D in their digestive system. If an overdose may have taken place, admission may be made to hospital where treatment of vitamin D poisoning will likely begin immediately; your vet may then monitor blood calcium and phosphorus levels until they return to normal levels.