What was recalled
On January 31, 2019, Hill’s notified the FDA that a single dog had developed vitamin D toxicity after eating one of its canned dog food products. Hill’s initiated a voluntary recall of 25 canned formulas the same day. On March 20, 2019, the recall expanded by 19 additional lots after further testing, and on May 17, 2019, one more lot was added. By the recall’s close, slightly more than 1 million cases — roughly 22 million individual cans — were pulled from distribution. The full lot list spans both Hill’s Science Diet (over-the-counter) and Hill’s Prescription Diet (vet-channel) lines and was distributed nationwide through retail pet stores and veterinary clinics.
The complete list of affected products and lot codes is published in the FDA’s consolidated alert covering all 33 expanded varieties.
Why it was recalled
Hill’s subsequently determined that the elevated vitamin D was the result of an incoming vitamin premix received from a third-party supplier — a premix that Hill’s accepted in a manner not in accordance with its own published receiving and verification procedures. In testing, the vitamin D content of recalled cans measured up to 33 times the safe upper limit defined by AAFCO for canine maintenance diets. The AVMA reported in February 2020 that the FDA’s post-incident inspection found Hill’s had failed to follow its own incoming-ingredient procedures — the gap that allowed the unverified premix into the production line.
Health risks for your pet
Vitamin D toxicity (technically hypervitaminosis D) is dose-dependent — symptoms scale with how much affected food a dog consumed and over what period. Early signs include vomiting, loss of appetite, increased thirst (polydipsia), increased urination (polyuria), excessive drooling, and weight loss. Severe or prolonged exposure can progress to acute kidney injury and, in the most extreme cases, death. Because the affected products are years past their Best By dates, no dog is at active risk from this recall today. However, if you suspect a dog has consumed an affected can in the past and you have unexplained kidney values from a prior bloodwork panel, a conversation with your veterinarian about historical exposure is reasonable.
What to do if you bought affected product
Affected Best By dates have all expired (the latest was 09/2020), so any cans still in a household pantry should be discarded regardless of recall status. If you previously fed an affected lot to a dog who developed unexplained kidney issues, hypercalcemia, or polyuria/polydipsia in 2019–2020, share the timeline with your veterinarian. Hill’s offered full refunds on recalled cans through 2020 via its consumer affairs line; the refund window has now closed. Always consult your veterinarian about any concerns specific to your pet’s health history.
In our database
Brands named on this page that we review: Hill’s Science Diet, Hill’s Prescription Diet.
Corrected 2026-10-19: we removed claims we could not support.