Blue Buffalo Wildness dog food has been linked to roughly a dozen cases of hypercalcemia caused by hypervitaminosis D (basically an overdose of vitamin D). All of the dogs have been eating the same diet, the chicken flavor offered by Blue Buffalo. These cases were first discussed on the Veterinary Information Network (VIN), prompting the VIN News Service to publish an account of the situation.
Test results for Blue Buffalo Wilderness Diet
The mystery arises because testing of the food has failed to indicate a problem. Levels of vitamin D and calcium found in the food have been normal. At this time, it is unknown whether the link with the Blue Buffalo diet is coincidental. Blue Buffalo has tested various batches of food. Some of the food tested has been that eaten by the dogs that suffered illness.
Apparently the illnesses resolved when the dogs were switched to a different diet, though this could have been coincidental.
Is there a recall of the Blue Buffalo diet?
At this time, there has been no recall of any of the Blue Buffalo brand of dog or cat foods. To date, all testing on the food has been normal and no causative link has been found other than the fact that all of the sick dogs were eating the diet.
What is hypercalcemia and how is it related to vitamin D toxicosis?
Excess levels of vitamin D lead to resorption of calcium from bones. As the calcium is moved from the bones, abnormally high levels of calcium occur in the blood stream, leading to calcification of various internal organs, including the heart and kidneys. Common causes of vitamin D toxicity include ingestion of choleciferol-containing rodenticides or ingestion of vitamin supplements, neither of which was apparently documented in any of the sick dogs. Rarely, dietary imbalances have been implicated as the cause in the past also.
For more information about vitamin D toxicosis and hypercalcemia, including a list of clinical signs and treatment options, please see Vitamin D Toxicity (Hypervitaminosis D) in Dogs and Cats.
Comments
I have never fed my dogs anything other than V.F. (Vetrinary Formulated) Complete Dog Food. Not only were they not included in the 2007 dog food recall, their dog food bakery is the only one in the industry that is rated "human grade"!! Really need to look into V.F. Complete
My 5lb mini poodle died exactly 7 days after we purchased this dog food. Be careful.
My 10 lb. Min Pin came down with classic symptoms of kidney problems right after I bought/tried and fed him 1/3 can of Blue Wilderness turkey and chicken.(kind of a Christmas treat wet food as he usually eats dry only). The can got stale in the fridge and I never fed him any more of this trial I only come accross this article after researching his symptoms while he was on and off again not feeling well. I had him drinking low sodium broth for 3 days and urinating alot and he came out of it and seems to be doing fine.... I still took him to the vet to be safe. I had him checked with full blood work at the vet, and the kidney function and urine, diabetes, bladder etc. etc. The vet said all looked great, in fact perfect. Think I will forward this info to the Vet hospital. Could just be coincidence but INTERESTING.
My cat became, and still is, very ill after introducing Blue Buffalo dry cat food into his diet inJanuary. Severe diarrhea almost killed him. Then projectile vomiting. After almost $1000 in vet bills, labs, xrays, ultrasounds, meds, etc. my cat, who had never been sick in all 6 years of his life, now has been diagnosed with severe gastritis (severe erosion of the lining of his stomach), cholangitis (inflammation of the gall bladder), edematous pancreatitis (enlarged pancreaous), and histiocytic lymphadenitis (enlarged lymph nodes). All of this can be traced back to the introduction of the Blue Buffalo dry cat food into his diet. He is the only one of my three cats who received this cat food. The other 2 (from the same litter) are okay. I would like to know if any other readers have experienced this after introducing Blue Buffalo Dry Cat Food into their cat's diet.
I've been finding other pet owners on the internet complaining ofthe same situation with their cats after introducing Blue Buffalo dry cat food into their diets.
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