Vitamin D3
Also appears on labels as: vitamin d3 supplement, d3, cholecalciferol
Cholecalciferol, the animal form of vitamin D. Dogs and cats cannot make meaningful amounts through their skin the way humans do, so it has to come from food.
Watched ingredients get highlighted on every product panel you open.
- Where it comes from
- Extracted from lanolin or synthesized.
- Why it's in the product
- Calcium absorption and bone mineralization.
- Safety and toxicity
- Essential in the right amount and the single most recall-prone nutrient in the industry. Formulation errors producing excess vitamin D have caused multiple large dog food recalls, with real cases of kidney failure. This is not a theoretical risk, it is the one that keeps showing up.
- Interactions and who should be careful
- Vitamin D toxicity signs include increased thirst and urination, vomiting, and appetite loss. If a food is recalled for vitamin D, that is a call-your-vet situation, not a wait-and-see one.
General reference, not veterinary advice. Dose, breed, and existing conditions change the answer, so talk to your vet before changing what your pet eats. Think we got this wrong? Tell us and we log it publicly.
Found in 36 scored products
Lowest scores first. Its presence here is not what drove those scores.
Panel Score 83 out of 100, grade B: Good, check the flags
TemptationsClassic Tasty Chicken Cat Treats
12 more scored products list this ingredient. Showing the 24 lowest-scoring.