Also sold as cholecalciferol, vitamin D3, ergocalciferol, vitamin D2, calcipotriene (psoriasis cream)
At amounts a dog can reach in a normal household, this needs a vet or poison-control call straight away rather than watching and waiting.
Vitamin D is not a benign vitamin for dogs. Too much drives calcium out of the bones and into the blood, where it damages the kidneys and hardens soft tissue. Signs build over days rather than hours, and by the time thirst and vomiting are obvious the process is well established, so call early.
Call a vet or poison control now. Do not wait for symptoms.
ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661. A consultation fee may apply.
Part of Diabetes, hormones and vitamins on our medication safety hub.
Do not wait for symptoms and do not wait until you have filled in the form below. Call first, then use the checklist while you are on the phone.
Available 24/7. A consultation fee may apply.
Exposure details to have ready
These are the questions a veterinarian or poison-control operator will ask. Fill in what you know and leave the rest blank. This tool does not estimate a dose or a risk score: medication risk depends on the exact ingredient, strength, and formulation, so the assessment has to come from the clinician on the call.
- Keep the package, blister pack, or prescription bottle. The strength and the full ingredient list are what make the advice specific.
- Do not induce vomiting unless a veterinarian or poison-control professional tells you to. It is the wrong move for several medications and can cause harm on its own.
- Do not give milk, food, salt, hydrogen peroxide, or any home remedy on your own.
- Do not give a second dose of anything to make up for one you think was missed.
- Count what is left in the packet, so the number missing can be worked out.
Your exposure summary
Read this down the phone or paste it into a message to your vet. It stays on your device; nothing here is sent to DogSafe.
Why Vitamin D is dangerous
Vitamin D controls how much calcium the body absorbs and holds. In excess it pushes blood calcium and phosphorus high enough to injure the kidneys and to deposit mineral in the kidneys, heart and blood vessels. It is fat-soluble, so it accumulates rather than clearing quickly, and the same compound appears in high-strength human supplements, in some psoriasis creams as calcipotriene, and in certain rodent baits as cholecalciferol.
Part of the Human Medicine Exposures guide
For related dog-safety questions and product-by-product answers, see the complete human medicine exposures guide.
Three quite different sources
High-strength human vitamin D supplements, psoriasis creams containing calcipotriene, and cholecalciferol rodenticides all cause the same problem by the same mechanism. A licked cream tube and a chewed bait block are as relevant as a spilled supplement bottle, and owners often do not connect them.
Why the signs are late and vague
The early part of this poisoning is a rising blood calcium that produces nothing an owner can see. Thirst and vomiting arrive once the kidneys are already under strain. That lag is why the advice here is to call on the exposure rather than on the symptoms.
IU versus micrograms
Supplement labels use both, and the numbers look wildly different for the same amount. This is a frequent source of confused phone calls. Read the unit as well as the number, or photograph the label.
Signs to watch for
Increased thirst and urination, vomiting, loss of appetite, lethargy, weakness, drooling; later dehydration, weight loss, and signs of kidney failure
Related items
Check the exact item or ingredient before assuming two similar exposures carry the same risk.
What to do next
Call with the container in hand. Note the strength, the units, the number missing and the time, and mention any other calcium or vitamin supplement your dog receives.
🚨Step-by-step: what to do in the first 10 minutes →Available 24/7. A consultation fee may apply.
A closer look at vitamin d
Vitamin D controls how much calcium the body absorbs and holds. In excess it pushes blood calcium and phosphorus high enough to injure the kidneys and to deposit mineral in the kidneys, heart and blood vessels. It is fat-soluble, so it accumulates rather than clearing quickly, and the same compound appears in high-strength human supplements, in some psoriasis creams as calcipotriene, and in certain rodent baits as cholecalciferol. The details below use the specific facts for this exposure, rather than treating it like every other medication question.
1. Start with the exact exposure
For a closely related comparison, read Iron Supplements. No threshold is given here, and owner estimates are unreliable because supplement strengths are stated in international units on some labels and micrograms on others. Bring the container. For a rodenticide, bring the box or the bait block packaging, which names the active ingredient.
2. Use the facts to decide whether to monitor or call
Another helpful reference is Human Medicine Exposures. Nothing to manage at home. Call promptly even if your dog is well, because treatment aimed at keeping calcium down is far easier before it has risen than after. Do not induce vomiting unless instructed. Promptly for any suspected exposure, and immediately for increased thirst and urination, vomiting, loss of appetite, weakness, or a dog that seems unwell in a way you cannot place.
3. If the details are uncertain
Follow the first 10 minutes guide. Call with the container in hand. Note the strength, the units, the number missing and the time, and mention any other calcium or vitamin supplement your dog receives.
FAQ
No threshold is given here, and owner estimates are unreliable because supplement strengths are stated in international units on some labels and micrograms on others. Bring the container. For a rodenticide, bring the box or the bait block packaging, which names the active ingredient.
Nothing to manage at home. Call promptly even if your dog is well, because treatment aimed at keeping calcium down is far easier before it has risen than after. Do not induce vomiting unless instructed.
Promptly for any suspected exposure, and immediately for increased thirst and urination, vomiting, loss of appetite, weakness, or a dog that seems unwell in a way you cannot place.
It depends heavily on the strength, which now ranges very widely on the supplement shelf, and on your dog's size. That is a calculation for the vet from the actual label rather than something to judge at home.
Complete dog foods are formulated to contain appropriate amounts, and normal feeding is not the concern here. The risk comes from concentrated human supplements, creams and rodenticides.
- Merck Veterinary Manual — poisonings from human prescription and over-the-counter drugs (cholecalciferol toxicosis: hypercalcemia and renal injury)
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center — vitamins, supplements and rodenticides
- Pet Poison Helpline — top 10 human medications poisonous to pets
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Poisonings from human prescription drugs
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control
- Pet Poison Helpline: Top 10 human medications poisonous to pets