Hospital for Small Animals

Vitamin D Animal Laboratory

The Hospital for Small Animals is a global leader in the area of vitamin D biology in dogs and cats.

Happy Dog

We have developed several novel diagnostic tests which allow us to quickly and accurate establish whether a patient is receiving too much or too little vitamin D. We are the only veterinary focussed lab in the world which has been accredited by the Vitamin D External Quality Assessment Scheme which independently audits the accuracy of vitamin D metabolite assays. We regularly use the assays we have developed to help patients who attend our hospital including a recent case of a dog with severe intestinal disease that could not absorb vitamin D effectively from the food. 

Vitamin D has long been known to be important in skeletal health but there is increasing interest in the role it plays in non skeletal health disorders. We are actively researching the relationship between vitamin D and a wide range of health outcomes. We have published several important studies in this area including:

Read the original research