The effect of phenobarbital (PB) on the hepatic handling of vitamin D3 (D3) and its metabolism to 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3] was studied in eight mongrel dogs. The hepatic uptake and clearance of [3H]D3 were evaluated by the multiple indicator-dilution curve technique, and the formation of [3H]25(OH)D3 was evaluated by sampling the hepatic effluent. The hepatic enzyme induction was assessed in six dogs by the 14CO2 breath excretion test. The results show that the hepatic uptake of [3H]D3 was not significantly affected but that its hepatic clearance was significantly increased during PB treatment. The [3H]25(OH)D3 production was increased during PB administration by a factor of 3–5 times over the pre- or post-PB period. Evaluation of the enzyme induction produced by PB revealed that two of the dogs studied had a blunted response to PB; furthermore, these dogs were the only animals that showed no increase in [3H]25(OH)D3 production during PB treatment and that in the presence of similar serum PB, endogenous 25(OH)D3 and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 pools, and hepatic uptake and clearance of [3H]D3. Strong positive correlation coefficients were observed between the breath excretion of 14CO2 and the [3H]25(OH)D3 production during PB treatment, whereas no correlation was present in the absence of PB. These observations show that, in most animals, PB is accompanied by an increased hepatic clearance of [3H]D3 and by an increased production of [3H]25(OH)D3. The data obtained during the present study also show that the response to PB is heterogeneous and that some animals escaped PB-mediated enzyme induction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)