Products Sweetened with Xylitol Can Be Toxic To Dogs

[Fridays Child]

Pet Poison Safety: Products Sweetened with Xylitol Can Be Toxic To Dogs

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) has issued a warning to pet owners that xylitol, a sweetener found in many sugar-free products, can cause serious problems for companion canines.

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Dogs ingesting significant amounts of items sweetened with xylitol could develop a fairly sudden drop in blood sugar, resulting in depression, loss of coordination and seizures. Signs can develop quite rapidly, sometimes less than half an hour after ingestion.

It was previously thought that only large concentrations of xylitol resulted in problems—but new data is beginning to disprove this. “We seem to be learning new information with each case we manage,” says APCC veterinary toxicologist Dr. Eric Dunayer. “We also have begun to see problems developing from ingestions of products with lesser amounts of this sweetener.”

APCC experts urge pet owners to keep candy, gum and other foods containing xylitol out of their animals’ reach. If you suspect that your pet has ingested products sweetened with xylitol—or any other potentially dangerous substance—call your veterinarian or the APCC's emergency hotline at [phone] for round-the-clock telephone assistance. For more pet poison prevention tips, please visit APCC online.

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http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=media_newsalert082506&JServSessionIdr005=xpkf024ip1.app17a#1

[idgiehkt]

1. thanks

'xylitol' doesn't sound yummy for humans, either.

[MountainLaurel]

2. That's the truth, isn't it

Makes me a little nervous about what those products are doing to humans as well.

[Kickoutthejams23]

3. Oh no the dogs depressed. (Tail wagging has ceased)

As long as the bacon and table scraps are "sugar free" I think most dogs are safe. Seriously I'm glad for the warning but most dogs aren't into artificially sweetened gum. (My question is can it cause these reactions in some humans?)

[Fridays Child]

4. My dog will root out candy and gum from my purse...

...or snag them from just about anywhere else she can reach. As for us humans, I suspect that all artificial sweeteners are bad for us and can cause serious side effects if ingested in great enough quantities. I occasionally chew gum, though, and it's usually sugar-free.

[Dora]

5. Xylitol is not a chemical sweetener, & not hazardous to humans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol

I'm just posting this so that people don't automatically group xylitol with our beloved toxic chem-bombs aspartame and saccharine.

Xylitol, also called wood sugar or birch sugar, is a five-carbon sugar alcohol that is used as a sugar substitute. It can be extracted from birch, raspberries, plums, and corn and is primarily produced in China.

A xylitol-based nasal spray cured me of sinus infections last year.

[Fridays Child]

7. Thanks for the information.

:hi:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

9. Xlear is the best sinus spray!

And I've tried them all.

[YankeyMCC]

6. Oh well no more double mint for my dog

[Fridays Child]

8. Doublemint won't hurt your dog.

It's sweetened with sugar, corn syrup, and aspartame.

[Benfea]

10. Thanks for the heads up.

I don't own any pets, but I have friends who do.