Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Sugarless Gum Can Kill Dogs

The sweetener Xylitol poisons a lot of dogs.  

As little as 3 grams of Xylitol (eight piece of chewing gum) is enough to kill a 65-pound dog.

As little as two piece of gum could kill a terrier. The toxic dose for dog is between 50 milligrams (mg) and 100 milligrams per pound of body weight.

Common products with Xylitol in them include Trident sugarless gum and many sugarless candies, chewing gums, breath fresheners, nicotine gum, toothpastes, sunscreen, and even some vitamins and diet supplements.

Xylitol poisons dogs because human and dog sugar controls work differently. When a dog gets Xylitol, it causes the dog to go into hypoglycemia.

If your dog ingests Xylitol, get in on a sugar-milk mix FAST, and get it to a vet if it is anywhere near a toxic dose.


JL said...

Also check the peanut butter. Many commercial brands add sugar, and some of them are switching to xylitol. Many people are used to peanut butter as a fun treat or a way to coat pills to get them down the dog's throat, so it's time to also get used to checking the label.

Melinda said...

Homeopathic globuli as well as the liquid version often use xylitol. If nothibg is in there of the remedy but xylitol is. In the amounts some people give that stuff to their pets it certainly is a reason for concern. (Some drug stores here do ask if you use it for pets)

Melissa Lobo said...

Recently , one of the forums I am a member of called for an awareness for checking the peanut butter they use as ingredient in making treats. A huge number of brands switch to xylitol as an artificial sweetener so it was really a blinking danger warning to all dog owners. Instead of being attracted to a product's packaging, ignore it and go straight to the ingredient list and check if it contains xylitol or any nasty stuffs for dogs. We love our dogs so we'll do everything within our reach to keep them away from health risks.