Xylitol and dogs

[Garden Carpet]

I am posting the following to warn dog owners of this possible problem. I am not entirely sure of the veracity of this item though it is claimed that Snopes.com has verified it. It may be scare mongering but I would rather be safe than sorry... especialy when it comes to much loved dogs.

Jaki


BEWARE!!!!!! Warning to all dog owners . . . pass this on to your dog-loving
friends and family.
Only 3 grams of Xylitol (found in sugar free chewing gum) is enough
to kill a 65 lb dog. And QUICKLY!!!!! Please pass this warning onto
everyone you know who has dogs. It may just save a life.
Here is the Snopes link:

snopes.com: Xylitol Deadly to Dogs

Last Friday evening, I arrived home from work, fed Chloe, our 24 Lb dachshund, just as I normally do. Ten minutes later I walked into the den
just in time to see her head inside the pocket of Katie's friend's purse. She had a guilty look on her face so I looked closer and saw a small package of sugar-free gum. It contained Xylitol. I remembered that I had recently read that sugar-free gum can be deadly for dogs so I jumped on line and looked to see if Xylitol was the ingredient.I found the first web site below and it was the one. Next, I called our vet. She said to bring her in immediate ly. Unfortunately, it was still rush hour and it took me almost 1/2 hour to get there. Meanwhile, since this was her first case, our vet found another web site to figure out the treatment. She took Chloe and said they would induce her to vomit, give her a char co al drink to absorb the toxin (even though they don't think it works) then they would start an iv with dextrose. The Xylitol causes dogs secrete insulin so t heir blood sugar drops very quickly. The second thing that happens is liver failure. If that happens, even with aggressive treatment, it can be difficult to save them. She told us she would call us. Almost two hours later, the vet called and said that contents of
her stomach contained 2-3 gum wrappers and that her blood sugar had dropped from 90 to 59 in 30 minutes. She wanted us to take Chloe to another hospital that has a critical care unit operating around the clock. We picked her up and took her there. They had us call the ASPCA poison control for a case number and for a donation their doctors would direct Chloe's doctor on treatment. They would continue the iv, monitor her blood every other hour and then in 2 days test her liver function. &nb sp;She ended up with a central line in her jugular vein since the one in her leg collapsed, just as our regular vet had feared. Chloe spent almost the entire weekend in the critical care hospital. After her blood sugar was stabilized, she came home yesterday. They ran all the tests again before they released her and so far, no sign of liver damage. Had I not se en her head in the purse, she probably would have died and we wouldn't even had known why. Three vets told me this weekend, that they were amazed that I even knew about it since they are first learning about it too. Please tell everyone you know about Xylitol and dogs. It may save another life.

[demicav]

Thanks for posting this. Not all Dog owners are aware of the dangers of chocolate either. Chocolate is poisonous to Dogs and shouldn't be given. Glad to hear the Dog could be saved.

[Garden Carpet]

Thanks Demicav. Yes chocolate is toxic to dogs.. though some, like my terrrier will steal it and survive. Plain dark chocolate can be extremely dangerous to small dogs.

jaki

[demicav]

Originally Posted by Garden Carpet

Thanks Demicav. Yes chocolate is toxic to dogs.. though some, like my terrrier will steal it and survive. Plain dark chocolate can be extremely dangerous to small dogs.

jaki

I know what you mean. My mum's little terrier cross once ate a whole box of "Roses" chocolates one christmas, she was an expert at steeling food. I was horrified when I found out a couple of days later but she didn't suffer any ill effects unlike some other Dogs that have done the same thing.

[ellen h]

Thanks for posting this Jaki, knew about the danger of chocolate to dogs but didnt know about xylitol!
Will pass this information on to other dog owners I know
ellen

[Tracey.A]

You may not believe this, but it's true! My mum had taken her dog for it's usual walk down to the loch, but later on when she got the dog home, the dog just slept and slept and was unresponsive. It was too late to take the dog to the vets, so mum stayed up all night with Poppy and took her first thing in the morning. The vet took one look at the dog and said 'This dog is stoned!' My mum is a respectable elderly lady and she stood there mortified, mumbling that the dog hadn't got the drugs from her! The vet was crying with laughter, but said that the dog would be fine! Apparently the dog had eaten some cannabis when out on her walk. Sounds funny, but my mum didn't find it so funny and was just relieved that the dog was going to be okay!

Tracey

[Hedge Witch]

Originally Posted by Tracey.A

You may not believe this, but it's true! My mum had taken her dog for it's usual walk down to the loch, but later on when she got the dog home, the dog just slept and slept and was unresponsive. It was too late to take the dog to the vets, so mum stayed up all night with Poppy and took her first thing in the morning. The vet took one look at the dog and said 'This dog is stoned!' My mum is a respectable elderly lady and she stood there mortified, mumbling that the dog hadn't got the drugs from her! The vet was crying with laughter, but said that the dog would be fine! Apparently the dog had eaten some cannabis when out on her walk. Sounds funny, but my mum didn't find it so funny and was just relieved that the dog was going to be okay!

Tracey

That's fascinating. How on Earth did the vet know? Did they run tests or something?

Jaki - thanks very much for that warning. I don't have a dog, but I'll pass on the info. to people who do. I wonder if it affects other species?

[Tracey.A]

Apparently he guessed by looking into the dogs eyes, which were very dilated! I can't remember if he carried out any tests or not. I must ask my mum the next time I see her.

Tracey