[News] Xylitol in Sugarless Gum is Deadly to Dogs

[Raja's Mom]

Originally Posted by roxies_mom

In the mornings I eat a Dannon Light yogurt. I always let Roxie have a little taste when I'm done. She loves it and it's never hurt her but it has splenda in it. Is that dangerous too?

My best guess is that the small amount she would consume is not harmful... and if you think about how much she would have in a month, it may not amount to much... but maybe think about should you be eating splenda? Here is a website about toxicity: Sucralose (Splenda) Toxicity Information Center

Yogurt is actually a great supplement and treat for dogs if it's has healthy ingredients in the first place. I like to buy a big tub of Stonyfield Farm plain organic yogurt and the dogs can have a spoonful straight from that or mixed in their food.

On a side note I ordered an iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts today with extra sugar and the man repeated back to me "extra splenda". I had NO IDEA they used Splenda because they always refer to it as "sugar". I explained to him that this does make a huge difference to some people and stop sneaking splenda into my coffee! Never been a fan of artificial sweeteners, I think they're worse than whatever perceived negative effects real sugar has. (Unless of course someone is diabetic but that's a different story.)

[yorkiesmiles]

Wow, I had never heard this before! I'm not a big gum chewer - but after a yr at college my dd has become one - (which I hate and she use to make fun of people always chewing gum ) -- But I will be sure to show her this - I really don't want gum in my house at all knowing this

Thanks for the education. So glad your dog is okay thanks to your fast actions

[tkimberlie]

I just posted a similar story, then searched "Xylitol" on this site. Should've done it in opposite order. My brother's Molly is still in the hospital, but we're hopeful.

Anyway, when I did the search on the Yorkie site, look what came up at the top of the screen, in addition to "Yorkie Puppies for Sale," but:

Free 24 Pack of Gum
Receive a Free 24 pack of Eclipse sugar free gum.
Eclipse-Gum.SamplesClub.org

Xylitol Gums And Mints
Xylitol, The Wonder Product That Prevents Cavities And More!
Xylitol based products, xylitol products


Yikes! We're telling stories about staying away from the stuff, and the ads at the top of the page, generated by Google search, I imagine, are for Xylitol! (:

[yorkiesmiles]

I just found this article - it's almost 2 yrsold - but good -
this Xylitol is in too many products, but if you look at their website they say it is safe - no mention that it is not safe for dogs

Common sweetener xylitol deadly for dogs : County News : Boulder Daily Camera

Common sweetener xylitol deadly for dogs
In past year, Boulder clinic has treated one dog who ate sugarless gum

Jeff Nesmith, Cox News Service
Saturday, September 30, 2006
WASHINGTON — Xylitol, a sugar substitute used in chewing gum, candy, toothpaste and other products, can kill dogs that eat it, and the frequency of cases seems to be growing.

Animal poison specialists alerted veterinarians and pet owners Saturday that cases of accidental dog poisonings are apt to be more frequent as xylitol is added to more and more human products.

A dog that consumes as little as a few sticks of chewing gum sweetened with xylitol should be taken to a veterinarian immediately, said Eric Dunayer and Sharon Gwaltney-Brant in an article in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

"Dogs respond to xylitol differently than humans," Dunayer said in a telephone interview, "and it seems to overwhelm their liver."

He added that a person typically absorbs about 50 percent of xylitol that has been used as a sweetener, but dogs seem to absorb almost 100 percent.

Promoted as a "natural sugar product," xylitol does not stimulate peaks in insulin production that plague victims of Type II diabetes after they have consumed sugar or large quantities of carbohydrates.

There are also indications that it does not cause — and may even inhibit — tooth decay.

But when a 63-pound Welsh springer spaniel recently gobbled up four large chocolate muffins that contained the sweetener, the results were gruesome, said Dunayer and Gwaltney-Brant in the journal article.

After three days of bloody diarrhea, vomiting and vital signs that hovered around emergency levels, the animal died.

A 3-year-old, 70-pound standard poodle ate five or six cookies, became ill 24 hours later and died the next day. A 16-pound Scottish terrier ate 30 pieces of gum and died five days later.

A 71-pound Labrador retriever ate a pound of xylitol powder and, after severe illness, recovered.

The two specialists at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' poison control center in Urbana, Ill., say they had three cases of xylitol poisoning in 2003, followed in 2004 by 82 cases, 193 cases last year and, during the first half of this year, 140 cases.

Few veterinarians elsewhere appeared to know about the dangers of xylitol — or had not encountered cases in which dogs had been eaten it.

But a Boulder-based animal doctor said Saturday that she came across one case of xylitol poisoning in the past year. A male Labrador was rushed to the Boulder Emergency Pet Clinic, 1658 30th St., after getting into a pack of sugarless gum that contained the sugar substitute, said doctor Katie Reese.

She said dogs that consume the product can exhibit symptoms of depression and "drunk walking." They can eventually collapse and go into seizures, she said. Because dogs are so popular with Boulder-area residents, Reese said educating owners on hazardous products is important.

A spokeswoman for animal clinics in Florida and Texas said they were not aware of any incidents of xylitol poisoning.

"Clinicians should treat xylitol ingestion aggressively to avoid possible life-threatening consequences," wrote Dunayer and Gwaltney-Brant in the veterinary medicine journal. "Delaying treatment, even in a dog with no clinical signs, may increase the risk of fatal hepatic necrosis (liver damage)."

[Wylie's Mom]

Thanks for posting this!

[Nikki+2]

Great information!

[xxmxaxrxyxx]

wow thanks for the heads up!

[BearBear]

I have just sent this info on to everyone i know who owns a dog or puppy! Thanks for sharing!

[crystalsmom]

Thanks, I didn't know this.

[JonlyCajunQueen]

Goodness...thank you for hte information! You are so greatly appreciated!!

[Deegan's mom]

OMG! I had read this post before and heard about xylitol being poisonous to dogs & so I wanted to check out the products that I give Deegan to make sure that it wasn't in any of his products... I did that back when this post first came up... Now - as I was holding the bottle of his FreshDent (oral gel to decrease plaque & tatar from building on his teeth, that I give him every night) I noticed the word xylitol on the back of the bottled!!! And not to say that it wasn't an ingredient either!!! It was listed on the french ingredients, but not on the english, which is what I had originally read when this post went up!!! I am so mad!! Even if it is a slight amount - they are a pet product company and should know not to use this - or at the least list it on the english side too!!! I don't understand how the ingredients can be listed differently for the different languages!! So be warned - when checking labels for ingredients, check both languages just to be sure!