Xylitol poses serious health risks to dogs

**sarahlux** · 06-26-2008, 07:10 AM

This Email came to me from a local trainer/friend last evening and I thought I'd pass it along in case you aren't aware of the effect Xylitol has on dogs. I'm sure none of us would intentionally give a dog gum but I've pulled a few globs out of Degan's mouth on more than one occasion and it's usually been found in the grass or on the street.

Dear Dog and Cat Owner Friends: I got this from a friend in Denmark and I have recently read an article regarding this topic in one of the last issues of Hundsport, the club magazine of the Swedish Kennel Club. I have no idea if Xylitol has any affects on cats, but you better pay attention.

Have a nice evening.
X Ingrid

WARNING! To all dog owners pass this on to everyone you can.

Last Friday evening, I arrived home from work, fed Chloe, our 24#
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 website below and it was the one. Next,
I called our vet. She said to bring her in immediately.
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 website to figure out the treatment. She took Chloe and said
they would induce her to vomit, give her a charcoal 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 to secrete insulin so their 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. 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 seen 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.