Suger Free Gum Can KILL your Pet

Warning to all dog owners - pass this on to everyone you can.

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 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 ch arcoal 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.

FOLLOWUP TO XYLITOL REPORT

Follow-up about Xylitol toxicity - which is an ingredient in sugar-free gum, candies and baked goods. This is not just the sugar-free gum but also many of the commercial candies and baked goods also contain this ingredient. I know a lot of pet owners that take a bite of something and give their little friend a piece as well. This can be dangerous.

Xylitol is toxic! Don't give your dog access to sugar-free gum or feed candies or baked goods with this ingredient. It can be fun to give a dog a treat but it really is best if you stick with dog food and dog treats.

An emergency vet friend of mine called me last night after she read the xylitol "Is chewing gum toxic" newsletter. She was happy that we are educating pet owners and prevent problems before they happen. I asked her how often she saw xylitol toxicity. She has seen it occasionally but fortunately the ones that she has seen have done okay with treatment.

The classic treatment is that they are admitted to the hospital, given intravenous fluids with dextrose (to help keep their blood sugar up since a common side effect of the xylitol is a low blood sugar level) and time. She said they had one not too long ago that left the hospital after 2 ½ days and did fine. The dogs name was "Sweetie" and had gotten a pack of gum off the coffee table. She came in to the clinic having a seizure caused by a low blood sugar level.

Out of interest - I asked what the final cost was to the owner for this hospital stay - and she told me she thought the final bill was just under $1,500.00. They had checked blood work a couple times because the xylitol can also cause liver damage. Fortunately, the dog was fine. But that is a lot of money for one of those little things that can so commonly happen with dogs.