Xylitol harmful to Dogs

**LinksToThePast** · 05-13-2008, 07:51 PM

For all of you dog owners out there I would like to heed a warning.

We found out the hard way last night that sugar free gum with the ingredient of Xylitol can be very hazardous to your dog. If not caught in time, it could be deadly. Sela is okay, thus far...but we won't know for sure the outcome for several days.

My dog Sela, now 11 months old, got into my son's gum last night. Within an hour and a half we had her to the vet, where they induced vomiting and got what we think is much of the gum. Unfortunately, Xylitol is alcohol based therefore it is absorbed quite quickly into the blood stream.

Basically what happens is the Xylitol is absorbed and causes an increase of insulin, dropping the dogs blood sugar levels.

A dog's normal glucose level is between 77 and 110. Sela was at 60. They gave her an IV with dextrose and by the middle of the night she was up to 85. They dropped the level of dextrose she was getting and by 9 am she was around 75. About three this afternoon she was up to 78, however I neglected to ask how much dextrose she was getting.

If levels fall too low, the dog will experience depression, muscle weakness, and seizures, even death.

The other concern with Xylitol is damage to the liver. Xylitol can cause severe liver damage to a dog within 24 hours.

They say Xylitol is safe for humans, actually very good for diabetic humans because it doesn't give the sugar spikes that normal gum has.

We are waiting now for the latest liver tox screens to come back. If they are normal and her glucose is in the normal range we will be able to bring her home yet tonight.

If you think your dog ingested gum, candy or any baked goods that contain the Xylitol ingredient, call your vet immediately. Chances are they will ask you to induce vomiting as soon as possible to keep the toxins from being absorbed.

I never knew and have been a dog owner almost all my life.

pk · 05-14-2008, 07:28 PM

I'm so sorry to hear about your dog...please let us know how things are. I too have never heard of this being a poisen for animals. Certainly will keep this in mind the next time we buy gum or anything with this listed as being in it.

pk

Scarberry2003 · 05-15-2008, 08:35 AM

I will definetly pass this on to all the dog owners I know.

Sorry to hear about Sela, hope the outcome is good. Keep us posted.

**LinksToThePast** · 05-15-2008, 06:34 PM

Sorry I didn't have time to give an update yesterday. She came home about 10 o'clock Wed. Evening. The doctor would have preferred that I leave her there for another night, but I was confident I could keep an eye on her close enough to handle any problems she may have encountered.

Prior to leaving the emergency hospital she was on 2.5% dextrose. Her glucose levels at 10 am Wed. was 75. At 6:00 pm it had raised slightly to 79. (77-110 is normal) and a puppy her age and energy level, the doctor said she should be closer to 100. by 9 pm just before I picked her up she was at 90, still on the dextrose. Her liver came back normal...which was good.

Overnight I woke her up every couple hours, took her outside for a short walk and gave her a snack. I could tell her blood sugar was low. By morning she was better. I took her into work with me Thursday. The OYM staff and Sela had a great time.

She is sleeping comfortably near my feet right now. Tomorrow she goes to our regular vet for a recheck, just to be sure she has leveled out.

Looks like the only permanent injury was the hit my pocket book took paying the 26 hour vet care. I am certainly going to look into pet insurance for her, since she seems to fancy visiting the emergency vet hospital.

**Mike** · 05-16-2008, 01:03 AM

Its good to hear that your dog is doing well.

**LinksToThePast** · 05-17-2008, 03:41 PM

Sela went to our regular vet yesterday and was declared healthy as a small pony. Blood levels are normal. Liver is normal. She even had her heartworm test and that came back good.

So now it is time to look for pet insurance. If she is going to keep eating things she shouldn't probably a good idea to get insurance so the bills aren't so horrible if she does it again.

Thanks for everyone's concerns.

Scarberry2003 · 05-19-2008, 01:03 PM

Great to hear she is doing good.