Xylitol Poisonous For Dogs

This is for the dog lovers and the dog people in your life. Xylitol, a sweetener increasingly used in chewing gum, candy, cookies, and even toothpaste, is potentially fatal to dogs. While humans process only a small percentage of xylitol, it hits dogs like a sledge hammer. You may read this article at the American Veterinary Medicine Association.

"People only absorb a certain percentage of xylitol," she said. "The human body doesn't even notice it. However, in dogs, xylitol triggers significant insulin release, which drops the blood sugar. It is definitely a species difference. People aren't in danger from sugar-free gum containing xylitol; dogs are." ... "This is the tip of the iceberg now," she said. "Anything that is sugar-free could potentially have substituted xylitol for the original sweetener." ... One dog in the study that had to be euthanized because of its condition had eaten four large, chocolate-frosted muffins that contained about 1 pound of xylitol.

"They use it like sugar," Dr. Gwaltney-Brant said. "Baked goods can easily contain a large amount of xylitol."
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"Liver failure is one of our main concerns when dogs get into this," she said. "The low blood sugar we can deal with. But the liver damage, even with aggressive treatment, can make it difficult to save these animals."

For more information, a copy of the study, "Acute hepatic failure and coagulopathy associated with xylitol ingestion in eight dogs," or an interview with author Dr. Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, contact David Kirkpatrick at 847-285-6782.