Sugarless Treat? Dead Dogs!

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

** Note ** This article was posted today in the news worldwide section, just in case you missed it I'm reposting it here as well. While I do not know more specific information such as what amounts or products containing the chemical are safe I still feel that this information is worth passing along. Use your own judgement. **

BEIJING, Sept. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- Dog owners accustomed to giving their pets sugarless treats may find themselves with a dead dog.

That's the warning issued Friday in a report in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association that appears to strengthen the suspected link between the sugar substitute xylitol, thought to make dogs sick, and possible liver failure.

"People don't think sugar-free gum can kill their dog. I didn't before I got into this. But this is something people should be aware of," said Gwaltney-Brant, who co-authored the study with Eric Dunayer.

Xylitol, a naturally occurring product, is found in many sugar-free chewing gums, candies, baked goods and toothpastes.

Gwaltney-Brant and Dunayer with staff at a poison unit of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Urbana, Ill., gathered information on eight dogs treated between 2003 and 2005 after eating products containing xylitol.

Each dog became ill, and five died or had to be euthenized because of liver failure, possibly from ingesting xylitol.

One dog had eaten four large, chocolate-frosted muffins containing about one pound of xylitol.

Eating even a small amount of xylitol can trigger significant insulin release, which drops their blood sugar and can be fatal, Gwaltney-Brant said.

"A 22-pound dog who consumes one gram (0.03 ounces) of xylitol should be treated," she said, adding that further studies were needed to definitely establish a cause-and-effect relationship.

** Xylitol is found in XLEAR Chewing Gum for dogs, Solid Gold Dragonette Biscuits, Solid Gold Dragon's Teeth Dog Biscuits, Advanced Dental Chews with dried edible toothpaste, DentaTreat and several others.

You can also contact the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) by telephone, 1-888-426-4435 for more information. If you call you'll be forwarded to ext. 751 to speak with Dana Farbman who is the ASPCA animal poision control specialist. She will be back on Monday. My thanks to Calgal for finding out when Dana will return. **

[Doggedly Determined]

xylitol is in many forms of sugarless gum as well. There have been a variety of stories about dogs getting into purses and eating gum. The symptoms are hard to trace, and the owner may not even know what the dog got into.

[Doggedly Determined]

TEXT BELOW QUOTED FROM ORIGINIAL ARTICLE FOUND AT: Popular sweetener is toxic for dogs - USATODAY.com

Popular sweetener is toxic for dogs

Gum with xylitol can cause liver failure in dogs.

By Sharon L. Peters, Special for USA TODAY
A sugar substitute found in a variety of sugar-free and dietetic cookies, mints and chewing gum is proving highly toxic, even fatal, to snack-snatching dogs.
Xylitol, popular in Europe for decades but a relative newcomer to the U.S. alternative-sweeteners market, can be "very, very serious" to dogs when ingested, says Dana Farbman, spokeswoman for the Animal Poison Control Center of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals....

Within 30 minutes of consuming a small amount of a xylitol-sweetened product, the ASPCA says, dogs can experience a dramatic drop in blood sugar, and they usually begin vomiting, become lethargic and can have difficulty standing or walking. Some have seizures, develop internal hemorrhaging and lesions and suffer liver failure. As few as two or three sticks of xylitol gum could be toxic to a 20-pound dog, the ASPCA says....

Moreover, it's not always entirely clear what caused the problem when a dog arrives at a veterinarian's office with seizures or liver failure. "I suspect that there are more cases than we know about because they come in with liver failure, and the owner is not aware of what has been ingested," Pierce says....

Xylitol is an all-natural sugar substitute derived from beets, birch tree bark, corncobs and other natural sources. It's as sweet as sugar but has 40% fewer calories. Unlike sugar, xylitol does not require insulin to be metabolized.

Right now, xylitol is used mostly in cookies, candies, cupcakes and other sweets developed for people who have diabetes. It's also sold in bags of crystals for baking. Because of its bacteria-killing properties, it is put into some oral care products, including Tom's All Natural and Biotene toothpastes.

It also is beginning to be used in a broad assortment of products intended for the general public. Among them: Jello sugar-free puddings and a wide variety of sugar-free gums, including Trident, Orbit, Stride, Icebreakers and Altoids.

[Sentry]

Yep, i've heard of this before and it's scary to think a pack of gum can kill a 250 lbs mastiff. My husband had a bad habit of setting gum on an end table and I showed him the artical a while back. He since then doesn't even buy sugerless gum. If it is a dog killer what the heck can it do to you?
i'm so releived because our 5 lb chi wouldn't have stood a chance!

[Doggedly Determined]

While Xylitol has an extreme impact on the release of insulin in dogs, it does not have the same effect on humans.