Do you have a dog? Please read this!!!

[wwithers]

So today, 3 of my dogs had to spend the day throwing up at the vet. One of them also spent the day having hourly blood tests done, a liver panel and various other tests. I spent nearly $800 and it looks like everyone will be okay. Why? you may ask...

Xylitol.

This is a sweetener used in sugar-free gum and various other sugar-free goodies like hard candy and baked goods. It is EXTREMELY toxic to dogs. As few as 2 sticks of sugar-free gum can send a small dog into insulin shock. 10 pieces can cause irreversible liver failure within 48 hours. Surprisingly, this is not well known.

My dog was lucky. I was lucky. I know how lethal Xylitol is and got Pongo to the vet in time (DD had put her gum where she thought it was safe). I'm also lucky he's big...and that there were only 13 pieces left...and that I happened to see the remains of the package sticking out from under the bed....

The vet thinks he will be okay. I just wanted everyone else to have this information too; and to make sure you know to keep all sugar-free goodies where the doggies can't reach.

(No more sugar-free gum in our house, I figure I can't afford $800 a pack.)

 

[can84]

I'm glad he's going to be ok.

 

[kacaju]

I know someone else who had this happen to their dog. Please keep your gum away from your dogs!!

 

[Jockaroo]

I'm glad Pongo is pulling through this. Xylitol is deadly. To add to your warning, watch sugarless mints. I know many people address their dog's bad breath by giving Tic Tacs. The sugarless mints often contain Xylitol.

Thanks for posting the warning. This is such a dangerous substance that we can't sound the alarm enough. Hugs to Pongo.

 

[christiane]

Glad to hear your dogs are going to be ok. Thank you for reminding everyone about this.

If I could add to your PSA, I would remind everyone that chocolate, grapes/raisins, onions, garlic, macademia nuts, avocadoes, yeast dough & moldy foods can be deadly to dogs also.

After ingestion, early intervention like you did for your pets can save lives.

 

[aprilgail2]

I would remind everyone that chocolate, grapes/raisins, onions, garlic, macademia nuts, avocadoes, yeast dough & moldy foods can be deadly to dogs also.

After ingestion, early intervention like you did for your pets can save lives.

Acutally its only dark chocolate- not milk chocolate. Milk chocolate in large quantities will give a dog the runs though! Mine (small dog less than 35 pounds) ate almost a pound and a half of milk chocolate- had the runs for a day but thats it. I had freaked and calledthe vet as soon as he ate the chocolate but they said not to panic, that it was dark chocolate that you had to be worried about.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

WOW, I knew about all the things christiane mentioned, but NOT about the xylitol! Thank you so much for the warning! I am sorry that happened to your dogs, and I am glad they are ok.

 

[Christine]

I just read about 2 weeks ago that Xylitol was hazaradous to dogs.

 

[christiane]

Acutally its only dark chocolate- not milk chocolate. Milk chocolate in large quantities will give a dog the runs though! Mine (small dog less than 35 pounds) ate almost a pound and a half of milk chocolate- had the runs for a day but thats it. I had freaked and calledthe vet as soon as he ate the chocolate but they said not to panic, that it was dark chocolate that you had to be worried about.

I have to let everyone know that milk chocolate IS toxic to dogs. Yes, the amount ingested needs to be much higher than dark chocolate but it still can have life-threatening consequences.

For example milk chocolate is potenitally lethal at ~1oz per lb body wt.
For dark chocolate same effects at 0.1 oz per lb of body wt.

So for a 10lb dog, 10z of milk chocolate or 1 oz of dark chocolate are potentially lethal.

If your 35lb dog did indeed eat 1.5lbs (24 oz) of chocolate, he ate 0.7oz/lb which is very close to the lethal amount of milk chocolate.

Either he was very fortunate or he did not eat 24 oz.

There are other calcuations based on the toxic ingredients (theobromine & caffeine) but I won't get into those. But when I performed your dog's calculation, he was very close to the lethal dose. Your vet misinformed you.

Dogs do die from eating milk chocolate. Unfortunately I have seen it happen.

I hope you don't mind this little hijack, wwithers but I felt this was very important for people to know. I hope your dogs are still doing well.
Christiane.

 

[wwithers]

I hope you don't mind this little hijack, wwithers but I felt this was very important for people to know. I hope your dogs are still doing well.
Christiane.

I don't mind at all. I appreciate the addition of all the warnings. The more we all know, the safer our doggie babies are.

Oh, and Pongo had his blood sugar checked again today. Thankfully, he will indeed be fine.

 

[christiane]

Oh, and Pongo had his blood sugar checked again today. Thankfully, he will indeed be fine.

Good News!

 

[sunnyday123]

I have to let everyone know that milk chocolate IS toxic to dogs. Yes, the amount ingested needs to be much higher than dark chocolate but it still can have life-threatening consequences.

For example milk chocolate is potenitally lethal at ~1oz per lb body wt.
For dark chocolate same effects at 0.1 oz per lb of body wt.

So for a 10lb dog, 10z of milk chocolate or 1 oz of dark chocolate are potentially lethal.

If your 35lb dog did indeed eat 1.5lbs (24 oz) of chocolate, he ate 0.7oz/lb which is very close to the lethal amount of milk chocolate.

Either he was very fortunate or he did not eat 24 oz.

There are other calcuations based on the toxic ingredients (theobromine & caffeine) but I won't get into those. But when I performed your dog's calculation, he was very close to the lethal dose. Your vet misinformed you.

Dogs do die from eating milk chocolate. Unfortunately I have seen it happen.

I hope you don't mind this little hijack, wwithers but I felt this was very important for people to know. I hope your dogs are still doing well.
Christiane.

This!

 

[Octoberbride03]

I don't mind at all. I appreciate the addition of all the warnings. The more we all know, the safer our doggie babies are.

Oh, and Pongo had his blood sugar checked again today. Thankfully, he will indeed be fine.

YAY

And you make me very glad i have never been able to stomach sugar free candy, so i don't have any in my house to worry about. No real candy at the moment either

 

[Snoopymom]

Thank you!

Dale's sauce http://www.dalesseasoning.com/

recently made my sil's dog sick enough to spend the day at the vet.

 

[leslie@dvcstore]

wow did not realize thank you for info!

 

[damo]

I've banned it in my house too. I know two dogs who have died in the past year with suspected xylitol poisoning. Both had liver failure at a very young age.

 

[MissMet]

Your story is the exact same thing I went through with my little yorkie last month but it was because of raisins! She climbed up on the table & ate a homemade candy that was chocolate, raisins & nuts.

I had to take her to the emergency vet & she stayed the night, then the next day she had to go to our regular vet & have more tests, followed by another test 3 days later. She's ok, but it was definitely frightening & EXPENSIVE!! It cost me $1,100!

The vet said that chocolate is not good, but because it was milk chocolate, they weren't concerned about it once she threw up. However the raisins are really bad. They said the toxicity in one raisin alone could cause her kidney failure, due to her size. They got her to throw up 9 raisins! But we had no idea how many were in the candy, so she had to stay & go through all those tests.

So be careful of grapes & raisins too!

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

I think we should all think twice about ingesting xylitol.

 

[Cat0727]

I'm glad your dog's okay

Now I am going to be even more careful with leaving my purse where my dog can't get into it- he likes to steal and has a thing for gum.

 

[robinb]

I'm glad your doggie is OK! The TV show The Doctors just covered this today. I usually don't watch it, but it was on while I was working out at the YMCA today.