The surest way to keep your dog from accidentally woofing down xylitol is to keep all human food, drugs, and cosmetics in a safe place, keeping in mind that many dogs are adept at counter-surfing.
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Dogs suffering form xylitol poisoning exhibit symptoms including vomiting, a sudden drop in blood sugar, lethargy, weakness, staggering, a lack of coordination and even seizures.
In the past many years, the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine has received many reports of dogs being poisoned by Xylitol and in some cases, the consequences were quite deadly.
Keep products with xylitol well out of the reach of your dog.
People are not outright feeding their dogs sugarless gum, but if you’ve ever taken Fido for a walk you can attest to how others carelessly discard their chewed gum on the ground instead of a waste bin.
In humans, xylitol does not stimulate this insulin release from the pancreas. When people consume Xylitol, it causes no effect in their blood sugar levels. Martine Hartogensis, an FDA veterinarian said.
According to Headlines and Global News, the number of reports of dogs being poisoned by Xylitol, a sweetener that is often found in gum, has risen tremendously. In dogs however, xylitol prompts the pancreas to release a heavy dose of insulin due to it being absorbed into the bloodstream very rapidly.
As a outcome of this revelation from FDA, people are totally confused, and they are puzzled about the effects of xylitol in humans and pets. Xylitol poisoning can be fatal, but with quick treatment many dogs do recover.
Not giving your dog sugar-free gum may already seem like intuitive advice, but xylitol has found its way into plenty more products as of late. He hopes the FDA will require food packaging of xylitol products to include a text or symbol warning that the sweetener is risky for dogs, according to The Wall Street Journal. This can be life-threatening if it’s not treated.
If you give your dog nut butter as a treat or as a vehicle for pills, check the label first to make sure it doesn’t contain xylitol. Remember: just because something is safe for you to eat doesn’t mean that it’s safe for your dog.
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Pet owners need to take their dogs to an emergency veterinarian as soon as they believe their dogs have been poisoned with Xylitol. Each report is evaluated to determine how serious the problem is and, if necessary, additional information may be requested from the person who filed the report.
