Sugar Free Gum Sickens Dogs

Don’t feed Fido raisins also...

By Al Tompkins






Al's Morning Meeting reader Dr. Debra Primovic, DVM, managing editor of Petplace.com, sent me an interesting story I have not seen anywhere else. She writes:

Xylitol Toxicity is very new. Xylitol is an ingredient in sugar free gum. Some dogs get into their owners purses or [the owners] have gum out on counters where dogs have access and eat it. It is very treatable but most people (including vets) don't know about gum being potentially toxic.

The article says that while Xylitol is not harmful to humans, dogs react very differently.

In humans, xylitol has little to no effect on plasma insulin or glucose levels, but in dogs Xylitol is a strong promoter of insulin release thus is more likely to cause symptoms.

...Dogs that eat significant amounts can develop a sudden drop in blood sugar, which can cause weakness, lethargy, loss of coordination, collapse and seizures.


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Don’t Feed Fido Raisins Either
Dr. Primovic also sent me a story idea about how you should never allow a dog to eat raisins or grapes. The ASPCA is beginning to investigate reports of dogs being sickened when they eat raisins and grapes. Now be aware, it appears to take a fairly significant amount of raisins to make the dogs sick, between 9 ounces and two pounds.


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