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Sharonr - Admin · Site Admin Joined: 05 Feb 2008 Posts: 2609

Q: Can something as common as chewing gum be toxic?

A: The answer surprisingly is yes. According to an Animal Poison Control Center, last year they managed over 170 sick dogs after eating products containing Xylitol these have included Trident, Orbit, Stride, Icebreakers and Altoids. The one that seems to cause the most queries seems to be Orbit but beware of anything containing Xylitol in dogs.

Xylitol is a sugar-alcohol sweetener found in sugar-free human food products such as chewing gum, sweets, baked goods, low-calorie foods, toothpaste, as well as other products. Dogs that eat it can develop a sudden drop in blood sugar, which can cause weakness, lethargy, loss of coordination, collapse and seizures.

Symptoms can begin in as little as 30 minutes and last hours. It is recommended that pets that experience symptoms be taken to a veterinarian or local emergency clinic for evaluation. Treatment may include hospitalization and intravenous fluids with dextrose supplementation. Some pets can remain symptomatic and may maintain a low blood sugar for several hours.

Recent studies also suggest that there is a strong link between xylitol ingestion and the development of liver failure in dogs.

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.*

To prevent toxicity, do not feed your pet human products sweetened with Xylitol. Minimize pet exposure to any area where you may store sweets or gum. Many dogs have gotten exposure by getting into purses and handbags where gum is kept, so make sure you keep purses secure.

Most problems have occurred in dogs because they are less discriminating eats than are cats. With the increased use of Xylitol in human products, Xylitol toxicity may become more common.

This is a post made by someone whose dog ate 2-3 pieces of chewing gum from her handbag:

Last Friday evening, I arrived home from work, fed Chloe, our 24 Lb dachshund, just as I normally do. Ten minutes later I walked into the den just in time to see her head inside the pocket of Katie's friend's purse. She had a guilty look on her face so I looked closer and saw a small package of sugar-free gum. It contained Xylitol. I remembered that I had recently read that sugar-free gum can be deadly for dogs so I jumped on line and looked to see if Xylitol was the ingredient.I found the first web site below and it was the one. Next, I called our vet. She said to bring her in immediately. Unfortunately, it was still rush hour and it took me almost 1/2 hour to get there. Meanwhile, since this was her first case, our vet found another website to figure out the treatment. She took Chloe and said they would induce her to vomit, give her a charcoal drink to absorb the toxin (even though they don't think it works) then they would start an IV with dextrose. The Xylitol causes dogs secrete insulin so their blood sugar drops very quickly. The second thing that happens is liver failure. If that happens, even with aggressive treatment, it can be difficult to save them. She told us she would call us. Almost two hours later, the vet called and said that contents of her stomach contained 2-3 gum wrappers and that her blood sugar had dropped from 90 to 59 in 30 minutes. She wanted us to take Chloe to another hospital that has a critical care unit operating around the clock. We picked her up and took her there. They had us call the ASPCA poison control for a case number and for a donation their doctors would direct Chloe's doctor on treatment. They would continue the IV, monitor her blood every other hour and then in 2 days test her liver function. She ended up with a central line in her jugular vein since the one in her leg collapsed, just as our regular vet had feared. Chloe spent almost the entire weekend in the critical care hospital. After her blood sugar was stabilized, she came home yesterday. They ran all the tests again before they released her and so far, no sign of liver damage. Had I not seen her head in the purse, she probably would have died and we wouldn't even had known why. Three vets told me this weekend, that they were amazed that I even knew about it since they are first learning about it too. Please tell everyone you know about Xylitol and dogs. It may save another life.

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SHARONR - ADMIN

"My sunshine doesn't come from the skies,
It comes from the love in my dog's eyes".