Brammie Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 Im sure alot of you know the dangers of Xylitol but for those that dont i thought it worth a mention after our "adventure" with Baz today. While i was out this morning Basil ate a whole pack of sugar free chewing gum, for anyone that doesnt know the main sweetner in it is xylitol which can kill a dog. I knew it was bad and quite dangerous but i had no idea just how bad it was until today. I called my own vet first and even he didnt realise how bad it could be, he called me back after some research and we were sent straight to the emergency vets. He and Dex (the other walking dustbin) both had to be forced to vomit to check who had eaten what - ofcourse Baz had eaten the entire pack himself. Apparently 2 bits of gum can put a 10kg dog into severe hypoglycemic shock for 4 days and Baz (17kg) had eaten 14 pieces. He spent the whole day in the vets having his blood sugar level carefully monitered. Quite amazingly his sugar levels stayed stable (abit low though) all day and he didnt go into shock. The vets think it was our quick action, his already full tummy and him swallowing them and not chewing so not helping the xylitol get into his system so quickly. Hes still not out of the woods and they can go into shock with low doses up to 12 hours after ingestion and he has to have a blood test to check his liver functions on Monday. Ive since done some research and learnt that some dogs can go into shock within minutes of eating it, and the scary thing found that because it is better for human teeth than most it is being put in more and more food items including toothpaste and the like. And i remember last year seeing it in dog treats!!! Although i havnt seen that brand since. We are very very lucky but it could have gone the other way quite easily. The silly boy himself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie Claire Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 Glad your boys are ok, the silly sausage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celeste Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 I knew it was poisonous but hadn't realized it only took a small amount, looks like Basil had a very lucky escape Thanks for the warning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incapuppy Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 Thank goodness Basil is ok, and thanks for the warning - I had no idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReikiAnge Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 Wow, he was very lucky, thank goodness for that. I knew about the risks, but sometimes no matter how careful you try to be things happen don't they. So glad he is ok, will keep him in my thoughts and hope he makes a full and quick recovery Am appalled that you saw the stuff in dog treats though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacobean Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 I didn't know the risks so thank you so much for highlighting. Sorry it had to be under these circumstances though. So pleased your boy is going to be ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissa Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 So glad he is ok! I didn't realise it was so poisonous either, thanks for the warning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lil_angel Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 Glad hes ok. Im forever telling my brother not to leave his bag on the floor open as it always contains chewing gum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith gsd Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 I knew about it being very toxic, but not THAT toxic. I really am glad that you knew to do something about it and quickly. Our best wishes for a speedy recovery are being sent from us all on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
safneo Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 (edited) Thanks for highlighting this. I was aware of the dangers as I have had serious side effects of sweetners and have done quite a lot of googling of various ones. Hadnt found specifics for dogs but had heard about possibility of severity. Glad that Basil pulled through and hope there are no after effects. Edited July 19, 2009 by safneo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owl Posted July 20, 2009 Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 Thank you for the warning. We don't have anything containing sweeteners in the house but Wispa scavenges all sorts if she gets the chance. So glad your boy is OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abby Posted July 20, 2009 Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 Really glad your boy's doing okay. I've banged on about xylitol la lot in the past on another board as so many people don't realise how many products it is in. I still don't understand why it is in dog products such as Aquadent (the stuff you put in water bowls to clean their teeth ). The company that makes it says the dosage is fine, but what if you have a sensitive dog, or you put too much in by accident? Shouldn't be there at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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