Did you know that sugarless gum/candy kills dogs?

1477 Views 5 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Cassidy's Mom, Jul 25, 2008

Ewilliams

Discussion Starter · Jul 25, 2008

I have heard this recently and I just go tanother e-mail about it, so I thought I would post about it to see if you all already knew about this. There was a letter to the editor of our local paper and then I just got an e-mail today.

***Permission to cross-post***
Please forward this e-mail to all dog enthusiasts……my dog got into a purse over the weekend and ate an entire package of ORBIT gum. If I had not know about this poison and immediately rushed him to the ER, he would have had liver/kidney failure and died. We would have NEVER known it was due to the sugarless gum that he ate. Please forward this to anyone who has a dog, or anyone who knows of someone who has a dog! Please take the time to write to have WARNING LABELS on sugarless products that it may be toxic to your pet. Write to:

Food labeling and Standards Staff

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

US Food and Drug Administration

HFS-820

5100 Paint Branch Parkway

College Park, MC 20740

We need everyone to get involved and write a letter before it causes more mysterious deaths in canines!

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Cassidy's Mom

· #2 · Jul 25, 2008

Re: Did you know that sugarless gum/candy kills do

Yes, the culprit is the ingredient xylitol. It's also used in some toothpastes - I know Tom's of Maine uses it, but I'm not sure how many others.

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arycrest

· #3 · Jul 25, 2008

THANKS FOR POSTING THE REMINDER ABOUT HOW DANGEROUS THIS PRODUCT IS.

This problem has been around for the past few years. The sugarless product in question is Xylitol. Here's a current warning I found:
http://vetmedicine.about.com/b/2008/05/02/xylitol-dangerous-to-dogs-and-possibly-ferrets.htm

A 2006 warning about Xylitol from the AVMA:
http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/oct06/061001b.asp

Here's the link to Snopes afirming the accuracy of the reports on the dangers of Xylitol to our puppers:
http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/xylitol.asp

I buy a lot of sugarfree products, however, I refuse to purchase any product that I know has Xylitol in it.

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Powell

· #4 · Jul 25, 2008

I can't eat any sugarless gum lest I spend a lot of time in the bathroom in pain and on the throne.

Powell

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DancingCavy

· #5 · Jul 25, 2008

I knew of Xylitol's toxicity as well. I went to buy a B12 supplement for Risa and found a liquid one with Xylitol in it. I was so happy I thought to look at the ingredients and recognized it before I bought it and gave it to Risa!

It's always a good idea to check the ingredients on anything you plan on giving your dog.

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Cassidy's Mom

· #6 · Jul 25, 2008

Wow Jamie, I never would have thought to look for xylitol in a vitamin - good to know!

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