Posts in Category: Pet Toxins

By Dr Beth Scheenstra, DVM

With as many questions as I receive about chocolate, I am shocked I don’t get more questions about Xylitol.   I just recently made our home Xylitol free.  After treating a small patient who had consumed simply a few pieces of sugar free gum, I felt the risk is too great to have the product in our house.

 This sugar substitute is more common than you realize, and is in countless products.  Xylitol causes unpredictable extreme hypoglycemia in a pets, and in large doses hepatic (liver) necrosis and death.    As little as piece of gum can be very toxic and even deadly to a 10 lb dog.    

If your pet consumes any amount of Xylitol it is best to contact a veterinarian right away.