A warning for dog owners

[Bassetluv]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Keep thosesugarless treats out of Fido's reach. Veterinarians warned on Fridaythat a commonly used sweetener might cause liver failure in dogs, andperhaps even kill them.

Their report in the Journal of the American Veterinary MedicalAssociation appears to strengthen the suspected link between the sugarsubstitute xylitol, thought to make dogs sick, and possible liverfailure.

Xylitol, a naturally occurring product, is found in many sugar-free chewing gums, candies, baked goods and toothpastes.

Researchers Sharon Gwaltney-Brant and Eric Dunayer with staff at apoison unit of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals in Urbana, Illinois, gathered information on eight dogs treatedbetween 2003 and 2005 after eating products containing xylitol.

Each dog became ill, and five died or had to be put down because of liver failure, possibly from ingesting xylitol.

One dog who had to be euthanized had eaten four large, chocolate-frosted muffins containing about 1 pound (0.45 kg) of xylitol.

"People don't think sugar-free gum can kill their dog. I didn't beforeI got into this. But this is something people should be aware of,"Gwaltney-Brant, who co-authored the study with Dunayer, said in astatement.

Gwaltney-Brant said for dogs, ingesting even a small amount of xylitolcan trigger significant insulin release, which drops their blood sugarand can be fatal.

"A 22-pound (10-kg) dog who consumes one gram (0.03 ounces) of xylitolshould be treated," she said, adding that further studies were neededto definitely establish a cause-and-effect relationship.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060930/us_nm/life_dogs_dc

 

[ilovetegocalderon]

I'll pass this along to my mom. She has 3 dogs.

 

[ruka]

Anyone who feeds their dog chocolate, gum, candies, and toothpaste are idiots and shouldn't be allowed to have pets.

Also, if dogs are getting sick and are even dying from consumingxylitol, it must not be very good for humans or other animals. Thosewho use sweetners like Splenda and other sugar-free products shouldmake sure if they contain xylitol. I use real sugar. I never useartificial sweetners because of how new they are and there has not beena lot of research on these products.

 

[xxEstellexx]

wow! i tell my mum about this 1!! we have2 dogs!!









XX!!

 

[coolbunnybun]

Wow! i pass this to my friends and family.

 

[Bassetluv]

ruka wrote:

Anyone who feeds their dog chocolate, gum, candies, andtoothpaste are idiots and shouldn't be allowed to have pets.

Also, if dogs are getting sick and are even dying from consumingxylitol, it must not be very good for humans or other animals. Thosewho use sweetners like Splenda and other sugar-free products shouldmake sure if they contain xylitol. I use real sugar. I never useartificial sweetners because of how new they are and there has not beena lot of research on these products.

Hi ruka,

While some people do tend to give their dogs human foods and treats, Isuspect that most pet owners do warrant care in what they feed theirpets. I wanted to post this because - if the facts stated are true -it's good to know so one can keep these items out of our pets' reach.For instance, I have a habit of leaving some things on my kitchentable...sugar-free gum packets being one of them...and my dog has beenknown tosneak things from the table in the past and eatwhatever she considers edible (her most recent transgression: she tooka bag of steel-cut oats I'd forgotten to put away and shredded theentire thing, all over the kitchen floor). She has also been known totakea packageof gum in the past and chew them up.

I do agree, it's made me wonder just how safe products such assugar-free gum are for humans, now that I've read this. I've alwayssteered clear of artificial sweeteners in packets (the little sugarsubstitutes for coffee and tea) but never consideredartificially-sweetened gum. And for me it's kind of a blow, because Ido tend to chew a lot of non-sugarbased gum, as I had radiationtreatments a few years ago that left my salivary glands affected...sochewing gum helps to stimulate them.

I tend to try and stay away from all refined sugars becauseofthehuge controversy over the amount of processed sugar in thediet which can be linked to many medical conditions, such as cancer,diabetes, IBS, and candida. When I do use sugar to sweeten something,generally I will use Stevia, a natural artificial sweetener, orSucanat, which is a natural sugar from cane juice that has beenextracted and granulated without all of the heavy bleaching andprocessing.

At any rate, it's always good to know these things and pass them on,esp. for our pets, as there are so many things that can cause potentialharm.