Everyone knows about the dangers of chocolate to dogs.
However, there is a relatively new danger to dogs and it's called Xylitol.
Xylitol is a sugar substitute for sugar free foods and it has taken over most sugar free gum products, it's also in a lot of cookies and snacks.
Xylitol it turns out is a very toxic substance to dogs and only a very small amount can be fatal, first it there is a chance that it will cause a massive drop in blood sugar and the dog can go into hypoglycemia starting about 30 minutes after ingestion, the window to save the animal is very small, you don't have much time.
Secondly, not all dogs that ingest Xylitol show the hypoglycemia effect, however in both cases massive liver damage can follow in as few as 8-12 hours, leading to death.
THERE IS NO ANTIDOTE!!!
Vets treat Dogs by administrating IV fluids to replace lost blood sugar and to help flush the system of the toxins to reduce possible liver damage, however since it can only take 1 or 2 sticks of gum to poison a 20lb dog there is no guarantee of recovery.
I am bringing this up because our dog ingested some Trident today accidently and while we can't be sure how much she got, she is a small dog. Right now she is in veterinarian care for at least the next 48 hours and we can only hope for the best.
But since we had no idea about how toxic Xylitol is and how common its becoming in various foods, dog owners should all be very aware and very careful.
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