[aussiegirl6]

According to the ASPCA, there were nearly 3,200 Xylitol poisonings across the country last year. That's up nearly 800 from 2009.

"If dogs do get into it, it can potentially be life threatening," says Dr. Kristin Olsen, a veterinarian with Affiliated Veterinary Specialists in Maitland. "Probably greater than 75 percent of dogs will pass away."

Dr. Olsen says xylitol acts quickly on dogs and cats -- leading to a severe drop in blood sugar, sluggishness, vomiting, and eventually, liver failure, which can happen in just a matter of days.

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/Xy...ets/-/1637132/19819694/-/d02a5gz/-/index.html

ORLANDO, Fla. -

We all feed our dogs and cats human food from time-to-time. But this will make you stop and think the next time you want to give them a snack.

Doctors now have a new warning about Xylitol -- an artificial sweetener that's found in gum, toothpaste, and is also used to bake desserts. You can buy it at any grocery store in Central Florida, and the number of accidental poisonings is on the rise.

A 4-year-old American Dingo, Bailey, died in February from Xylitol poisoning.

"I had decided to make a cake out of Xylitol," says Topper. "I made this great cake, and she ate it. I had no idea that Xylitol was toxic. Toxic, totally lethal."

Within two days of eating that cake, Bailey was dead.

"I'd sit on the floor with her, and she'd come over closer to me, and she would look up at us like, can you help me please?" says Topper. "I felt guilty. I was the one that bought it, I was the one that made the cake."

Heartbreaking stories like that are more common than you think. According to the ASPCA, there were nearly 3,200 Xylitol poisonings across the country last year. That's up nearly 800 from 2009.

Liver failure, from filtering the toxic Xylitol, and they sell it for humans,,,

 

[BernerMax]

Thats really good to know -- I had no idea, thanks for putting this out there....

 

[Miss Bugs]

which is why I was shocked and concerned when I was looking through a dog catalogue a few years back and saw dentastix type treats advertised, MADE WITH XYLITOL... was the major bragging point :faint: for goodness sake, you cant even buy straight Xylitol that doesn't have a great big warning on the package that its highly toxic to dogs! how in the world did a DOG TREAT made of xylitol even get the the market? :jaw:

 

[aussiegirl6]

which is why I was shocked and concerned when I was looking through a dog catalogue a few years back and saw dentastix type treats advertised, MADE WITH XYLITOL... was the major bragging point :faint: for goodness sake, you cant even buy straight Xylitol that doesn't have a great big warning on the package that its highly toxic to dogs! how in the world did a DOG TREAT made of xylitol even get the the market? :jaw:

Wow, miss bugs, thanks for that tip, I did not know that dentastix had that, I just started buying beef bones from the butcher at Publix for them to gnaw on.
I finally found a hygienist that will clean my dogs teeth without anesthesia in Orlando. I will let you all know how that works out.

You are welcome BernerMax. I like when others post warning for us too.

 

[Miss Bugs]

sorry, I don't mean actual dentastix! these were just that style of treat, they were some "all natural" brand I had never heard of, in the picture they looked like a cross between dentastix and greenies but were not actually related to either.

 

[aussiegirl6]

Oh, OK, I always read ingredients now as I am so careful about stuff. Nestle's had a product out that said on the bag, product of USA but if you flipped it over the tiny print at the bottom said, "made in China". It just disgusts me how misleading product safety can be.

 

[luv mi pets]

It is almost like you need to bring a translator with you to the grocery store anymore just to read the ingredients on labels.

 

[hueyeats]

Yah have to watch those toothpastes.

I am a foodie... always have been.
Never into dieting much and still not over weight.

I am all for real sugar and butter (Roman loves that).
Never even have the habit of using artificial anything...
Great article.. they should come out with product studies sooner though... wonder why these studies are kept from public for so long.

 

[aussiegirl6]

Hueyeats, I don't know the answer to that, I only found out from our local news channel and they did the research on the article. I am grateful to the lady in Orlando who released this information to the news media. I am with you on the butter issue and I eat that turbinado sugar in my tea.

 

[hueyeats]

Of course we the common folks wouldn't know why companies kept certain product info from public.... just saying that Xylitol is not a new product but has been around for quite a while... any responsible company would have culled the product loong time ago but for its own profits advantages even if it means some harm to public safety.... yikes.
Like many Chinese food products (milk scare) etc.

I agree! I love "sugar in the raw".... yummy.

 

[gingerkid]

Yah have to watch those toothpastes.

I am a foodie... always have been.
Never into dieting much and still not over weight.

I am all for real sugar and butter (Roman loves that).
Never even have the habit of using artificial anything...
Great article.. they should come out with product studies sooner though... wonder why these studies are kept from public for so long.

It's not exactly a secret... every website I have read about "foods that can harm dogs" have included artificial sweeteners (including Xylitol, sucralose, malitol, etc.)
Here are 3 of the top 5 answers from a google search for "foods poisonous to dogs":
http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/ss/slideshow-foods-your-dog-should-never-eat
http://dogs.about.com/od/dogandpuppyhealth/tp/toxicfood.htm
http://www.cesarsway.com/askthevet/dietadvice/people-food-and-your-dog

In my opinion, it's not that the information isn't out there - it's that people don't think about the fact that dogs are not humans so they assume that if something is safe for humans, it is safe for dogs too. (For the sake of argument, I'm ignoring the evidence that suggests xylitol isn't safe for humans because the problems it has been linked to are chronic ones, not acute).

 

[aussiegirl6]

The fact that it was not widely publicized bothers me. I looked up food harmful to dogs but it is not something I would repetitively do. I expect new addtions to that list to be publicized, especially food deemed safe for humans.
You are most welcome magneto800

 

[cookieface]

But information about xylitol toxicity to dogs is highly publicized (at least as well as any other common food item toxic to dogs). Before I give Katie anything new and not specifically made for dogs, I consult one of the readily available "do not feed to dogs" lists.

 

[aussiegirl6]

The post is about Xylitol, not zylitol, is that the same thing? Perhaps the purpose of my post was misunderstood. A specific post documenting a specific incident killing pets was proof enough for me. Depending on who did the research and who put out the information, I like facts. I don't believe statistics at all because you have to know who was behind the study doing them. (Like the altered data found about Global Warming) Any other common ingredients that might be "hidden" in our people foods that could kill our pets that we can find is great. All lists are not the same, all lists are not complete. All people do not have the same information. This is how we learn, by sharing information. Ever see that insurance commercial where the girl says, "Of course it must be true, it was on the internet."? With her French model she walks off?
Sometimes we don't always "GIVE" our dogs something, they "FIND" it on their own. We have dogs that like to surf the kitchen too. Just an update of info, not a "you could have, should have" known type post. Like my Spicey Nacho chips my dog ate 8 years ago, I did not research all that was in them. LOL. Frankly over 13 years I have consulted with my vet about what to feed dogs and not, read about foods and plants throughout those years that harm pets but, I don't go to the computer for every little thing, I expect to "hear, read or find out" about updates to this list. So it was NOT widely publicized to everyone. With the 2 jobs I have maybe I missed it and if my dog ate my cupcake, I would not have thought a thing about it,except that was not a healthy thing to eat, unless it was made with real chocolate. This lady is devastated, and I would never say such a thing to her and make her feel worse, because this information was "readily" available or "highly Publicized", her dog is dead. That is enough for me to take this information and make sure no one else has this happen, if they have sweets sitting out anywhere. This was merely a update for people that did not know. I never purchase food with ingredients I have to look up on the internet.

 

[Poly]

Post this number near your phone:

24/7 Animal Poison Control Center

800-213-6680
​

Add the following to your favorites:

Pet Poison Hotline

if you have an iPhone, get the poison hotline app from that site.

But information about zylitol toxicity to dogs is highly publicized (at least as well as any other common food item toxic to dogs). Before I give Katie anything new and not specifically made for dogs, I consult one of the readily available "do not feed to dogs" lists.

That's a good policy.


Unfortunately, too many people assume that if humans can consume something in relative safety, it must be safe for all other animals.

Liver failure, from filtering the toxic Xylitol, and they sell it for humans,,,

The post is about Xylitol, not zylitol, is that the same thing?

"They" sell it for humans because we can metabolize it relatively easily. In fact, in humans, xylitol is actively beneficial for dental health.

Very toxic to dogs, however.

That's not so unusual. We can consume chocolate in relative safety (even if it puts on a few pounds). Dogs have died from eating chocolate.

BTW, xylitol must be listed in the ingredients list for any product that contains it. That's not true about everything. Some ingredients can be "hidden". But this one must always be listed.

In the US, the official name is "xylitol" and that is the way it must be listed by law. However, other countries use the name "zylitol" for the same thing. If you purchase items outside the US you should be aware of that possibility.

 

[aussiegirl6]

Thank you so very much for that info Poly, I have posted that on my refrigerator. Bless you.

 

[cookieface]

The post is about Xylitol, not zylitol, is that the same thing? Perhaps the purpose of my post was misunderstood. A specific post documenting a specific incident killing pets was proof enough for me. Depending on who did the research and who put out the information, I like facts. I don't believe statistics at all because you have to know who was behind the study doing them. (Like the altered data found about Global Warming) Any other common ingredients that might be "hidden" in our people foods that could kill our pets that we can find is great. All lists are not the same, all lists are not complete. All people do not have the same information. This is how we learn, by sharing information. Ever see that insurance commercial where the girl says, "Of course it must be true, it was on the internet."? With her French model she walks off?
Sometimes we don't always "GIVE" our dogs something, they "FIND" it on their own. We have dogs that like to surf the kitchen too. Just an update of info, not a "you could have, should have" known type post. Like my Spicey Nacho chips my dog ate 8 years ago, I did not research all that was in them. LOL. Frankly over 13 years I have consulted with my vet about what to feed dogs and not, read about foods and plants throughout those years that harm pets but, I don't go to the computer for every little thing, I expect to "hear, read or find out" about updates to this list. So it was NOT widely publicized to everyone. With the 2 jobs I have maybe I missed it and if my dog ate my cupcake, I would not have thought a thing about it,except that was not a healthy thing to eat, unless it was made with real chocolate. This lady is devastated, and I would never say such a thing to her and make her feel worse, because this information was "readily" available or "highly Publicized", her dog is dead. That is enough for me to take this information and make sure no one else has this happen, if they have sweets sitting out anywhere. This was merely a update for people that did not know. I never purchase food with ingredients I have to look up on the internet.

I apologize for the confusion - "x" and "y" are adjacent keys. I'll refrain from saying more.

 

[Miss Bugs]

In fact, in humans, xylitol is actively beneficial for dental health.

that would explain why it was a teeth cleaning treat I saw it advertised in lol, not that it explains why it would be a DOG treat!