Xylitol Poisoning

Many people know the common toxins for pets like chocolate and grapes, but did you know the artificial sweetener xylitol is highly poisonous for pets too? Xylitol can cause major problems and even kill your pet if ingested.

But what is xylitol? Xylitol is a low calorie sugar alcohol that is used to sweeten things like gum, candy, peanut butter and baked goods. It is derived mostly from corn cob and birch bark. Xylitol can also be labeled as wood sugar, birch sugar, birch bark extract or even just sugar alcohol.

Xylitol is a great low calorie sweetener for humans, but is extremely dangerous for pets. How it works in the body is to cause a sharp increase in insulin that causes your pet’s blood sugar to drop. If this low sugar is not treated your pet will go into a coma and die. Not only will xylitol affect your pet’s sugar levels, it can also cause liver failure. Other problems that can occur with xylitol poisoning are low potassium and low phosphorous levels.

Research shows that greater than 0.1 gram xylitol/kilogram of body weight puts your pet at risk for developing low blood sugar levels, while doses of greater than 0.5 gram xylitol/kilogram of body weight will be toxic to the liver and even more likely to cause death. These figures are estimated and do not take into account extenuating factors like the age of your pet (very young or old for example), activity level or preexisting conditions.

How do you know how much xylitol is in a product when it is not expressly labeled? Take gum for example, an average piece contains 0.22 grams – 1.0 grams per piece. Only 3 sticks of sugar free gum with xylitol is enough to cause a very large dog to develop low blood sugar and anything more will cause liver failure.

It can take as little as ten minutes to an hour for xylitol poisoning to occur so it is extremely important to monitor your pet around products with xylitol if you must have them in your home (obviously it is much safer not to have it around). If you think your pet has ingested xylitol contact your vet immediately.

Here are some of the symptoms of xylitol poisoning:
* decreased movement
* lethargy
* vomiting
* staggering
* weakness
* incoordination
* collapsing
* seizures

Watch for items that say “sugar free”, “low sugar”, “keto friendly” or “vegan friendly” as examples. Here are just some common food items that can contain xylitol:
* sugar free gum
* peanut butter
* nut butter
* mouthwash
* toothpaste
* pudding
* syrup
* jam
* chocolate
* chewable vitamins
* nasal spray
* personal lubricant
* sugar free mints
* sugar free candy

It may shock you to know that some of the most common incidents of xylitol poisoning are the results of your pet ingesting chewing gum. The gum that is candy coated or often gum in a cup style holder contain more xylitol per piece than some of the other types of gum. Please check the label if you chew gum and be aware of where you keep it!! Toothpaste is another common route of xylitol poisoning as well.

There are three ways to keep your pets safe from xylitol. The most common and obvious way is to not keep products with xylitol in your home, vehicle or bag. This may not be possible so please please please read labels. The second way to keep your pet safe is to safely store xylitol products where your pets have no way to get to them. Pets are pretty crafty so perhaps places that are really high, behind a door, add child proof locks to cabinets or crate your pet or block off the area that may contain xylitol containing products if you cannot monitor your pet. The third way to keep your pet safe is to teach a behavior like “leave it” for when items may fall on the floor as well as generalized impulse control. Impulse control teaches your pet not to act immediately on their natural instincts.

Xylitol ingestion is extremely dangerous and most times lethal for your pet and even small amounts will cause blood sugar levels to drop or liver failure. It is up to us as pet parents to keep our fur babies away from items containing xylitol. Keep your pet safe and products with xylitol out of reach and secured. If you have any questions about xylitol or need some extra training help please reach out to me at info@primowellness.net.