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Xylitol is becoming an ever increasing problem in dogs and is now being diagnosed as a pet poison more often than ever before.
Xylitol is a sweetener which is often used in sugarless products. It is also frequently found in oral care products as it seems to have some benefits for oral care in people. Items containing xylitol include:
- sugarless chewing gum
- sugarless candy
- mouthwashes and other oral care products
- oral pharmaceuticals, such as certain types of vitamin supplements
- sweeteners packaged for use in the kitchen
Xylitol appears to be relatively safe for people but is metabolized much differently in dogs.
Symptoms of Xylitol Poisoning in Dogs
When ingested by a dog, xylitol causes a rapid decrease in blood glucose or blood sugar levels, known as hypoglycemia. Xylitol has also been implicated as a cause of liver damage in dogs.
Often the first signs seen in dogs are attributable to hypoglycemia and symptoms may include:
- weakness
- lethargy
- depression
- muscle tremors
- seizures
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- lack of appetite
- bleeding and anemia
- increased thirst
- increase in urination
- bloody or black-colored feces
Symptoms of xylitol toxicity can occur as little as 30 minutes after ingestion of the xylitol-containing product.
Treatment of Xylitol Poisoning in Dogs
Immediate treatment is needed for dogs consuming xylitol-containing products. Contact your veterinarian or an emergency veterinary facility immediately if your dog ingests any product containing xylitol.
Your veterinarian may advise that you induce your dog to vomit before transporting him to the hospital or may simply tell you to bring your dog to the hospital immediately.
If toxic doses of xylitol have been consumed by your dog and poisoning is considered likely, your dog will likely need to be hospitalized for monitoring and supportive care. Unfortunately, at the current time, there is no antidote to xylitol available.
Prognosis for Dogs Poisoned with Xylitol
Xylitol can act as a poison in very small dosages. Even one stick of sugarless chewing gum which contains xylitol can be a fatal poison for a small dog.
Prognosis for your dog will depend on how much of the xylitol was consumed, the size and weight of your dog, your dog’s physical condition prior to the xylitol poisoning and whether induction of vomiting was successful in removing xylitol from the stomach before absorption could occur.
Xylitol poisoning is frequently fatal.
Prevention of Xylitol Poisoning
Dog owners may prefer not to keep xylitol-containing products in their home. If kept, these products need to be stored in a location where pets have no access to them
Never feed your dog any foods or beverages or chewing gums containing xylitol.
Do not underestimate the extent of your dog’s desire for sweets. Many dogs will raid the trash or surf the kitchen countertops and tables in search of food items, including products containing xylitol.
Pet Products Containing Xylitol
There are a few pet products on the market which contain xylitol in low dosages. These products are often used as “mouthwashes” for pets. Aquadent is a good example.
These pet-labeled xylitol-containing products are safe to use for your dog, assuming that you follow the label directions very carefully.
In higher dosages than those labeled, these products also can act as a pet poison for your dog. Make certain to store these products out of the range of your pet if you use them.
About Lorie Huston, DVM
Lorie Huston is a veterinarian, pet health and pet care expert, professional writer, blogger, social media and blogging consultant, and SEO strategist.
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Great post from an expert and it will be a great knowledge to us and thank you very much for sharing this valuable information with us.
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Oh my. Thank you for all the information. I only have recently read about Xylitol and I am sure to be more careful what I feed my dog now.
Many people don’t realize how dangerous xylitol can be. One stick of gum can be enough to be lethal for a small dog.
Tonight our beloved 7 month old retriever got into one of the boys’ backpacks and ate what we guess to be an entire container of Ice Breakers Ice Buces White Mango Kiwi Cooler gum containing xylitol. After contacting the ASPCA Poison Control Center we were advised to immediately get him to a 24 hour vet hospital. We left not knowing if he will live. It is early Saturday morning and were told that if he makes it through Sunday, he should be out of the woods. Please be aware of the dangers of xylitol in gums and other things which can commonly be found by dogs. I hope no one else has to go through this. I can’t imagine our lives without our Hunter.
I’m SO sorry to hear about Hunter’s mishap. Please keep us posted about how he’s doing!
I pulled in my driveway yesterday to find my 2 yo lab in a full blown seizure. I had no idea what had happened. She finally came out of it.
My daughter said she had vomitted. When I looked at it, it had the ICe Cube gum in it. Not too far away the container was completly empty. I know I had only a ccouple of pieces out of it. She ingested about 30 pieces of this gum. I called my vet immediatly after telling her everyhting we went right in. Pet poison recommended to give her medication and send her home. My vet was not comfortable with this. She called me about 45 minutes later and said get her to a hospital immed. Her liver levels are elevated already! We got her there. They are currently admin. IV. We have no idea what the outcome will be.
What was your outcome with Hunter? I am so anxious to hear. Thank you. Beth
What a horrible experience, Beth. We’ll be thinking of you and your little girl. Please keep us posted and let us know how she does.
Two weeks ago on a Friday night, my 65lbs Golden Retriever “Daisy” found a bag of sweetener xylitol that I used for baking cookies. Thirty minutes after Daisy consumed xylitol, her blood glucose dropped rapidly causing her to have: vomit, excessive thirst, and muscle tremors. I rushed her to the Animal Emergency Service. She was immediately put on the IV dextrose and fluids. She remained at the clinic for five days. They did glucose checks every couple of hours and ran the liver tox screen. The first 72 hours were critical. According to the vet, the mechanism of this toxicity, in dogs at least, creates a sudden crash of blood glucose and life-threatening changes (liver failure). When Daisy was brought in, her blood work showed her glucose was extremely low and her liver enzymes was at 385 (normal range for dogs is 20 to 60). The next day on Saturday, they did another blood work and her results showed her glucose returned to normal but the liver enzymes elevated to 515. Daisy ate approximately 1 cup of xylitol which was deadly amount for her. Since she was treated immediately within an hour after consumption which may have helped but she was not out of the woods for five days. In three days, her liver enzymes dropped to 365 which was a miracle. At the fifth day, her liver enzymes was at 224 and the vet felt Daisy was on the road to full recovery. Since that time, I followed up twice with Daisy’s regular vet for her repeat blood work. Her results have stabilized. In addition,I had to feed her multiple small bland meals (white rice, boiled chicken) thourghout the day to help maintain her blood sugar level and to gradual transition back to her regular diet. The clinic vet put her on denamarin (425mg)which she must take for one month to help protect her liver. It took Daisy about two weeks to gain her strength. The sweetner xylitol that I had on my kitchen counter didn’t have a bold warning label that it is highly toxic to dogs. It just says “Not recommended for pets”….of course we know that anything from the kitchen is not recommended for dogs. My point is the label should explicitly spell out the the danger to dogs!!!!!!!!! It was an expensive experience to learn what it could do to a dog or I would never have had any product containing xylitol in my house. Please share this with any dog owner you know so no one has to go through this heart breaking ordeal. Who knew what xylitol would do to dogs!!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Mary. I’m glad to hear that Daisy recovered. Many dogs don’t so she was lucky. Hopefully, reading your story will keep other dogs and dog owners from going through the same thing that you and Daisy did.
Dr. Lorie, thanks for this important warning. So many people
feed their beloved pets table foods laden with chemicals, toxins
and GMO’s and don’t realize they are harming them. Sugar and
Chocolate are also toxic to them, and can be deadly, as you know.
Cellular Pet Nutrition can help a pet exposed to any of these things
because it alkalizes the body and helps the cells create cellular energy
(ATP) right away, helping the animals body to fight the toxic substance.
You and Your readers can learn more at http://GreatLifePets.com
Thanks for all you do, Dr. Lorie,
RS Mallory
Austin Tx
512.472.2604
Thanks!
We just bought a min. poodle and bichon mix dog for my daughters birthday he was only 12 weeks old he died of this toxic…..he was only 3 pounds and did not survive PLEASE IF YOU HAVE A DOG AT HOME PLEASE MAKE SURE OF WHAT THE DOGS EATS ):
What a horrible thing!! I’m so sorry, Lucy. Thank you for sharing your story. Sharing it is very brave and I’m sure very painful . But perhaps it can help another pet owner avoid this devastating experience.
I had a 1year old german short hair very expensive hunting dog (Louie) and great family pet that ate some desert containing Xylitol. Within 12 hours he was dead. Being still a somewhat of a puppy, the desert was on the edge of the kitchen table and the temptation was too great. We didn’t realize the toxicity or dangers of this product. We knew the dog got into the food, but never thought of reading the ingredients to check for potential dangers. My Veterinarian was not even aware of the potential dangers of Xylitol. I hope more public awareness is made about this product so individuals can protect their dogs.
I’m so sorry to hear about your dog, John. Unfortunately, your story is not an uncommon one. Too many people don’t realize how dangerous xylitol is to their dogs.
My Great Pyrenees had recently had 5 teeth extracted and is having a recurring problem with gingivitas. My veteranarian recommended C.E.T. Aquadent. We measured out exact doses into his water supply, after a week he started displaying symptoms of disorientation and stressing, pacing back and forth, going outside and fixating on something in the distance. I have taken him off the Aquadent and would appreciate any info on natural products that are available in Canada.
Thank you.
I would advise conferring with your veterinarian, Linda. It sounds like he may be having some health issues.