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What does this mean in the real world?
One piece of sugar free gum with xylitol has around 0.3g of xylitol in it. Some gums can
have as much as 1g of xylitol per piece. If you bake with the xylitol powder one cup has
190g of xylitol. If a recipe calls for 1 cups of xylitol to make 24 cup cakes, it will only take
2 cupcakes to cause acute liver disease in a 50lb dog.

What are the signs of xylitol toxicity?
Vomiting is usually the first sign of toxicity and then in 30-60 minutes hypoglycemia can
occur.  The signs of hypoglycemia can be lethargy, ataxia (stumbling around), collapse,
and seizure. In cases where gum with xylitol was ingested the hypoglycemia may be
delayed for up to 12 hours. In severe over doses some dogs do not display the signs of
hypoglycemia prior to the onset of liver failure. Instead lethargy and vomiting occurred 9-
72 hours after exposure. They developed petechia (small spots of bleeding on the skin
and mucus membranes like gums), echymosis (larger spots of bleeding seen on the skin
and mucus membranes), and gastric hemorrhage (bleeding in the stomach).

What can you do if your dog does ingest xylitol?
Immediately bring him into your veterinarian and let her know which items contained
xylitol. Remember how much you pet consumed (always estimate on the high side
because it is always better to be overly cautious when it comes to the health and well being
of your faithful friend).

The moral of the story is to keep the sweets up and away from your dog. Xylitol may help
you watch your waist line, but it can be deadly to your furry friend.

One of the advantages of Bath Veterinary Clinic is that even when our clinic is closed,
our central hospital, Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital is open 24 hours a day every day
of the year.  Our clients enjoy the peace of mind of knowing that a Bath Vet Clinic
doctor will oversee their pet's care even when an after-hours emergency occurs.
Popular sweetener Xylitol
is toxic to dogs...

...it has been known to cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in dogs
for years, but recently it has been discovered that it can cause acute
liver disease and a coagulopathy (inability to clot the blood).
Studies have found that 0.5g/kg or more of ingested xylitol can cause
liver failure.