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A report in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association appears to strengthen the suspected link between the sugar substitute xylitol, thought to make dogs sick, and possible liver failure.
Xylitol, a naturally occurring product, is found in many sugar-free chewing gums, candies, baked goods and toothpastes.
It seems that 8 dogs became ill, and five died or had to be put down because of liver failure, possibly from ingesting xylitol.
One dog who had to be euthanized had eaten four large, chocolate-frosted muffins containing about 1 pound (0.45 kg) of xylitol.
"People don't think sugar-free gum can kill their dog. I didn't before I got into this. But this is something people should be aware of," Gwaltney-Brant, who co-authored the study with Dunayer, said in a statement.
Gwaltney-Brant said for dogs, ingesting even a small amount of xylitol can trigger significant insulin release, which drops their blood sugar and can be fatal.
Interesting findings but I question the validity of the study since chocolate makes dogs sick. Depending on the amount of chocolate & the size of the dog, chocolate can have seriously negative effects sometimes even fatal results.
ReplyDeleteI think they've only decided to study it further in light of results so far.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, know a few people with dogs, thought I'd throw it out there for them to follow up.