Sugar Substitute May Be Dangerous to Dogs
If
you think it's no big deal that your dog just ate some
sugar-free gum or a cookie or two, think again. You
may want to make an immediate trip to your veterinarian.
While
veterinarians have suspected that the sugar substitute
xylitol can make dogs sick, there is now further clinical
evidence of an association between the product and possible
liver failure in dogs. A clinical report appearing in
the Oct. 1 Journal of the American Veterinary Medical
Association (JAVMA) discusses the sometimes fatal conditions
developed by dogs that have ingested xylitol. Xylitol,
a sweetener found in many sugar-free chewing gums, candies,
baked goods and toothpastes, is a naturally occurring
ingredient that may have far-reaching negative health
effects on dogs.
"Not
all things that are natural are safe," said veterinary
toxicologist Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, who along with veterinarian
Eric K. Dunayer co-authored the report. "There
are plenty of things in the environment that are toxic
to pets."
While
not all pets become ill after eating xylitol, Dr. Gwaltney-Brant
said the publicand especially dog ownersneeds
to be aware of the potential dangers. She added that
pet owners should make sure that products containing
xylitol are kept away from dogs. If an owner suspects
that their dog has eaten products containing xylitol,
they should contact their veterinarian immediately.
"The
potential for severe illness is very high," she
said. "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."
In
the report, Drs. Dunayer and Gwaltney-Brant, staff members
at the Animal Poison Control Center of the American
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in
Urbana, Illinois, used the Control Center's data base
to gather information on eight dogs that were treated
between 2003 and 2005 after eating products containing
xylitol. Each dog became ill, and while three of the
dogs survived, five of the pets either died or had to
be euthanized because of liver failure possibly stemming
from xylitol ingestion.
Dr.
Gwaltney-Brant said three additional dogs that ingested
xylitol after the study was conducted either died or
had to be euthanized after becoming ill. All three,
Dr. Gwaltney-Brant said, had liver failure.
Dr.
Gwaltney-Brant described the potential negative xylitol
effects on dogs as a "species difference."
"People
only absorb a certain percentage of xylitol," she
said. "The human body doesn't even notice it. However,
in dogs, xylitol triggers significant insulin release,
which drops the blood sugar. It is definitely a species
difference. People aren't in danger from sugar-free
gum containing xylitol; dogs are."
The
number of xylitol-related pet exposures is on the rise,
according to Dr. Gwaltney-Brant, partly because of increased
awareness, but more so because xylitol is being used
in more products. The incidence of reported xylitol
exposures climbed from 70 in 2004 to 170 in 2005. As
of August, the Poison Control Center reported 114 cases
of xylitol exposure this year.
"This
is the tip of the iceberg now," she said. "Anything
that is sugar-free could potentially have substituted
xylitol for the original sweetener."
The
extent of xylitol's potential effects on the liver are
newand certainly not good newsfor dogs,
their owners and veterinarians.
"The
fact that xylitol-containing products can cause problems
in dogs is a relatively new find," Dr. Gwaltney-Brant
said, explaining that the sweetener had already been
tied to low blood sugar in dogsbut not liver failure.
"Once you start looking at something, you see a
lot more of it."
Some
sugar-free chewing gums, Dr. Gwaltney-Brant said, are
as much as 70 percent xylitol, depending on the brand
and whether the product is used as a primary sweetener.
"A
22-pound dog who consumes 1 gram of xylitol should be
treated," she said. "This can equate to 3
to 4 pieces of some gum products."
One
dog in the study that had to be euthanized because of
its condition had eaten four large, chocolate-frosted
muffins that contained about 1 pound of xylitol.
"They
use it like sugar," Dr. Gwaltney-Brant said. "Baked
goods can easily contain a large amount of xylitol."
There
is no information on whether severe xylitol poisoning
has occurred in cats, Dr. Gwaltney-Brant said.
"If
we get exposures, we have blood sugar checked as a precaution,"
she said.
Dogs,
however, are potentially at risk. And while further
studies need to be conducted to definitively establish
a cause-and-effect relationship between xylitol ingestion
by dogs and liver damage and bleeding disorders, Dr.
Gwaltney-Brant hopes the message gets out.
"Liver
failure is one of our main concerns when dogs get into
this," she said. "The low blood sugar we can
deal with. But the liver damage, even with aggressive
treatment, can make it difficult to save these animals."
For
more information, a copy of the study, "Acute hepatic
failure and coagulopathy associated with xylitol ingestion
in eight dogs," or an interview with author Dr.
Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, contact David Kirkpatrick at
847-285-6782.
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