My dog is now in the hospital (for the sixth day in a row) because of this stuff. There's a version you can back with and put in your coffee, tea, etc. It looks just like sugar. The brand name is Xylosweet. I made a batch of corn muffins with a cup of it in them, and, unfortunately, when we weren't looking, our dog ate eight of them all at once. Unfortunately again, we had no idea that xylitol was toxic to dogs, so when she started to throw up and feel ill, we thought that she just ate too many muffins all at once (plus, she had eaten the paper cups that I made them in, too). Well, when we brought her to the vet after this went on for a day, we learned that she was almost dead. Even today they're saying she shouldn't have made it. Her liver is damaged and her blood is still not clotting properly. This stuff is very dangerous. I was heartbroken when I found out that she was probably going to die. The only reason that she's alive is that we pushed and pushed the vet to treat her any way they could. Now she's slowly making her way back. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD.

Our lab is at the emergency clinic now becasue of a few pieces of sugar free gum. We had no idea until the convulsions started!

Spread the word!

We just spent $1000 treating our dog for eating 2 boxes of sugar free gum. If the nurse at my clinic didn't know about this, my dog would be VERY sick and could have possibly died. Thank goodness she's going to make it. The emergency vet had never heard of this either! Spread the word!!

Our dog is hospitalized tonight and we're expecting a vet bill over $1500 because he got into my purse today and ate a pack of Wrigley's Orbit gum, containing Xylitol. So far he is OK because we got him to the emergency vet within 1/2 hour, but he could still experience liver failure and die from this. We are heartbroken. PLEASE--spread the word about this, keep xylitol away from your dogs, and don't let this happen to your own pets. It's a nightmare.

Our dog just ate orbits gum and now he is in the hospital staying over night because of the damage it may cause. Please get rid of your gum!!!

Please read. I know this is long but it is so important for people to understand how devastating this "sugar" is.
Thanks, Mary Crandall

XYLITOL: DEADLY FOR YOUR DOG
Sugar substitute danger

Everyone was home. It was a great weekend of catching up with adult children, enjoying the start of Spring Break with my younger ones, and celebrating Easter with all my children home, a rare occurrence these days. We had a wonderful day on Sunday. After a delicious breakfast, we headed to the beach with our Chocolate Lab, Shenley. I remember watching her run along the shore as she chased the tennis balls we tossed for her. She was such a delight to everyone there.
We came home to finish the preparations for Easter dinner. My husband, Greg, gave Shenley a quick bath to get rid of the sand and she lay out in the sun to rest and dry off. Her chocolate brown fur glistened in the sun. As we were getting ready to sit down to eat dinner, my husband said “Where’s Shenley?” She never missed a meal, hers or ours!
We all stopped what we were doing and searched. One of the upstairs doors was closed and I was sure she was stuck in there, as it sometimes happens. She wasn’t. I realized that she was not in the house. I felt a panic that in all the activity (by now we numbered 12 for dinner) that maybe she had gotten out of the side gate. Both gates were shut tight.
Maybe a second later, I heard my husband say that he had seen her and that something was terribly wrong. He ran outside followed by one of my daughters and me. Shenley was lying on the ground, not able to move. Greg was at her side and talking to her in a low, calm voice. “What’s the matter, girl?’’ Her tail didn’t move. Her eyes were open but she was not able to respond other than to look at Greg. He told me to call our neighbors who were both Veterinarians to see if they were home and could check her out. I got Dr. Tom LaHue on the phone and he was at our house in minutes. By this time, my husband and son-in-law, Roger, had gotten her onto a blanket and had her on the deck. She was so still.
Tom checked her over and said he was pretty sure she was suffering from a neurological disorder and asked us if we had mushrooms or snail bait around that she could get into. We did not have any of these things in our yard. None of us saw her eat anything at the beach, either. Greg went over to see if she had vomited anything and saw some wrappers that at first he thought were from our chocolate Easter candy. My heart sank—my kids were all so conscious of the dangers of chocolate, that I couldn’t imagine that Shenley had gotten into any. By this time, Tom’s wife, Dr. Paula LaHue, was here and noted that Shenley was beginning to have seizures. I saw the twitching and was very scared. What was happening to our little girl?
About this time, our daughter, Caitlin, came out with a wrapper she had found in one of the bedrooms. It was next to a chewed-open Ziploc bag. Another daughter, Emily knew what it was---Ice Breaker gum that she had with her on her plane ride home. She had a baggie of between 2-3 dozen pieces that had been part of a work promotion. Shenley had eaten them all. Caitlin handed the wrapper to Paula who read the ingredient list out loud—the first ingredient was xylitol. She knew it was a sugar substitute.
Tom said we needed to get her to the emergency room and made a call to let them know we were on our way. We loaded our dog into the car and left immediately. Emily sat on the floor talking softly to Shenley as we left. The Veterinary hospital is about 15 minutes from home but it seemed like it took forever. Paula called with some news as we drove. She had looked up xylitol online and said that Shenley could be hypoglycemic from eating it and that we should tell them as soon as we got to the ER. Hypoglycemia would account for her symptoms.
Shenley’s small twitches were becoming stronger and more frequent. Emily and I were very scared and kept trying to be calm for both Shenley and for Greg as he drove down Highway 1. We were more than halfway there when Shenley began to shake violently, her body stiffened, her jaw began snapping, and her legs thrust out. I was sure she was going to die right in front of us. Emily was a mess. I was a mess. Greg had to keep driving. It was horrible. After a while of this violent seizing, Shenley quieted. Her head had jerked itself so that her face was under Greg’s seat. I could see that she was still breathing but I was sure that she was not going to be able to survive.
We pulled into the parking lot and they rushed out with a cart and got her into the hospital. We were to wait outside and fill out the paperwork while the staff tried to figure out what to do to help our baby. The office staff was so kind. After a while, the Veterinarian, Dr. Kim Delkener, had us come into a room to give us an update on Shenley’s condition. Emily kept saying that it was all her fault. My heart was broken for our dog and for Emily. I said another prayer that we would get through this and do the right thing for Shenley.
Dr. Delkener said that they were waiting for the ASPCA Poison Control to advise them on how to proceed. Shenley’s blood glucose level was 26, normal is 120 or so. This was causing all of her symptoms. They had started an IV with dextrose and had given her extra dextrose to boost her levels. They checked her liver function and her clotting time was elevated, an indication that her liver-produced clotting factors were reduced. Her liver was in trouble as she tried to respond to the effects of xylitol. They would need to give her plasma to counteract these effects.
I was in shock—she had eaten many things in her nearly five years with us, including entire packs of gum; with the main side-effect being colorful bits of wrappers in her stool. To think that she was gravely ill from eating gum was difficult to grasp.
Dr. Delkener discussed some of our options. The presence of even one pack of xylitol-containing gum is considered toxic in dogs. Shenley had 2-3 times that much. The volume of material remaining in her stomach would be checked out with an x-ray. According to the Poison Control center, the xylitol in gum continues to be released the entire way down the digestive tract. The remaining gum in her stomach would continue to be a problem.
We discussed ways to remove the material from her stomach—lavage, endoscope, or surgery. Lavage involves pumping fluid into the stomach and drawing out whatever is in there. Shenley would need to be sedated and this was also a worry to Dr. Delkener. The x-ray showed that there was still gum and wrappers in her stomach. We were told we could say good-night to our girl and they would keep us informed throughout the evening. Dr. Delkener was quite clear that she did not know how this would go but that they would try their best.
Saying goodnight was so sad. I was feeling pretty sure that this might be the last time we would see her alive. They brought the three of us into the ICU and we saw her on a mat in the corner with an IV in her leg. She did not thump her tail or raise her head. She could only look at us if we moved our face in front of hers. The image of Emily bent over her and whispering in her ear still brings tears to my eyes. She felt so responsible for the trauma that Shenley was going through. I said good-night next. I rested my hand on her sweet head and told her how much all of us loved her. I told her I was so sad she was feeling this way and that I wanted her to be well and happy again.
As I watched Greg bend over and say good-night, I thought about what a Daddy’s girl Shenley was. He picked her up when she was a 6-week-old puppy, while I was visiting my parents with Bess, Grace, and Riley. He had her all to himself for those first few days. Their bond was strong from the beginning. He lingered over her and I began to cry. Soon all three of us were crying. I thought of everyone waiting at home, wishing they could all be with us. We left the hospital, wrapped in each other’s arms. It was a solemn ride home.
We arrived to a dining room full of tears and sobs as we explained Shenley’s illness and the treatment that we hoped would fix her. It was unreal to think that we had all been with her at the beach just a few hours before and now she was lying in a hospital near death. Our daughter, Bess, had to return to school at UCSB. We had a tearful good-bye and promised to call when we had any news.
We received an update from Dr. Delkener. The lavage was not working. The gum was too sticky. She was going to try and remove it with an endoscope. She would let us know. She again stated that she did not know how this would turn out. I thanked her for her efforts and hung up. The feeling of disbelief again washed over me.
We had another call later in the evening. Dr. Delkener was not successful with the endoscope – the gum was smeared over the wall of the stomach. Surgery was an option, but ill-advised due to her clotting issues. She had called in a specialist, Dr. Jennifer Hendee, who reviewed the case and decided to try a different lavage technique. I felt a little hopeful. They were also going to try glucagon, but would have to go to the local hospital to get it. We heard nothing more for a few hours. The saying that “no news is good news” came to mind.
Finally, we received a call from Dr. Delkener, who had told us in the beginning that her shift ended at 8:00pm but who was still at work at 11:30pm doing her best for Shenley. She said that they had gotten as much gum out as was possible. They had checked with the endoscope and were pleased with the result. It had taken nearly three hours of work.
I was so grateful that she was still alive and that she had a chance. Dr. Delkener also said that they were going to try giving Shenley glucagon, a hormone that works in a balancing act with insulin to regulate blood glucose levels. I said that they should do whatever they thought would help. The glucagon was obtained from Dominican Hospital and was being prepared for administration before they could try it.
Shenley was starting to come to after the procedures she had been through. I felt optimistic for the first time since this ordeal had begun. Dr. Delkener told us the name of the Veterinarian who would be there overnight and assured us that they would call if there was any change in Shenley. They would give her glucagon and see if that helped to regulate her levels.
After a restless night, I woke up and called the Hospital at 6:30. I spoke to the woman who had taken care of Shenley that night. She reported that Shenley had gotten up and had eaten breakfast! I started to cry at the news. She also said that the Veterinarian would call us with details. A bit later, Dr. Aglaia Cardona gave me a call with an update. They had started Shenley on the glucagon and she seemed to be responding. Her liver tests were somewhat improved, as well. She was doing better, but she still needed intensive care. She said that I could visit later that day. She also said that the two Veterinarians from the night before, Drs. Delkener and Hendee, had made a heroic effort to save our dog.
I woke up Greg with the good news. I knew it still could conclude with a different outcome, but I really felt positive that Shenley would recover. As each of the kids woke up, we shared the encouraging news. We still cautioned them that Shenley’s troubles were not over yet.
I was allowed to visit her in the ICU in the afternoon. I had two of my kids with me, thinking that we could all see her. The nurse said that it would not be possible for anyone but me to go back. I walked in to find Shenley in her same corner but this time she stood up and wagged her tail when she saw me. She still had two IV lines connected to her, but she tried her best to jump up on me. I was amazed to see her looking so much better than the night before. Her voice was raspy from all the tubes that had been used down her throat. I sat next to her and she finally relaxed and plopped down next to me and rested her head on my lap. I stayed with her for about 20 minutes. She wanted to follow me out.
We were home later that day when Dr. Goode called with another update. Her liver tests were looking better. They were going to try to start weaning her from her IV meds, the glucagon and the dextrose. If her levels were stable without these drugs there was a possibility that she could come home with her oral meds. We all felt much better going to bed.
It is now Tuesday, April 10, 2007. Shenley has been in the ICU at Pacific Veterinary Specialists since Sunday at about 6:00 in the evening. Caitlin had to return to Seattle last night without seeing Shenley but she is coming back in less than two weeks. Bess and I have talked several times with status reports about Shenley. Jen and Roger are back to work in San Francisco and Jen is sending out an e-mail of our experience so others will be warned. Emily is staying home until Sunday and is getting over feeling bad about it being her gum that caused all this grief. Grace and Riley can hardly wait to see their dog again. Greg and I are so grateful for the care we all received at Pacific Veterinary. It is looking like Shenley is going to survive this episode.
Dr. Goode called a bit ago to say that Shenley did not tolerate being weaned off glucagon during the night, while under the care of Dr. Chris Robison. She would probably need to spend another night there on IV meds. Her liver tests are “not too bad” and her bilirubin is normal. She is going to see how she does today without the glucagon.
There are many things that have contributed to our hopeful state. I think of all the pieces that needed to happen in order for her to be where she is today. If Greg had not taken a moment in the chaos of putting a holiday meal on the table to wonder out loud where Shenley was, if we hadn’t all stopped and looked for her, if the LaHue’s hadn’t been home, if we hadn’t found the gum wrapper, if Paula hadn’t read the ingredients and looked them up on google, if the staff at Pacific Veterinary hadn’t been so thoughtful with their treatment, we would not have our dog alive today. Our family is so grateful for the outstanding care Shenley has received from everyone on the staff at Pacific Veterinary.
All of this happened because of an ingredient in chewing gum that is beginning to be used in many low-calorie foods that we consume. There are many sugar replacements on the market. Xylitol is just one of them. There are also many reports online about the dire effects this substance has on dogs. If you Google “xylitol and dogs” you will be flooded with stories similar to ours. We have had a lucky outcome, so far. It is chilling to think of the pets that have died from swallowing this product.
I wrote this for a few reasons: first, to set down the experience on paper for my own record. Secondly, and more importantly, to provide a detailed warning to anyone that has a beloved dog to check their purses, home and car for products containing this ingredient. Xylitol almost killed our Shenley. It has killed other pets. It has been documented. I urge everyone to look at the ingredient list on gums, breath mints, toothpastes, low-cal baked goods, and other items for this ingredient.
The best thing we can do is to get this out of our environment and to let manufacturers know that we do not want this in our food. The second best thing we can do is to warn everyone to keep this stuff away from your dog. This has been a horrible ordeal for all of us. It reminds us that our pets are totally dependent on us for all their needs. Dogs will continue to eat things they shouldn’t. The most they should expect is a reprimand and maybe a tummy ache, not a life-threatening illness.

Mary Crandall
gregmary@pacbell.net

UPDATE
Today is Wednesday, April 11, 2007. Shenley is still a patient at Pacific Veterinary Specialists. She was successfully weaned off the glucagon yesterday, but still needed dextrose through an IV. Her other liver-support medications are now oral. If we can get her off her IV, she can come home. Emily and I were able to visit her last evening. She looked great. She was so happy to see us and vice versa. Greg will wait to see her when we bring her home. She is always so sad when he is out of her sight under normal conditions and we figured it would be really hard for her to see him for a little while and then have him leave.
We still do not know if her liver can function without the help it is receiving now. That will be revealed in the days to come. The Veterinarians are cautious in their reports to us. I looked up more information on the ASPCA web site. I have a better understanding for this caution now. We will not know the outcome of this for a while.

UPDATE
Today is Thursday, April 12, 2007. Shenley’s liver appears to be OK according to her last test. She is still having trouble regulating her blood glucose level so she is still in the hospital. We are very pleased with her progress to date and are hopeful that she will be home soon. Please don’t let this happen to your dog.

Oh my gosh, we had an Easter like you did Mary! We took our two female yellow labs; Montana & Cedar to the vet on Thursday 04/12/07 as we found ORBIT gum wrappers on the floor - a family member who was visiting, left the gum out on a desk. The girls had gotten into it during the night - the next day they were acting very lethargic and not themselves at all - they ended up spending the following 48 hours in the hospital hooked up to IV fluids, getting poked for blood tests - I could not believe what had happened, I still dont! Our girls were enjoying a wonderful family visit one minute then rushed to the hospital the next. They are home now and I am taking them to the vet this afternoon to have their liver enzymes checked again - Montana's were slightly elevated. Please continue to spread the word about Xylitol and its danger to pets. I cant believe we could have lost our two wonderful yellow girls to something like this - I am so glad that they and Shenley are doing well!

I have one correction for my post listed above. The Veterinarian that took care of Shenley after the first day was Dr. Lillian Good (not Goode). Shenley is home now and had a recheck today and it looks like this behind her. I have been telling everyone I know and sending this out to news and press organizations as well as pet groups. Please feel free to forward.
Thanks,
Mary Crandall

While I was out of town, my lab got into the bag of a friend my boyfriend had over. He had a pack of sugarless gum - had being the operative word. It took a full day for the affects to kick in. She started full scale vomiting. The emergency vet told him, as stated in the article, this can be deadly for dogs. We were lucky and caught it early, and she may come home today, but I still don't know the actual future damage this might cause. No one I was with this weekend had ever heard of this - it needs to be out there more.

I want to thank everyone for posting their stories . . . I would have never known to call the Vet/Poison Control last night had I not come across this webpage. My puppy (6 months old) got into my purse and ate a whole pack of Trident Gum with Xylitol. (I had fallen asleep while I was supposed to be watching her as I am pregnant with twins and am tired most of the time!!) She came into the room and woke me up - and when I saw the remnants of my new pack of gum, I thought I should probably Google what ill-effects a large wad of gum might have on her digestive system. I had NO IDEA that Xylitol was toxic until I read your stories . . . I panicked, of course. I called the emergency vet right away, and then poison control. They had me give her 2 TB of Hydrogen Peroxide to induce vomiting - which seemed to work only because we caught it so quickly. I cannot thank all of you enough for your warnings . . . I shudder to think of what might have happened if I hadn't come across this page. For the record, I will not be buying sugar-free gum (or any gum, for that matter) again. And I think that warnings should be put on the labels of these products . . .

Thank you so much for this site. My dog too ate a pack of Orbit gum and when i called the vet he told me he would be fine but I told him I read here that sugar free gum is dangerous. He started looking around the internet himself and found sites that said the same thing so he had me bring my pup in for testing. He induced vomiting and pumped his stomach and took a look in his tummy with a scope then sent me to the emergency clinic to have them monitor him overnight. His live and sugar levels were monitored overnight and were stable so I took him home in the morning.
He's had diarrhea since I brought him home so I took him back to the vet and they tested his sugar levels again. This time they were a bit low so he had me feed him and then take him back to the emergency clinic that night to have them test his levels which were normal again. I thought we were out of the woods until today (4 days later) when he wouldn't eat and I came home to vomit and bloody diarrhea all over the floor. I took him back to the er clinic and they ran more tests and said the results were fine but gave him a antibiotic shot (ampicillin trihydra) and a shot for the neasea ( doasetron mesylat)and some metronidazole pills for next week. They said it was gastroenteritis but i'm not feeling so confident. I've spent a $1000 so far and I fear I am not out of the woods yet.
I agree everyone get rid of their sugarless gum and all products containing xylitol. It's just to dangerous to chance it.

My Jack Russell terrier also got into a pack of Orbitz gum I had left in my purse. After reading this site, I took her immediately to the animal hospital. She is still there as I type this. They induced vomiting and are keeping her for 24 hours to monitor her glucose and liver function. Luckily, thanks to this site, I got her to the hospital quickly enough to prevent any problems. Her glucose has been stable throughout, but they still are monitoring her just to be on the safe side. I agree also that warning labels should be placed on such products. I had no idea whatsoever that sugarless gum could be deadly to my "baby".

what will happen if my dog eats one piece of trident gum?
Nancy says:
Some trident gum has xylitol in it. Check the ingrediants and CALL YOUR VET.

I came home a little while ago and found a chewed-open empty pack of Orbit Sweet Mint sugarfree gum on the floor. My 14 lb, 5 yr old Chihuahua/Terrier mix, Macy, had climbed up on my desk, grabbed the gum and ingested the entire pack. Having no idea about Xylitol poisoning, I googled info about dogs gumming up their system.....then I read about the Xylitol.....scary! I called the local emergency clinic and they told me to call the ASPCA animal poison control hotline (888-426-4435)It seems my little Macy girl really dodged a bullet tonight because I happen to favor the "Sweet Mint" flavor of Orbit Gum, the only one that contains less than 2% of Xylitol....whew! (You can check the ingredients of gum at www.wrigley.com) They recommended that I keep an eye on her tonight, but she should be fine. The ASPCA poison hotline for animals is wonderful and I was extremely grateful to be able to speak to someone immediately for help. It's a $55.00 charge and worth every penny in a situation like this. I called the emergency vet clinic back and alerted them to the results. They were unaware of the dangers of sugarfree gum and Xylitol poisoning in animals. With Orbit being one of the best selling gums in the country and all the millions of dogs, it's an accident waiting to happen. I think every veterinary office should post a notice warning about this. Thanks to everyone who posted here on this site....would have never known about this danger. Who would of thought something as innocuous as a little piece of chewing gum could kill our furry best friends? I will be warning all of my gum-chewing, pet owning friends.

I got a call from my older brother this afternoon saying that my dog wont wake up. I rushed home from work to find her in a coma state. She had eaten 5 packs of orbit gum. I rushed my baby Marley to the Vet. I mentioned the gum, and he said "I have never heard of gum putting a dog into shock like that." Reluctant I went home and stumbled upon this site. I immediately rushed back to the vet and furiously explained what was wrong with my dog. I was so upset with his ignorance. He as well did some research, and sure enough found information. This is the very strange part, they did blood work, and her results were normal! She is breathing on her own her heart is pumping away. Yet she shows no signs of life. I now and in tears waiting to hear any sort of news about my puppy. I am 23 years old and cannot afford to take her to another vet. So she is stuck with a vet that has never heard of this issue until today. I write this only to have you put my beautiful 1 year old boxer Marley in your prayers tonight. I may never see her again because this issue has never been brought to my or the Vets attention. Something needs to be done.

Warm Regards,

Michael

dikemee@gmail.com

Last night, my dog ate a piece of already chewed up trident gum. We weren't sure if it was anything serious, but I googled it and came across this exact website which had personal experiences and I panicked at the seriousness of the problem. I took her to the emergency vet clinic, and she was there for about 12 hours over nigt getting examined for low blood sugar. She made it through the night (thank God!!) and is now home after a follow up with our family vet. I guess the xylitol was already almost all chewed out when she ingested it, but it was a really close call. It's a simple mistake that could be avoided, so please don't make your dog go throuh the pain! Also, it costs about 1 grand.