Xylitol

We had quite a scare yesterday!
The day started normally and Winston was being his nosey self…I usually always close the door to our bedroom, but I was fixing my hair in the bathroom and left it open…Not long after, Winston tore out of there with my pajama pants, no big deal. I thought he went back for sock…but when I didn’t see him for a little bit, I went looking for him!

I found him tearing into a box of trident gum! I immediately ran and got a treat to trade him with (otherwise I never would have caught the little booger!)
I really didn’t think it was that big of a deal. I called Wade to laugh about it and asked him if he thought I should worry about it. He checked it out online…and the race to the vet began!

Turns out that some gum, Trident being one of them, uses an artificial sweetener called Xylitol. This substance is more dangerous to dogs than chocolate! It causes a rapid drop in blood sugar and can cause liver damage. If it is not caught in time, it can be fatal.

Xylitol can be found in sugar free gum, Jello, cake, frosting and just about anything else that uses artificial sweeteners so be on the lookout!!

Thankfully we got Winston to the vet in time and he is just fine now, but it was scary and the vet bill wasn’t cheap. They had to make him throw up to try and get all the gum out of his system and then they monitored him all day. I had to take him back this morning for one more check up, and all his levels were good – great blood sugar and no liver damage.

I learned a very important lesson! We always do our best to not let him eat anything besides his dog food and dog treats, but I will be even more careful to make sure he doesn’t get into anything sweet! I hope if you were like me and didn’t know about Xylitol, this will help you keep your pet safe!