Abbey, our 4-year old Springer Spaniel, took a package of Orbit gum from my purse – she opened it, ate the paper, gum and most of the box. It wasn’t long before we called the vet thinking she would have a digestion problem. We were told that it was more serious and to get her in as quickly as possible.
Most of us know that chocolate, grapes, onions and garlic can kill a cat or dog – but I didn’t know that the artificial sweetener, “xylitol” could be deadly to pets. This chemical can easily put a dog into hypoglycemia. With just a few sticks of gum!
The chemical in these sugar free gums can also cause Hepatic Necrosis or destroy the liver. We were lucky. The vet made her vomit and put her on IV fluids with sugar to counter the affects of the Xylitol.
The 24/7 Emergency Veterinarian Clinic called the National Animal Poison Control Center (they have a 24-hour number 888-426-4435). The poison control wanted to know the flavor of gum Abbey, our dog, got into her system. We were lucky it was the flavor with the least amount of Xylitol – so, she didn’t have to stay overnight at the emergency clinic.
The lesson being passed to all of you – if you have a beloved dog or your older family members does – please keep sugar free gum out of their reach. What is good for us just isn’t for our best furry friends.
Abbey is back to her old self, chasing squirrels and playing with her best friend, “Happy” our cat!