The Dangers of Xylitol

Do you chew sugarless gum? Eat sugarless Tic Tacs? Do you have a pet?

If you answered "Yes" to all of the above, you need to be very aware of the risk that xylitol--the artificial sweetener used to make your sugar-free treats taste sweet--poses to your pets.

In a word, xylitol can kill. A friend of mine just returned from two days in the Emergency Room cuddling and comforting her six year old Maltese who ate a pack of sugarless gum. Verdict: He is going to pull through, thank heavens, but not without damage to his liver and pancreas. It was touch and go for a day or so.

Please, please do not eat sugarless products if you have a pet or if you do, do not consume them in the house. We all know how curious pets can be, especially when it comes to something sweet, so it is better to remove the temptation from the premises. You need to be especially vigilant with kids--sticks of gum turn up in amazing places and even chewed gum can be tempting for a pup.

This is serious business. It only takes a trace of the stuff to send your pet into organ failure because pets metabolize sugars different than we do. Do me a favor and toss the poison. It's not doing you any good either.

And if, heaven forbid, your pet does consume even a tiny bit of the stuff, get him/her to the vet ASAP. Maybe you'll be as lucky as my friend but don't say you weren't forewarned.