[Nfbmt] Information for guidedog users or if you have pets!

[James Aldrich]

Hello all!

I got this information from another list!  I didn't think much about it 
till I heard a news item on the CBS World News Roundup. A sugar 
substitute sweetner known as Xylitol can be very dangerous for your dog 
if ingested. It is very common in chewing gum.

Here is the text of the post I received which originally appeard in the 
Seeing Eye Newsletter.  .

Jim

hello y'all
got this from the Seeing Eye newsletter and thought I would share it 
with all of you dog guide owners and those of you who have pets.

We also wanted to alert you about a potential problem for your dogs. A 
common sugar substitute known as xylitol (x y l i t o l), often used in 
sugarless gum, can be deadly to dogs. Never leave sugarless gum in a 
place where dogs can reach it.
 Unfortunately, xylitol is now being used in other products, including 
peanut butter. Many of us routinely give our dogs peanut butter as a 
treat or as a way to give a pill. If you’re giving peanut butter to 
your dog, make sure it doesn't contain xylitol! According to published 
reports, brands that contain xylitol include Go Nuts, Hank's Protein 
Plus Peanut Butter, Krush Nutrition, Nuts ‘n More, and P28. Xylitol, a 
naturally occurring alcohol found in plants, is sometimes listed under 
other names. The A S P C A Animal Poison Control Center says to be on 
the lookout for any ingredient with the letters x y l, including 
anhydroxylitol, xylite, or xylitylglucoside. Sometimes it is spelled 
with a Z, such as zylatol. Or it can be listed as "birch bark extract" 
or "birch sugar."
 In dogs, even a small amount of xylitol can cause hypoglycemia (low 
blood sugar), resulting in weakness, disorientation, tremors, vomiting, 
or seizures. Higher doses of xylitol can cause severe liver damage or 
even death. Because xylitol is slowly absorbed by the body, symptoms 
can begin anywhere from 30 minutes to up to 12 hours after the xylitol 
was eaten.
 For more information, call the A S P C A's Animal Poison Control 
Center at (888) 426-4435.
Lindon