SAN ANTONIO – We all love feeding our dogs table scraps, but there’s an ingredient that pet owners will want to be aware of when feeding their dogs anything new.
Xylitol, also known as birch sugar, birch bark extract and wood sugar, is a sweetener that can be poisonous to dogs, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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This artificial sweetener is found in many products, including sugar-free desserts and gum, cough syrups, nasal sprays, dietary supplements and toothpaste.
Xylitol poisoning can happen within 20 minutes of a dog ingesting the sweetener.
According to the FDA, symptoms of poisoning can include vomiting, weakness, coma, difficulty standing or walking, shaking or seizures, liver failure and bleeding problems.
If untreated, xylitol poisoning could lead to death. The FDA urges pet owners who think their dogs may have eaten a product with Xylitol to call their vet, emergency animal clinic or animal poison control center.
The FDA said every second counts.
You can also read this post from the FDA in Spanish here.
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