The Hidden Ingredient in Household Items That Could Harm Your Dog

A veterinary clinic has warned pet owners against feeding one common ingredient to their dogs, as even just a small amount of it can cause severe health problems such as liver failure.

In a post shared on TikTok earlier in August under the username Thepethealthclub, the veterinarians explained that xylitol, a sugar substitute that is quite common in many grocery items, is highly toxic to dogs and should be avoided.

The post explained that xylitol is found in a lot of sugar-free items, including chewing gum, sugar-free candy or mints, toothpaste, mouthwash, some soft drinks, jellies, and jams, as well as certain types of cereal, baked goods, and peanut butter.

Xylitol is a natural sugar alcohol found in plants, including many fruits and vegetables, which has a sweet taste and is often used as a sugar substitute.

A caption along with the post explained: "Xylitol will cause your dog's blood sugar to reduce drastically, this happens because their pancreas (the organ responsible for regulating blood sugar) cannot tell the difference between this toxic product and real sugar.

"If your dog ingests it, their pancreas thinks the blood sugar levels are getting too high so it produces insulin. Insulin has no effect on the Xylitol but it will cause blood sugar levels to drop with dangerous consequences. The severity of harm depends on the quantity of xylitol the dog ingests, but even the smallest amount of this product can cause problems."

Dave Tweedle, senior vet at Pet Health Club and My Family Vets, told Newsweek that xylitol will cause your dog's blood sugar to reduce drastically. This happens because their pancreas (the organ responsible for regulating blood sugar) cannot tell the difference between this toxic product and real sugar.

He said: "If your dog ingests xylitol, their pancreas thinks the blood sugar levels are getting too high so it produces insulin. Insulin has no effect on the xylitol but it will cause blood sugar levels to drop, with dangerous consequences.

"Liver failure is also a possible result of xylitol poisoning, although no one has discovered why this is. The severity of harm depends on the quantity of xylitol the dog ingests, but even the smallest amount of this product can cause problems.

"If you think your dog has swallowed a product with xylitol in it, your vet will need to take action very quickly. For this reason, it's really important that you do not wait for symptoms to appear but contact your vet immediately."

The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across TikTok. It has so far received over 3.2 million views and 324,600 likes on the platform.

One user, Frannie Pibble, commented: "I lost my first puppy to xylitol poisoning. She got it at her daycare & they waited too long to tell me." And Mez said: "Thank you for this!! My dog had to have her stomach pumped due to xylitol."

Paytonswiss44 wrote: "My dog got into a sealed pack of the cubed ice breaker gum and after about 20 min we still didn't know she got into it and she started seizing on the ground and when she got out of it she tried to stand up but ended up falling over and passing out. We rushed her to the nearest animal hospital still to this day are so great full she's okay."

And Bea Paul109 added: "My little munchkin got hold of some sugar-free gum and had to stay overnight at the vets, making him sick and performing countless blood tests."