Subject: FW: Deadly to
Dogs--Xylitol
If
you have a dog READ IT -- then forward to all
you know who do have a dog! (cats too
?)
If
you don't have a dog -- forward to all you know
who do have a dog! As well as to those who love
pets!!
This is true:
http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/xylitol.aspLast
Friday evening, I arrived home from work, fed
Chloe, our 24 Lb. dachshund, just as I normally
do. Ten minutes later I walked into the den just
in time to see her head inside the pocket of
Katie's friend's purse. She had a guilty look on
her face so I looked closer and saw a small
package of sugar-free gum. It contained
xylitol.
I remembered that I had recently
read that sugar-free gum can be deadly for dogs
so I jumped on line and looked to see if xylitol
was the ingredient. I found the first website
below and it was the one. Next, I called our
vet. She said to bring her in immediately.
Unfortunately, it was still rush hour and it
took me almost 1/2 hour to get
there.
Meanwhile, since this was her
first case, our vet found another website to
figure out the treatment. She took Chloe and
said they would induce her to vomit, give her a
charcoal drink to absorb the toxin (even though
they don't think it works) then they would start
an iv with dextrose. The xylitol causes dogs to
secrete insulin so their blood sugar drops very
quickly.
The second thing that happens is
liver failure. If that happens, even with
aggressive treatment, it can be difficult to
save them. She told us she would call us. Almost
two hours later, the vet called and said that
contents of her stomach contained 2-3 gum
wrappers and that her blood sugar had dropped
from 90 to 59 in 30 minutes.
She wanted
us to take Chloe to another hospital that has a
critical care unit operating around the clock.
We picked her up and took her there. They had us
call the ASPCA poison control for a case number
and for a donation; their doctors would direct
Chloe's doctor on treatment. They would continue
the iv, monitor her blood every other hour and
then in 2 days test her liver
function.
She ended up with a central
line in her jugular vein since the one in her
leg collapsed, just as our regular vet had
feared. Chloe spent almost the entire weekend in
the critical care hospital. After her blood
sugar was stabilized, she came home yesterday.
They ran all the tests again before they
released her and so far, no sign of liver
damage. Had I not seen her head in the purse,
she probably would have died and we wouldn't
even have known why.
Three vets told me
this weekend, that they were amazed that I even
knew about it since they are first learning
about it too. Please tell everyone you know
about xylitol and dogs. It may save another
life.
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