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Monday, March 19, 2007

Xyletol

Hi, everyone,

I just read about another serious threat to dogs, this one from common household mints, gums, and drinks.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-03-18-xylitol-sweetener_N.htm?csp=23&POE=click-refer

Xyletol causes dogs' blood sugar to drop and they become lethargic and can hemorrhage. There is also a very short time when treatment is effective. The scary part is how little xyletol is needed to cause a dog to become sick or die. I know no one would intentionally feed a dog altoids or diet pop, but I know how many dogs like ro take food off the counter.

-David

2 Comments:

At 3/19/2007 2:43 PM, Blogger Patti A. said...

Yikes! Thanks for the heads up.
Patti

 
At 3/19/2007 4:18 PM, Blogger Amanda said...

Thanks for the info. Xylitol is a just one of a few sugar alcohols (really neither a sugar or an alcohol) that is used to sweeten food. They have become more popular and are being used in a variety of foods usually cookies and sugar free gums. So how do you know if the food in your pantry has any Xylitol or other sugar alcohols- you can find them on the food label. Look for words that end in "OL." That signifies an alcohol (all those chemistry courses are turning out to be useful) Other popular sugar alcohols are mannitol and sorbitol. They are not completely absorbed in the digestive tract and provide less calories per gram than pure sugar. Another important point: sugar alcohols do not cause tooth decay. There are some studies that say that it can actually prevent tooth decay. Now before you start using this wonder substance in excess- consumption of too much can cause diarrhea and bloating in humans.

I hope that was not too much of a lecture- I love nutrition and food.

Amanda, RD

 

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