No Smint No Kiss. I’m often asked by concerned pet owners about what common substances may be toxic to their furry extended family. The topics we discuss include some of the common things like chocolate, onions & lilies and then expand into medicines like Dettol and Paracetamol. All the above substances being potentially fatal.

The latter is especially deadly in cats. Lately more unusual things such as tap water and preservatives are getting a lot of discussion as to their possible effect on our pet’s health conditions such as skin allergies.

One of the latest findings in a study of dogs in America was particularly interesting to me and I thought I should pass it on.

A pattern was noticed of dogs presenting at vet clinics with marked vomiting and lethargy after the ingestion of Xylitol. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol used as a sweetener in various products including breath mints and sugar substitutes. In addition to vomiting and lethargy, many of the dogs had widespread hemorrhages in the mouth or intestinal tract.

Blood tests performed on all dogs showed a similar picture of hypoglycemia, serious liver enzyme elevation, loss of liver function and damage to red blood cells and clotting cells. Despite concentrated treatment efforts, in some cases including transfusions, more than ½ of these poor guys didn’t pull through.

Autopsies showed sévere liver damage with lobular collapse. Hepatic failure after ingestion had not previously been reported. Because an increasing number of consumer products contain Xylitol, pet owners should be aware that ingestion of Xylitol can have serious, life-threatening effects.

Please think twice before using human medicines, or before sharing processed human foods with our pets. In many cases their bodies utilize and eliminate these compounds very differently to their human minders, unfortunately sometimes with severe consequences.