Is that peanut butter you hide your dog’s pill in safe?
I’m sure you are like most dog owners and have tried to hide your dog’s medicine in some peanut butter. In most cases it is fine to do that, however some peanut butter companies are now using a sweetener substitute called xylitol. Xylitol can cause some severe problems for our fur baby’s, even in small quantities. While for human use it has its benefits, like fewer cavities and a low glycemic index.
Ingestion of as little as 0.1 gram of xylitol per kilogram of body weight can cause a rapid and dangerous drop in a dog’s blood sugar (a condition called “hypoglycemia”). Hypoglycemia can show as staggering, appearing disoriented, collapse, weakness, and seizures.
Just slightly more than that, approx. 0.5 g/kg xylitol ingestion, can lead to debilitating, and sadly often deadly, destruction of a dog’s liver cells.
If you think your dog has ingested any Xylitol please contact Pet Poison Control. The next time you are at your local grocery store picking up some peanut butter for your dog, please read the label to make sure there is no Xylitol used in it.
http://www.preventivevet.com/dogs/is-peanut-butter-safe-for-dogs
