Xylitol And Your Pet by Charlene, RVT

Xylitol And Your Pet
By Charlene, RVT

"Here at Richview Animal Hospital, we're all about making every experience
as enjoyable as possible for you and your fur babies. When introducing a new
medication to your pet(s), we recommend using pill pockets to hide your
pet’s pills in.  Pill pockets are a flexible treat that often has a hole in
the centre that will hide the medication so that the pet thinks they’re
getting a treat, but really they’re getting their medication.   They come in
a variety of flavours that dogs and cats love.

We recommend these pill pockets, which you can purchase in clinic or at our
online Vet Store because they are veterinary approved to be safe for your
pet to eat.  The ingredients are safe and healthy, which is how we’d like to
keep your pets!

Past thoughts on ‘pill hiding’ offered human foods as alternatives to hide
your pet’s medications in.  A popular option was peanut butter, but with the
recent rise in popularity of "Xylitol" - a sugar replacement ingredient
being added into some recipes- we would like to inform pet owners about
Xylitol poisoning.

Due to the potent effect xylitol has on non-primate species, your pet may
exhibit vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, lack of coordination, lethargy,
tremors, and/or in severe cases seizures when ingesting xylitol.

Xylitol is commonly found in: peanut butter, sugar-free gum, candies, breath
mints, baked goods, children's chewable/gummy vitamins/supplements,
mouthwash, and toothpaste. We always recommend contact us before giving your
pet anything that hasn’t been prescribed or suggested by one of our
Veterinarians.

If your pet has consumed xylitol and is exhibiting any of the symptoms
mentioned above, please contact a member of our team immediately at
416-245-8805.