Food items such as gum, sugar-free baked goods, children?s vitamins, candy, and mouthwash can contain an ingredient called Xylitol to make them sweet. Even very small amounts like that found in a few sticks of gum can cause life threatening low blood sugar, seizures and liver failure.

Treatment includes decontamination (inducing vomiting), in-hospital monitoring, fluid and dextrose therapy, blood glucose monitoring, along with assessing electrolytes and liver values.

 Go to this FDA page for more information.

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm244076.htm

Chocolate

 Pets, like people, find chocolate very appealing. Theobromine, a component of chocolate, is toxic to pets, as is caffeine which is found in chocolate. Dark chocolate and cocoa along with baker's chocolate, contain even greater amounts of these toxic compounds.

Chocolate can cause:

• Excitement  
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
• Seizures
• Death

Grapes and Raisins

Dogs can have varying reactions to grape ingestion. Some dogs may have no reaction, while others many consume a very small amount that may result in acute kidney failure.

Symptoms may include vomiting or diarrhea. After 24 hours, the dog may become anorexic, lethargic and depressed. Additionally the abdomen may be painful, and the dog may stop drinking and urinating. Ultimately, the kidneys fail, and without aggressive treatment, can be fatal.

Onions and Garlic

Onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. Pets affected by onion toxicity will develop hemolytic anemia, where the pet?s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body. Often people don't realize that many baby foods contain onion and garlic!

Symptoms include:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Decreased appetite
• Red colored urine
• Weakness
• Increased respiratory and heart rate.

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Macadamia nuts

 Dogs can develop a tremor of the skeletal muscles, and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters from eating as few as 6 nuts. Nut butters can also cause toxicity.

If you feel that your dog has potentially been exposed to any of the above toxins or is experiencing symptoms of toxicity, please call us right away at 815-385-7096. For further information or if we are unavailable you can contact the National Animal Poison Control Center or Animal Emergency of McHenry County at 815-479-9119.