Sugar-Free Products Warnings

Giving your pet sugar-free products can be harmful. This particular information is about the sugar substitute Xylitol, which is used to replace sugar in sugar-free chewing gum, candy and baked goods which are labeled sugar-free. The labels should list the ingredients-reading them is important!

JAVMA News-October 1, 2006-Cases of Xylitol Poisoning in Dogs Rise

In dogs, xylitol can produce hypoglycemia , which can be life-threatening for both diabetics and non-diabetics. The compound in dogs stimulates insulin secretion more than glucose itself. Xylitol has also been proven to stimulate insulin production in humans; it does so much stronger for dogs. It is also possible for xylitol to cause seizures and acute liver failure. This can happen rapidly-sometimes within 30 minutes of ingesting large amounts of xylitol; smaller amounts may not cause symptoms for up to 12 hours.

Previously, it was believed that only large amounts of the substance were harmful .

From JAVMA News:

"Our concern used to be mainly with products that contain xylitol as one of the first ingredients," said Dr. Eric Dunayer, who specializes in toxicology at the center. "However, we have begun to see problems developing from ingestions of products with lesser amounts of this sweetener." Dr. Dunayer said that with smaller concentrations of xylitol, the onset of clinical signs could be delayed as much as 12 hours after ingestion."

Note: when Dr. Dunayer speaks of the first ingredients, food labeling laws require that the main ingredients of products be listed first. A good example would be fruit-flavored drinks: when reading the label, you can see just how little actual fruit juice they contain. Common items like macaroni and cheese must list the main ingredient (macaroni) first; if there was more cheese in the food item than macaroni, it would need to be referred to as cheese and macaroni. Looking at various prepared pasta meals, you see a lot of them labeled spaghetti and meatballs--because there's more spaghetti in the product than meatballs. Packages of meat and gravy have more meat than gravy in them; packages of gravy and meat have more gravy than meat in them.

Some of the products which contain xylitol as an artificial sweetener are shown in the tables below. We will be adding to this list as we research products by brand names containing xylitol.

Health & Beauty Products Containing Xylitol:

Health/Beauty Products Containing Xylitol

Toothpastes

Tom's of Maine, others

Oral rinses

Nasal sprays

Oral spray vitamins

Food Products Containing Xylitol:

Food Products Containing Xylitol

Sugar-Free Chewing Gum

Trident, others

Mints

Smint by Chupa Chips, others

Jellies & Jams

Candy

Baked Goods

Baking Mixes

Sugar substitutes/sweeteners

OTC Medications Containing Xylitol:

OTC Medications/Supplements Containing Xylitol

Nicorette Gum Nicorette Polacrilex

Use-oral aids to stop smoking OTC

Lactobacillus Reuteri (generic form of Probiotica)

Use-supplement-gastrointestinal balance/digestive health-OTC.

Colostrum Chewables

Use-supplement-growth/muscle/bone joint health-OTC.

Probiotica

Use-supplement-gastrointestinal balance/digestive health-OTC

Flintstones Complete Childrens' Multivitamin/Multimineral Tablets

Use-vitamin and mineral supplement-OTC

Beano Liquid/Drops

Use-prevention of flatulence-OTC

Alpha Galactosidase Enzyme Liquid/Drops (generic form of Beano Liquid/Drops)

Use-prevention of flatulence-OTC

Note:according to Drugs.com/PDR source, only the liquid or drops form of Beano and Alpha Galactosidase Enzyme contains xylitol; it is not listed as an ingredient in the tablet forms.

Prescription Medications Containing Xylitol:

Prescription Medications Containing Xylitol

Mobic Oral Suspension (meloxicam)

Use-Use-Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-Anti-inflammatory (arthritis and similar conditions), analgesic (pain relief), anti-pyretic (reduces fever)-Prescription Required.

Meloxicam Oral Suspension (generic form of Mobic)

Use-Use-Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-Anti-inflammatory (arthritis and similar conditions), analgesic (pain relief), anti-pyretic (reduces fever)-Prescription Required.

Note:acccording to Drugs.com/PDR source above, only the oral suspension form of Mobic or Meloxicam is said to contain xylitol; it is not listed as an ingredient in the tablet form of Mobic or Meloxicam.

Neurotonin Oral Solution (Gabapentin)

Use-pain relief in various forms of herpes-diabetic neuropathy-Prescription Required.

Gabapentin Oral Solution (generic form of Neurotonin)

Use-pain relief in various forms of herpes-diabetic neuropathy-Prescription Required.

Note:acccording to Drugs.com/PDR source above, only the oral solution form of Neurotonin or Gabapentin is said to contain xylitol; it is not listed as an ingredient in the tablet form of Neurotonin or Gabapentin.

Zegrid (brand name for Omeprazole)

Use-gastric/duodenal ulcers-gastric acid reflux disease (GERD), erosive esophagitis-Prescription Required.

Those of you who use compounding pharmacies for medications other than insulin might want to have a word with the pharmacy before having a prescription filled. These pharmacy references from a Google search "compounding xylitol" appear to indicate that in some cases, the use of xylitol is not uncommon.

Further Reading

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