Sugar substitute poisons dogs

Sugar substitute provokes not-so-sweet reactions in dogs

by ANNETTE JOYCE

Back in September, Bill Kepley returned to his Oak Ridge home and found a chewed up “Costco-size” empty bottle of Melatonin on the floor. He knew his family’s two dogs were to blame, and was immediately concerned with what effect the supplement might have on them.

After googling Melatonin, which is a sleep aid supplement, he discovered the biggest danger was if it contained xylitol. Although safe for humans, this sugar substitute, which is also known as sugar alcohol, has serious consequences for dogs and can even be fatal.

Quickly piecing the shredded label together, Kepley saw that xylitol was in fact an ingredient. He also correctly deduced that only one of the dogs, Sirius, a Bernedoodle described as a complete “chow hound,” was the culprit in devouring the bottle and its contents.

“He likes anything related to food and those probably had a strawberry scent,” Kepley said. “Although he did seem normal, he stumbled a little when we went outside.”

As few as five tablets of the sleep aid would have been enough to cause

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Photo by Annette Joyce/NWO Oak Ridge resident Bill Kepley and his family are relieved that their dog, Sirius, is home and healthy after a bout with xylitol poisoning.

problems – even small amounts of xylitol eaten by dogs can cause deadly drops in blood sugar levels and/or liver failure. Unfortunately, the 2 1/2-year-old pup had ingested somewhere between 100

and 150 of the quickrelease tablets. Before taking Sirius to the emergency animal hospital, Kepley spoke with the animal poison control center and was instructed to rub honey over the dog’s gums to help prevent a drastic drop in his blood sugar. By doing this, Kepley probably saved his pet from the threat of blood sugar issues; however, there was still the concern of liver damage. The good-natured dog was put into ICU and within two days was diagnosed with liver failure. Kepley said a dog’s normal liver enzymes are below 125. Sirius’ level Quick Lube no had skyrocketed to over 12,000. Sirius spent eight days in ICU hooked or oil chaappointment needed up to various IVs and was given two fnges & state inspections

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