Sweetener Xylitol can kill or poison dogs, FDA warns

The Wall Street Journal
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a stronger warning that a common sweetener in chewing gum, mints and other products could kill or severely poison dogs.

The warning comes on the heels of a surge in deaths and severe illnesses from dogs accidentally ingesting the sweetener, xylitol, according to pet poison-control centers. The increase in pet xylitol poisonings was reported last November in The Wall Street Journal.

The FDA warning, titled “Xylitol and Your Dog: Danger, Paws Off,” was issued Thursday by the agency as a “consumer update.” A prior FDA warning, issued in 2011 by the agency’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, briefly warned of potential illness in dogs and ferrets from eating xylitol.

A type of sugar alcohol, xylitol is an ingredient in many foods but “can have devastating effects on your pet,” the FDA said in the latest alert.
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http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/05/13/sweetener-xylitol-can-kill-or-poison-dogs-fda-warns.html