Candy, Goodies, and Sweets - Oh, My!

Hello, again!  I'm back (from outer space) and I have a weird hat on my head!  I think it's called a "turban" but I am certainly not pleased with it - unfortunately, all the humans I work with have decided it is "cute" and keep it around.  They put it on me on Halloween, I'm assuming as a joke, of course.

 

Speaking of Halloween (and our upcoming Christmas Festivities), I wanted to take a moment to address something we all love - Sweets!  Particularly candy and foods containing Chocolate and artificial sweeteners like Xylitol.  Sugar substitutes are big business.  Xylitol is common sugar substitute, especially when it comes to sugarless gum an candies.  Sounds wonderful and maybe it is – if you are a human.  If you are a dog, however, xylitol can be lethal.

 

There are two deadly effects of xylitol consumption: hypoglycemia and hepatic necrosis.

Hypoglycemia - In the canine body, the pancreas confuses xylitol with real sugar and releases insulin to store the “sugar.” The problem is that xylitol does not offer the extra calories of sugar and the rush of insulin only serves to remove the real sugar from the circulation. Blood sugar levels plummet resulting in weakness, disorientation, tremors, and potentially seizures.  It does not take many sticks of gum or hard candy pieces to poison a dog, especially a small dog!  Symptoms typically begin within 30 minutes and can last for more than 12 hours.  Vomiting and diarrhea can also occur.

Hepatic Necrosis - The other reaction associated with xylitol in the canine body is destruction of liver tissue.  How this happens remains unknown but the doses of xylitol required to produce this effect are much higher than the hypoglycemic doses described above.  Signs take longer to show up (typically 8-12 hours).  A lucky dog experiences only temporary illness but a complete and acute liver failure can result with potential death.  Internal hemorrhage and inability of blood to clot is commonly involved.

So how much xylitol is dangerous?  The hypoglycemic dose of xylitol for dogs is considered to be approximately 0.1 grams per kilogram of body weight (about 0.045 grams per pound).  A typical stick of gum contains 0.3 to 0.4 grams of xylitol, which means that a 10 lb dog could be poisoned by as little as a stick and a half of gum.

The dose to cause hepatic necrosis is 1 gram per kilogram of body weight, about ten times more than the above dose.  In the example above, the 10 lb dog would have to find an unopened package of gum and eat it for liver destruction to occur.  To treat for xylitol ingestion, the pet should be seen quickly (within 30 minutes) and can be made to vomit the gum or candy.

But, Mason!  What about cats?  So far, National Animal Poison Control has no reports of xylitol toxicity in cats.  At this time, feline toxicity is unknown.  Which means that just because we don't know the risks doesn't mean you should feed your cat any gum or hard candies!
   

 

Chocolate can be toxic, and sometimes even fatal, for your pets, too.  Dogs are most commonly affected, due to their ability to find it and the common 'sweet tooth' they seem to have.  It is important to remember that cats and other species are susceptible to the toxic effects of chocolate, too.

 

You may ask, why is chocolate so bad for animals?  Chocolate is made from the fruit (beans) of the cacao tree.  Theobromine, a component of chocolate, is the toxic compound in chocolate. (Caffeine is also present in chocolate, but in much smaller amounts than Theobromine.)   Unsweetened (baker's) chocolate contains 8-10 times the amount of Theobromine as milk chocolate. Semi-sweet chocolate falls roughly in between the two for Theobromine content. White chocolate contains Theobromine, but in such small amounts that Theobromine poisoning is unlikely.

Here are approximate toxic levels of different types of chocolate:

• 4 to 10 ounces of milk chocolate or 1/2 to 1 ounce of baking chocolate for small dogs, such as Chihuahuas and toy poodles.
• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of milk chocolate or 2 to 3 ounces of baking chocolate for medium-sized dogs, like cocker spaniels and dachshunds.
• 2 to 4 1/2 pounds of milk chocolate or 4 to 8 ounces of baking chocolate for large dogs, including collies and Labrador retrievers.

The toxic dose of Theobromine (and caffeine) for pets is 100-200mg/kg. (1 kiliogram = 2.2 pounds).  However, according to the poison control center at the ASPCA, problems have been noted at doses much lower than this, such as 20mg/kg.  Translated to a "typical" scenario, and using the 20mg/kg as a measure of "problems can be seen at this level of ingestion", a 50 pound dog would have to consume 9 ounces (+/-) of milk chocolate to consume the 20mg/kg amount of Theobromine.  Some dogs won't see problems at this rate.  Some may.  This is a much more conservative toxic level calculation than the "standard" of 100-200mg/kg, but better safe than sorry.

The signs of chocolate toxicity are most commonly seen within 12 hours (or less) of chocolate ingestion, such as:

• Excitement / nervousness / trembling
• Vomiting / diarrhea
• Excessive thirst / sometimes excessive urination (at higher levels of Theobromine toxicity)
• Muscle spasms
• Seizures
• Coma (rare
• Death (rare) -- likely due to heart rhythm abnormalities.

 

 

So, you may be wondering what to do if your pet eats any candy or sweets this holiday season?  Call us, of course!  We are here to help you and will take great care of your kitty or doggie in the event of a chocolate emergency.  Remember, the best prevention is to not have these things available to your pet, so putting your candy away in high cabinets or even in another room is a great idea.  Never leave candy or goodies out where your pet can reach them, even if your pets are trained not to jump onto tables or counter tops.  And while you are cooking up those amazing and yummy holidays feasts, never leave your pet alone while you are making things - dogs have a tendency to gobble up ingredients right off the counters!  (Such bad manners...)

 

Well, this has been very educational and all, but I feel a nap coming on.  I will talk to you all again soon!

 

Til next meow,



Mason



Great Falls Animal Hospital

703-759-2330

POISON CONTROL HELPLINE

PET POISON HELPLINE: (800) 213-5774

ASPCA POISON CONTROL: (888) 426-4435

24 EMERGENCY FACILITIES

THE HOPE CENTER- Vienna: (703) 281-5121

THE LIFE CENTRE- Leesburg: (703) 777-9968

VCA SouthPaws Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Center Fairfax: (703) 752-9100 

 

http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/toxicology/f/FAQ_choctox.htm

 

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=2875 



Halloween Hazards

So how has everyone’s September been so far?  I’m sure a lot of you are getting back into the swing of things, like back to school or back to work; not that I would know, but I can imagine it’s quite the adjustment.  I know how I feel when I have to stay in a big cage because my exam room is unavailable and it’s awful!

Now that it’s September, that means Halloween is around the corner and while that is a great time for humans, it’s not so much for many pets out there.  First I’ll start out with the obvious… 9 out of 10 pets do not want to be dressed up.  I PROMISE.  My staff finds it very amusing to torture me by putting various “hats” on my head and then they go the extra mile and take pictures.  NOT FUNNY, GUYS.  When do you really see happy pets in costumes?  Not very often.   (Though if you are entering a best costume contest that involves lots of kitty or puppy treats as prizes, I’ll dress up in just about anything.)   That being said, costumes can actually be quite frightening.  We are used to seeing you one way and then next thing we know, everyone looks different and very scary!  All we ask is that you please take that into consideration and if you must dress up like a scary freakazoid, please put us in a part of the house where we don’t have to look at you.  Some of us have a wild imagination and have had very real nightmares; food shortage, treat shortage and very menacing ghosts who come out of the wall and take our treats!  Double scary!  We would be much happier in a nice, quiet room (stocked with treats and toys!).  J

Probably the biggest problem with Halloween for pets would be all the candy floating around that we could potentially get into.  We all know that many dogs out there are far from prejudiced about food and snacks and they are typically the ones you see at the vet having to regurgitate all of that hard earned candy.  That doesn’t mean that cats and other pets are off the hook so definitely be careful about where you store any candy or snacks.  Technically, you should always be mindful of where you are putting non-animal friendly items (I hate to say it, but even our food should be where we can’t get it since we do like to help ourselves on occasion.  This, however, does not apply to me…).  You would be surprised what animals can get into and how quickly something can happen.  Make sure you have a number for animal poison control, your veterinarian, and 24-hour emergency facility where it can be easily accessed.  Poison control (both human and animal) does cost money so also make sure to have a credit card handy.  It’s also very important to keep wrappers, packaging, or have a list of the ingredients with you when you call poison control, as well as taking with you to the vet if at all possible.  It is extremely helpful in determining toxicity as well as treatment. 

All that being said, I hope all of you two- and four-legged friends had a great summer and a great start to September!  Having just expelled all of this intelligence has made me very, very hungry so I must find a staff member to rectify this situation.  I keep telling them to just leave my food where I can get it so I don’t have to bother them but they don’t think it’s a good idea!

Meows,

Mason  

Great Falls Animal Hospital

703-759-2330

POISON CONTROL HELPLINE

PET POISON HELPLINE:  (800) 213-5774

ASPCA POISON CONTROL:  (888) 426-4435

24 EMERGENCY FACILITIES

 THE HOPE CENTER- Vienna: (703) 281-5121

THE LIFE CENTRE- Leesburg: (703) 777-9968 

VCA SouthPaws Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Center Fairfax: (703) 752-9100