Thunder Bay, Ont., woman warns dog owners about xylitol dangers

A Thunder Bay woman is warning her fellow dog owners to be on the lookout for a common sweetener that can be deadly to dogs.

Xylitol is used in all manner of products, including gum, toothpaste, and even some peanut butter. It  can also be fatal if a dog eats it.

"People don't know the degree, and how quickly, it can poison your dog," said Lois-Ann Lyytinen.

'She had a seizure'

Lyytinen said she's seen the effects first-hand: on Jan. 24, her Labrador Retriever Lola ate some gum that contained xylitol. 

Lyytinen said Lola, who weighs about 76 pounds, probably ate about 15 pieces of the gum, and it wasn't long before she began showing signs of illness.

"She was over by her bowl, and my husband noticed that she started to stagger a little bit," she said. "The next thing we knew, she was throwing up."

"Then, she fell over and had a seizure."

That's when Lyytinen saw the pack of Mentos gum on the floor in her son's room.

"I thought 'she ate the gum,'" Lyytinen said. "And sure enough, she did, because she was throwing up pieces of this gum."

Round-the-clock care

Lyytinen and her family knew xylitol was dangerous for dogs — she said she didn't know just how dangerous, however — and called the vet. 

"They said 'immediately, bring her in,'" she said. "They were wonderful. They knew what to do."

Lola spent a few days at the vet with round-the-clock care. And while she wasn't quite herself when she returned home, she's since made a full recovery.

"Our rule now in our home is there is no xylitol," Lyytinen said. "We have to know what we have in our home."