Cottonwood Vet Blog

Xylitol Toxicity

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:57:00 GMT

What is xylitol?

Xylitol is a sugar substitute. It is found most commonly in sugarless gums, sugarless candy and other food products. Xylitol offers the sweetness without adding on calories. It also helps to reduce periodontal disease, and it may help with other diseases as well. This is all well and good for humans, but in dogs xylitol is a poison. Xylitol can produce two deadly effects on dogs-hypoglycemia and hepatic necrosis.

Hypoglycemia(low blood sugar)

Xylitol can cause weakness, disorientation, tremors, seizures and death. Vomiting and diarrhea can also occur. In the dog, insulin is released from the pancreas when then is excess glucose in circulation. The trouble with Xylitol is that the pancreas sees this as a real sugar. The pancreas releases insulin to help remove the "real sugar" from circulation, which in turn causes the blood glucose level to plummet. When the blood glucose plumments clinical signs previously described occur. It only takes 0.1grams per kilogram of body weight(0.045 grams per pound) of xylitol to produce hypoglycemia in dogs. One stick of gum contains 0.3-0.4 grams of Xylitol. A 10 pound dog would only need to eat 1 and 1/2 sticks of gum to produce hypoglycemia. Clinical signs of low blood sugar usually occur within 30 minutes of ingestion and hypoglycemia can last between 12-24 hours.

Hepatic Necrosis

Xylitol can produce destruction of the liver tissue(hepatic necrosis). How xylitol does this has yet to be determined. Clinical signs take longer to be seen, usually within 8-10 hours post ingestion. Some dogs that have hepatic necrosis do not show signs of hypoglycemia first. Acute liver failure can result in death. Internal bleeding and the inability to clot blood is commonly involved. Doses for seeing hepatic necrosis is usually higher. The dose to cause liver failure is 1 gram per kilogram of body weight(about 10 times the dose for hypoglycemia). So to induce liver failure in a 10 pound dog, the dog would need to consume a pack of gum.

Treatment

If the ingestion is witnessed then seeking emergency veterinary care as soon as possible is ideal(preferably within 30 minutes). The veterinarian will then induce vomiting. After this time period the dog is usually admitted into the hospital and placed no IV fluids containing dextrose for the next 24 hours. Liver tests, electrolytes(sodium, potassium and chloride) and blood clotting tests are performed over a 3 day time period to monitor for liver failure.

Prevention

Keeping all sugarless products containing Xylitol out of the dog's reach is the best. Also monitoring your dog when the dog is out for a walk and ensuring the dog is not eating things off the ground.

Cats

To date there have been no known cases of toxicity reported to the Animal Poison Control Center. Thus, at the present time toxicity from xylitol is unknown.

Dental Disease in Cats and Dogs

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:45:00 GMT

85 % of pets have periodontal disease by the age of 3. Perio means around and dontal means tooth. Therefore disease around the teeth. The teeth can be also be affected. There are various severities of periodontal disease.

THE TOOTH AND DENTAL DISEASE

The crown of the tooth sits above the gum line. The roots are seated in sockets in the bone of the jaw (alveolar bone). There is a ligament called the periodontal ligament that attaches or holds the root to the bone. The outer covering of the crown of the tooth is called the enamel. A calcified connective tissue called cementum covers the root of the tooth. Inside of the tooth is the dentin where the blood vessels or nutrient supply and nerves to the teeth are located.

The enamel is bathed in saliva. The enamel quickly starts to get covered by saliva with bacteria (plague). The plaque then mineralizes into tartar or calculus. This helps set of an environment for more bacterial growth. The growth of the bacteria and other causes starts to lead to periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is damage to the gums, periodontal ligament, and bone around the tooth. The tooth itself can also start to become diseased or damaged.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO CLEAN THE TEETH?

Cleaning the teeth helps to minimize the disease locally in the mouth. It helps prolong the health and therefore the life of the teeth. The bacterial growth that is found in periodontal disease can be seeded or spread to other areas of the body. This can lead to infections in other areas of the body.

Some of the main organs that we are concerned about getting infected can include the heart, liver, or kidneys. The bacteria can be transferred to anywhere in the body that blood is pumped to. Cleaning the teeth can therefore play an important part in your pets over all health.

PRE-DENTAL AND DURING THE DENTAL

The pet has lab work (complete blood count and chemistry profile) done prior to the dentistry. An IV catheter is placed and IV fluids given to the pet during anesthesia. An induction agent (usually propofol) is used to sedate the dog or cat to allow intubation (inserting a tube into the trachea). This allows gas anesthesia (Isoflurane) for the rest of the procedure(s). Monitoring the pet while under anesthesia consist of the following. ECG or EKG (measures heart rate, rhythm and monitors for arrhythmias), SpO2 monitor (measures oxygen concentration), blood pressure, respiratory monitor (monitors respiratory rate).

DENTAL PROPHYLAXIS

The main components of the dentistry or cleaning of your pet’s teeth are listed below:

Oral examine to look for dental and non dental disease in the oral cavity.
Gross (visible) tartar is removed from the teeth with various instruments.
Ultrasonic descaling of the teeth to help remove remaining tartar.
Periodontal sockets are probed to assess periodontal disease.
The roots are planed (scraping tartar below the gum line mechanically). This is done until the roots are smooth.
Extractions of teeth are done if they are needed.
Polishing the enamel.
Fluoride sealer is applied.

We feel that the health of your pets teeth is a very important part of your pets overall health. We would be glad to discuss this with you.

Decon Poisoning

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:57:00 GMT

With the spring thaw there are many things being unearthed that have been forgotton. Remember that box of Decon rodenticide that you put out before the snow fell? Well not only may the box be showing up again, any rodents that injested the poison and died may also be making another appearance (yes, eating the carcass of poisoned animals can cause poisoning in your pet!). Unfortunately your pets don't know that Decon is a very dangerous poison that can cause severe illness and possibly be fatal for your pet.

This season we here at CVS have seen numerous cases already and are hoping to end this trend. Be sure to properly dispose of any remaining poison, containers and any dead rodents that may be lying around. Some of the signs of Decon poisoning are: pale gums, respiratory issues (difficult/irregular breathing), weakness, or unexplained bleeding. If you see any of these symptoms in your pet or there is a chance your pet may have gotten into Decon call our office immediately 719-395-8900.