PFI Warns Local Pet Owners to Know Ingredient That Could Make Peanut Butter Deadly For Your Dog

You’ve seen it before – an owner give his dog peanut butter and for the next few minutes everyone is in “dog heaven” as the elated dog makes funny faces trying to get all the peanut butter off her tongue.

But there’s an ingredient being added to some peanut butters that can make this bonding time quite dangerous.

Xylitol, a sugar alcohol used as a sweetener in many foods, is safe for humans and is commonly found in chewing gum, candies and toothpaste. But it also shows up in some peanut butters and owners in The Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and Turks & Caicos need to beware.

“Xylitol is potentially deadly for dogs and cats,” noted said Mary Emma Young, Director of Communications for Pet Food Institute (PFI), a non-profit organization that provides factual information about pet food safety, nutrition, and health to pet lovers throughout the United States and now in The Caribbean. “Consumption in non-primates leads to a massive release of insulin, resulting in a rapid decrease in blood sugar levels. Within 10 to 60 minutes, xylitol-ingestion can cause seizures, liver failure and death.”

Owners are warned to check labels before feeding a product to their pet. “You’d want to look for “xylitol” for sure,” advises Young. “Plus, many people think that xylitol is an artificial sweetener but it’s not. So even if it is says “natural sweetener” or “sweetened naturally” you’d want to take a very close look at the label for words like ‘sugar alcohol.’”

Xylitol poisoning symptoms in dogs usually present within 15-30 minutes of consumption include muscle weakness, vomiting, difficulty walking and tremors. Anyone who suspects their dog may have accidentally eaten something containing xylitol should contact a veterinarian immediately.

“The good news is that, currently, not many peanut butter brands are using xylitol,” noted Young, Director of Communications for Pet Food Institute (PFI), a non-profit organization that provides factual information about pet food safety, nutrition, and health to pet lovers. “But as it is estimated to be 100 times more toxic as chocolate to dogs, you can’t be too careful.