Posting on behalf of Kim Rosenberg
Last night at about 5:30, as I was getting dinner together, I noticed that Nina, our 8 month old dachshund puppy, was suspiciously quiet in the other room. Ben was at the pottery studio in Nehalem and not expected home until dinner time at 7. When I went to check on Nina, I saw she was happily tearing apart a pack of gum and there was only one piece left.
Like puppies and babies of all kinds Nina puts everything in her mouth—rocks, socks, arch supports, anything questionable or smelly goes straight in her mouth. I’ve been worried about her interest in the bees in our back yard because she’s so small and our last dachshund was allergic. Over the weekend Ben picked up some liquid children’s Benadryl just in case she gets stung when the vet is closed. But we never thought of gum as a dangerous substance.
I got the package away from her—a real trick since this girl likes to play keep away when she has something extra naughty. The gum was sugar free and written in tiny letters on the ripped up package the word xylitol identified the sweetener.
I looked on-line and learned that xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs. It causes hypoglycemia so severe that a dog can quickly lapse into a coma or have seizures. Symptoms can come on fast in 30 minutes and all the information said to go immediately to a vet. Even a few pieces of gum can kill a dog or cause liver damage and our pup only weighs 9.5 pounds. I texted Ben to let him know and asked him how many pieces of gum were in the package. He thought maybe 5 and there was one full piece left so she maybe ate 3 or 4.
Of course, this happened after the vet was closed for the day but on their answering machine and texted automatically to me after my call, I got the number for ASPCA Poison Control a 24 hour toll free number.
I had to hold for what seemed like a long time but probably was five or ten minutes. Someone took my information—Nina’s weight and age, what type of gum, how many pieces, how far from a veterinarian we are. They conferred with a toxicologist and gave us information about how to manage her care overnight (small meals every two hours for twelve hours) and what to do should she have a seizure or seem out of it (give her a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup and go right to Tanasbourne or Dove Lewis). They also gave us a case number should we need to take her in so the vet could get all the details. It cost $95 dollars and they have payment options.
Because she was showing no symptoms except delight that dinnertime appeared to be an all-night buffet, we stayed here in Manzanita and luckily this morning she is fine and we are, too.
We didn’t know that Xylitol is toxic for dogs or how quickly it can cause damage. We also didn’t know that the ASPCA has a poison control number with a staff of toxicologists and veterinarians who can help. That phone number is now in my phone and if you have a pet, I encourage you to do the same!
ASPCA Poison Control 24 hour Toll Free Number 1-888-426-4435
Kim Rosenberg
loretta.kim.rosenberg@gmail.com
