Xylitol: Lesson Learned

I love to bake!  It is a fun activity I have enjoyed since I was a little girl.  My mom and I even talked of opening our own bakery some day.  Even when I was in high school looking at colleges I considered attending Johnson & Whales University in South Carolina and pursue a career in cooking and baking.  But life took me in a different direction.

Baking is still something I enjoy.  But with the changes in our eating habits I looked for ways of "healthifying" recipes; and I still do.  In my search for a better sugar I found a product called Xyla at  one of my local health food stores.  If you've never hear of xylitol here is a little bit more information.  With a product that is good for teeth and doesn't create insulin spikes that lead to sugar and carbohydrate cravings how could I go wrong?

I have used Xyla for the past year and it has worked great in the cookies and treats.  On January 26, 2015 I made a no-bake cookie for my kids after school.  The recipe calls for 1/3 of a cup of sugar, and I just swapped out Xyla, like always.  Also included in the ingredients was cocoa.  I left them on the counter to harden.  After the whirlwind of other after school activities I came home to find the wax paper on the floor... and no cookies to be seen.  Enter our family dog Milly.  She has that look on her face like, what did I do?  At the time, I only thought of the 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder in the recipe.  Milly has gotten in to other treats before and did not have much of a reaction, so I didn't think much about it; just kept a little eye on her throughout the night.

Tuesday morning was another story.  Milly vomited.  A lot.  It scared me a little, so I called the vet. I was explaining the ingredients - oats, butter, cocoa, xylitol, flax seed, and vanilla.  When I said xylitol, the nurse had a sense of urgency in her voice that made me stop and remember the warning.  There is a warning on the back of the bag about how toxic it is for dogs.  Oh my goodness... what did I do?!?!

I rushed Milly to the vet.  They did initial blood-work and her liver enzymes were off the chart.  Upon calling Poison Control the vet was given a protocol to follow to treat Milly for xylitol toxicity.  I did not realize the care Milly was going to need over the next 24-48 hours, and was sent to the 24-hour emergency vet.

At the time Milly still seemed ok to me, just a little tired.  The emergency vet told me the next important test for Milly was a coagulation test.  This would determine how likely it was that she could bleed out.  Given the time that had passed since she ate the treats it could go either way.  Since it had taken her a long time to have a reaction it could mean her body had began to process the toxins, but also that her body had had enough and it was in her blood.

The coagulation test came back off the chart.  So our next step was to give her plasma and retest over the next 24 hours.  After the first round of plasma her levels were still off the chart.  We made the decision to try one more round of plasma, and another 24 hours at the emergency vet.  I began to think "what if this doesn't work?"  Then what?  That was a long, restless night.  Here is the dog that I love.  She's my running buddy, my confident (yes, I talk to my dog), and a loving member of our family.  I know she won't be around forever, but I never expected it to end like this, and so suddenly.

When I got the call Thursday morning and it was the news I had been waiting to hear.  Milly's coagulation levels were normal!  She could come home!  I was so relieved.  But, we still have a long way to go.  While Milly's coagulation levels are ok, her liver enzymes are still off the chart and she is still at risk for liver failure.  But we are able to treat her at home with medications - 4 in all - over the next 30 days.

This has been a scary experience for all of us.  I am happy Milly is still here.  It makes me want to spread the word on how dangerous xylitol can be for dogs, and caution other dog owners to be careful of your baked treats and your sugar free gum, and anything else that is deemed dangerous for dogs.

I will continue to bake in a healthy way.  But this has been a lesson to be careful.  What is healthy for us is not always healthy for our furry friends.