Here at the Animal Emergency Hospital of North Texas we would like
to inform owners to beware of leaving containers of Ice Breaker Ice Cube gum in
reach of or in the general vicinity of your pets. We have seen numerous
toxicity cases involving this type of gum. The pets probably view the
container as some sort of toy, proceed to play with and open the container, and
then consume part or all of the contents.
Unfortunately, the gum does not work to freshen your dog’s breath,
but the xylitol sugar substitute is extremely toxic to your dog.
Ingestion of this sugar-free product can rapidly cause a severe drop in
your pet’s blood sugar. When the blood sugar levels plummet, it can
result in weakness, disorientation, tremors, and seizures. This effect is
sometime prolonged for several days, requiring extended hospitalization.
Each piece of the gum contains approximately 1 gram of xylitol, and only
one or two pieces can be toxic or even fatal to your dog. Xylitol
toxicity can also affect the liver, causing bleeding tendencies and other
life-threatening complications.
If you suspect that your pet has consumed any sugarless gum,
please have your pet evaluated by a veterinarian as quickly as possible.
If your pet can be seen quickly (within 30 minutes of ingestion) then it
may be possible to make your pet vomit the gum but xylitol can be absorbed
within minutes. Beyond this time frame, your pet may require an IV drip
to support their blood sugar for a minimum of 24 hours and monitoring of liver
values, blood clotting times, and potassium and phosphorus levels for a period
of 2 to 5 days.
So please be aware that this particular type of gum product, no
matter the flavor, seems to be as appealing to your pet dog as to you but it is
definitely not something that you want them to consume.
