Willow the Whippet

Willow recently came to Molecare Pet Vets after eating a substance that many owners are not aware is a danger…chewing gum!

Some brands of chewing gum, especially sugar free varieties, contain a substance called xylitol which can be very poisonous to dogs, even in small quantities. Xylitol can cause extremely low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia), seizures, liver failure and even death, rapidly after ingestion.

Willow had eaten over 14 strips of chewing gum! Her owner did exactly the right thing and rushed her straight to Molecare for treatment. Willow was given a full check over and had a sample of her blood taken straight away. She was given a drug to stimulate vomiting, and was also put on intravenous fluid therapy. Thankfully, Willow was not as poorly as she could have been at this point, but she wasn’t out of the woods yet…

Willow had to stay at the practice throughout the day and overnight, with intensive nursing care in case of rapid decline. Her blood glucose had to be checked every hour, and she needed to eat charcoal tablets every two hours to help bind the xylitol and toxins – Willow thought this was great as it meant a non-stop supply of tasty food with it! Although Willow’s blood glucose became very low during the evening, she was exceptionally lucky and bounced back over the next 24 hours, and her subsequent blood test was all normal.

She is now back to her usual self again, minus the minty fresh breath!