He's going to be fine! Within 5 minutes of him eating the gum, I feed him peroxide (induces vomiting - thank you google, this probably saved him). He ate more than I thought & the Niceville Emergency Vet people thought it best that I bring him in.
Even though he got most of it out of his system, the two main concerns are hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and severe liver damage. This is from the Xylitol in sugarless foods. If it was just the hypoglycemia concern, I could have given him honey to offset the effects, but there was no way to know about the liver damage.
So off we went! Good grief Saturday traffic across the bridges! They administered Toxiban to absorb anything left in his system and a laxative for the gum wrappers.
We got home 4 1/2 hours later, $150 dollars lighter & a few more gray hairs - and he is almost back to normal. He seems a bit bitter about the peroxide & is watching me carefully.
Thanks for the concerns!
my PSA today:
Dangerous Foods for Dogs
Grapes and raisins can cause kidney damage, ingesting as little as 4-5 grapes or raisins can be toxic to a 20 pound dog.
Onions can cause Heinz body anemia, a condition that destroys red blood cells. Toxicity similar to onions may occur from similar foods such as garlic and chives.
Chocolate and cocoa contain theobromide which is a chemical that can negatively affect the major organs and systems. Pure baking chocolate is most poisonous, while milk chocolate requires a higher amount to cause damage.
Caffeine is similar to chocolate and can cause the same health issues.
Sugar-free foods contain Xylitol which are most often found in chewing gum and candy. It causes hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) as well as severe liver damage.
Alcoholic beverages causes central nervous system and respiratory depression.
Uncooked yeast doughs also produce ethanol similar to that found in alcoholic beverages.
Macadamia nuts, while generally not fatal, can cause severe illness.
Apple seeds, cherry pits, peach pits, and plum pits contain the cyanide. Cyanide is toxic to humans too, but unlike humans dogs will likely eat the pit from of one of these fruits
Other foods that are high in fat, sugar, or salt can cause complications for your dog. Corn cobs and cooked bones can cause GI complications.
