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Can dogs eat chewing gum?
If your dog has eaten chewing gum, do not wait to see what happens. Many sugar free gums contain xylitol, and for dogs it can be life threatening.
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No. Do not give chewing gum to a dog, and if your dog has eaten some, call a vet straight away.
Why gum is so dangerous for dogs
The problem is not the gum itself but a sweetener found in many sugar free gums: xylitol. Xylitol is safe for people and is widely used in sugar free gum because it is good for teeth. But it is poisonous to dogs.
In a dog, xylitol causes the pancreas to release a large amount of insulin. Insulin lowers blood sugar, and the result is a sudden, dangerous fall in blood sugar, called hypoglycaemia. Depending on how much was eaten, it can be life threatening. The US Food and Drug Administration says effects can appear within 10 to 60 minutes of eating xylitol, although some serious problems can take 12 to 24 hours to show.
How much is too much?
Not much. As little as about 100 mg of xylitol for every kilogram of a dog's body weight can trigger the dangerous insulin release. Gums vary a lot in how much xylitol they contain, and small dogs are at greater risk, so depending on the gum and the dog, a single piece may be enough to do harm. Because you cannot easily tell how much xylitol was in what your dog ate, it is safest to treat any sugar free gum as an emergency.
Signs to watch for
The FDA lists vomiting, followed by signs of low blood sugar such as:
- being quiet and less active than usual
- weakness
- staggering or poor coordination
- collapse
- seizures
Do not wait for these signs before calling a vet. By the time they appear, your dog may already be seriously ill.
What to do
- Call your vet, or an emergency vet if it is out of hours, straight away.
- Tell them what your dog ate and roughly how much, and when.
- Keep the packet: the ingredients list tells the vet whether xylitol is in it.
Where else xylitol hides
It is not just gum. The FDA lists sugar free sweets, breath mints, sugar free ice cream and baked goods, toothpaste, mouthwash, cough syrup, chewable vitamins, some over the counter medicines and even some peanut butters. Check labels on anything described as sugar free or low sugar, and keep it out of reach.
Other sweets and dogs
Chocolate is dangerous for dogs too, for a different reason. We look at sweets and pets more widely in can dogs eat sweets?.
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Questions and answers
What should I do if my dog ate chewing gum?
Call your vet or an emergency vet straight away, even if your dog seems fine. Take the packet with you so the vet can see the ingredients.
How much xylitol is dangerous to a dog?
Very little. As little as about 100 mg of xylitol per kilogram of body weight can trigger a dangerous insulin release. Depending on the gum and the size of the dog, a single piece can be enough to cause harm.
Is xylitol dangerous for people?
No. In people, xylitol does not cause the same insulin release, and it is widely used in sugar free gum and toothpaste.
Sources
- Xylitol, Wikipedia
- Paws off xylitol: it is dangerous for dogs, US Food and Drug Administration
- Chewing gum, Wikipedia
Keep reading
- Questions people askCan dogs eat sweets?No. Sugar free sweets and gum can contain xylitol, which can kill a dog. Chocolate and raisins are dangerous too. If your dog eats sweets, call your vet.
- Questions people askWhat is chewing gum made of?Chewing gum is gum base, sweeteners, softeners, flavourings and colours, often with a hard coating. Here is what each part does, and what gum base really is.
- Questions people askWhat are sugar free sweets made with?Sugar free sweets use sugar alcohols such as maltitol, sorbitol, isomalt and xylitol, often with intense sweeteners. What they are and what the label says.
- Diet, allergens and labelsSugar free sweets and polyolsSugar free means 0.5 g of sugars or less per 100 g. Such sweets commonly use polyols, counted at 2.4 kcal a gram. The polyols compared, and the catches.
- History and originsThe history of chewing gumPeople have chewed gum for at least 5,000 years, from birch tar in Stone Age Finland to Maya chicle. Modern gum began in 1860s New York with a failed rubber.
- Questions people askWhy is chewing gum so hard to get off pavements?Gum bonds to pavements and shoe soles because they are made of similar polymers. Removing it needs steam and scrapers, and costs cities a fortune.