Before you give your dog another gob of peanut butter….. Check the label for Xylitol!

Some health food companies have begun to add the artificial sweetener Xylitol to their Peanut butters.  While this is great for health conscience humans, it can be harmful to dogs.  Some brands that we know contain Xylitol are: “Go Nuts”, “Hanks Protein Plus Peanut Butter”, “Krush Nutrition”, Nuts’n More”, and “P28”.  We are particularly concerned because we often recommend using Peanut butter as a way to get dogs to take medicine.

 There are several other products that have this sugar substitute added.  Many sugar free gums are sweetened with Xylitol. Anything advertised as “sugar Free” or “low carb” could contain Xylitol.  The artificial sweetener can appear in the ingredient list under number of different names including:  1,4-anhydro-d-xylitol, anhydroxylitol, birch bark extract, birch sugar, d-xylitol, xylite, xylitylglucoside, Zylatol. 

A list of human foods and products that contain Xylitol be found on the Preventive Vet web site at:   http://www.preventivevet.com/xylitol-products-toxic-for-dogs

Most common brands of peanut butter are perfectly safe for dogs, but please read all labels and be on the lookout for this increasingly common canine toxin.  If your dog gets into something that contains Xylitol, seek veterinary care immediately.

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