Canine Xylitol Toxicity Awareness: Lucy’s Last Cake

Lucy was a sweet, energetic, sweet young Lab. And as a typical Lab, Lucy also likes the idea of helping herself to goodies that weren’t offered to her. Many dogs figure that counter-surfing is a great idea. After all, finders keepers, right?

Canine Xylitol Toxicity Awareness: Lucy's Last Cake

Lucy’s health-conscious mom was baking “thank you” loaves for her friends. Sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free zucchini bread. It doesn’t get healthier than that, does it?

Just because one doesn’t want to use sugar in their baking, doesn’t mean they want to sacrifice the satisfaction of a sweet treat. What is the answer to that? Sugar substitutes.

Xylitol is an “all natural”, popular sugar substitute.

It’s perfectly safe for people and great for your teeth.

The freshly-baked loaves were put away on a counter where Lucy found them. They smelled all so yummy. So Lucy helped herself.

Unless you’re aware of how toxic xylitol is to dogs, you might not think much of it and expect your dog to suffer from little more than a bellyache. When Lucy started vomiting and being lethargic, that’s what her mom figured was happening.

It wasn’t until Lucy became extremely ill that she was taken to a veterinary hospital.

They did everything they could to save her. In spite of receiving aggressive treatment, Lucy was getting worse until it became clear that she was not going to make it.

Please help spread awareness about xylitol toxicity.

Related articles:
Xylitol Poisoning in Dogs: What Happens In The Dog’s Body with Xylitol Poisoning

Original story:
#IfOnlyIKnew: Baking Healthy Killed This Dog!

Categories: Conditions • Real-life Stories • Xylitol poisoning

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Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer, dog health advocate, writer, and author. Jasmine, the Rottweiler of my life, was the largest female from her litter. We thought we were getting a healthy dog. Getting a puppy from a backyard breeder was our first mistake. Countless veterinary visits without a diagnosis or useful treatment later, I realized that I had to take Jasmine's health care in my own hands. I learned the hard way that merely seeing a vet is not always enough. There is more to finding a good vet than finding the closest clinic down the street. And, sadly, there is more to advocating for your dog's health than visiting a veterinarian. It should be enough, but it often is not. With Jasmine, it took five years to get a diagnosis. Unfortunately, other problems had snowballed for that in the meantime. Jasmine's health challenges became a crash course in understanding dog health issues and how to go about getting a proper diagnosis and treatment. I had to learn, and I had to learn fast. Helping others through my challenges and experience has become my mission and Jasmine's legacy. I now try to help people how to recognize and understand signs of illness in their dogs, how to work with their veterinarian, and when to seek a second opinion. My goal is to save others the steep curve of having to learn things the hard way as I did. That is the mission behind my blog and behind my writing. That is why I wrote Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog, which has turned out being an award-winning guide to dog owners. What I'm trying to share encompasses 20 years of experience.

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