Xylitol poisoning

Is Xylitol Ingestion an Emergency?

If your dog ingests xylitol it is an emergency. It takes substantially less xylitol than chocolate to be deadly. There is enough xylitol in just three pieces of sugar-free gum to kill a small dog. What is Xylitol? Xylitol is a sugar replacement, a sweetener, used more broadly every day because of low caloric density and lesser impact on tooth health. It…

by Jana Rade

Xylitol Can Kill Your Dog: Know Where It Can Be Hiding

Xylitol is way deadlier than chocolate, yet awareness of this dog toxin is much lower. Do you know what xylitol is and how dangerous it is for your dog? The lack of awareness makes this poison even more dangerous. At the same time, more and more products contain this [invisible] artificial sweetener. Does your dog like peanut butter? Do you know…

by Jana Rade

Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer by day, dog health advocate, dog writer, member of the Dog Writers Association of America, and an award-winning author in my spare time. 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. Endless veterinary visits without a diagnosis or useful treatment later, I realized that I had to take Jasmine's health care into my own hands. I learned the hard way that simply 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 finally get a diagnosis for her initial issue. 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 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 use 20 years of hard-earned experience to save others from the steep curve of having to learn things the hard way, as I did.

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