Ask your Vet: Peanut Butter Safety Warning by Dr. Stefanie Wong

Check the label carefully: certain peanut butters may be toxic for your pet!

Breaking News: Did you know that xylitol, a sugar substitute most commonly seen in sugar-free gum and other sugar-free products, is now showing up in peanut butter and other nut butter? Five companies that we know of add xylitol to their peanut butter: Go Nuts, Krush Nutrition, Nuts ‘n More, and No Cow.

The ASPCA has contacted the above companies to notify them of the risk their product has to pets, and also to learn the exact xylitol concentration within their products. The hope is that a warning label can be placed on these products notifying pet owners that they cannot safely be used for pets. If you have any of the above products in your household, do not give them to your pet!

Xylitol can also be found in sugar-free mints, chewable vitamins, toothpaste, baked goods, cereals, and beverages like sodas and can be used as a substitute for sugar for baking. While completely safe for people, it unfortunately can lead to serious and in some cases life-threatening complications for dogs that ingest it.

Xylitol causes insulin to be released, which in turn causes blood sugar to plummet. This can lead to a very serious low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia. Symptoms often seen related to this are weakness, unstable or drunken gait, collapse, and seizures. The more serious, and thankfully rare complication of xylitol ingestion is toxicity to the liver. Elevated liver enzymes can be seen following xylitol ingestion and some cases may progress to acute liver failure. This can be fatal. Symptoms associated with this are unfortunately non-specific: lethargy, anorexia, vomiting, and diarrhea. Bloodwork will show sky-high or even off-the-chart liver values.

Xylitol acts quickly – if your pet has ingested a product containing it, we recommend bringing them in ASAP to induce vomiting to try to empty their stomach. We will typically also run bloodwork to check their blood sugar and liver enzymes. If your pet is hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) or has ingested a significant amount of xylitol, we will recommend they be hospitalized for IV fluids and additional treatment.

Xylitol can appear under other names as well - the ASPCA Poison Control Center recommends checking the label for any ingredient that contains the letters “xyl.” Other commonly listed names are 1,4-anhydro-d-xylitol, anhydroxylitol, birch bark extract, birch sugar, d-xylitol, xylite, xylitylglucoside, and Zylatol.

For a list of products that contain xylitol, a list is maintained here

The majority of peanut butter out there is still safe, however, please check the label carefully before offering any to your pet.