Hello, everyone. This is a very important AND serious post. The information it contains is serious and maybe you even know about it. I might be telling you something you already know. Mom wishes she would have known it. Well, actually she did know it, but didn't realize it. The story goes like this......
Mom has a friend named Wanda (yes folks, she has a friend!) and her friend had a bischon named Codi. Mom was camping with Wanda a couple weeks ago. Mom asked Wanda who was watching Codi since no dogs were allowed on this trip. That is when Wanda told mom that Codi had died. Mom felt really bad, and Wanda proceded to tell Mom that Codi died of what they thought was pancreatitis and after he passed away the vet told him he thought that Codi got into sugarless gum. Mom didn't think anything of this until...... Fast forward to last night at the Gross house.
Mom took the hooman pups to do the last of their school shopping. In the checkout line the kids ask for gum. Of course they can have gum.....OR should they?
Now, you know kids. They LUV me. They LUV their stuff. I LUV their stuff. Kendra (who feels TERRIBLE) left her gum on the coffee table. You know, airedales....They are nosey and love to eat and sniff stuff out. Well, I found the gum. Now don't worry because I'm alright. There I was, minding my OWN business when boomerest. Someone slugged me in the headerest. I had that gum in my jaws, but darnest that Jordan got the nasty stinky (actually gooderest smelling) gum away from me. He took it to Kendra and she inspected the package....then she took it to mom. HMPH. I was NOT happy that they interupted me and my gum chewing. So anyhow, they got the gum away from me, like I said. Mom looked at tha package and it was totally destroyed. Then suddenly as though a lightbulb went on inside mom's head- she remembered what happened to Wanda's Codester. Now since the hoomans didn't know if I ingested the gum or not, (and mom checked me for fresh breath- none for me thanks) mom decided to watch me. She looked up a few things on the internet about Xylitol, which happens to be baderest for us doggies so don't even any of you think of stealing sugar free gum from your hoomans I am telling you this! Mom got a little nervous because everything she saw said to call your vet immediately. It also said that usually symptoms of (large quantities) ingestion occur in as little as 15 to 30 minutes. Since mom didn't really know if I ate any or not, she didn't call the vet. What apparently happens, or so mom says, that the Xylitol causes a drop in blood sugar, and can cause hypoglycemia (whatever that is) and seizures, as well as liver damage. She was really nervous, but she took really good care of me.
She continued to watch me, and the kiderest cried because they thought something bad might happen, but I didn't appear sick. Which is good. But it was very scary for my family. Today I am still well, and mom is going to continue to keep an eye on me. We are thankful (or I should say I AM) that the littlest pupster, Jordan whackered me on the headerest to get that nasty stuff out of my mouth. AND mom says now, NO SUGAR FREE GUM! NO WAY NO HOW. We will not be taking that chance again. Please pass this information on to all your friends who may not know about this nasty xylitol. Mom wishes that she would have remembered it BEFORE she let the kids have the gum. For more information, go to:
www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/xylitol.asp if mom KNEW what she was doing she'd be able to direct you there from here.
Now, I know my mom LUVS me, because she has been watching me like a hawk since this incident. I even slept in BED with her last night! She was so worried and I just took advantagerest of the sitchooashon. I'm eating ,drinking, and acting like a goofy airedale, and NO MORE GUM FOR ME!
