Watch out for pets and Xylitol!

My sweet dog, Kelsey, is in the emergency vet clinic fighting for her life because she got into some xylitol that I had bought for my husband to sweeten his coffee. For people it is a healthy natural food substitute for sugar. It prevents tooth decay and plaque and is suitable for use by diabetics and may help with osteoporsis. For dogs and other animals it is a deadly poison. See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol

I had bought a pound of this product as a sugar substitute for my husband, but he never used it because he decided to drink his coffee black instead. I stored it in the kitchen in a drawer with other dry staples like beans and pasta and nuts. The drawer broke and the contents were put temporarily on top the cabinet. I wondered if the my part husky dog would get into the stuff I put there. I decided she probably wouldn't because she didn't much care for beans and dry pasta and everything was packaged. To my surprise she took the package of xylitol and took it to the middle of the livingroom floor, tore open the package and began eating it. She ate at the most 1/4 pound -- probably more like 1/5 pound. After a while she vomited a couple of times then went off by herself. When I found her about 1 hour later she couldn't stand and was trembling.
We rushed her to an emergency animal hospital -- this was on Friday night. I told them we were coming and when we got there they told us it was poisonous to animals and that she might die. They have her on an IV and are monitoring her liver functions, one of which is increasing still, a bad sign. She is now able to stand and is interested in what is going on around her and can hold food down, but if her liver functions continue to increase she could die of liver failure.
We feel terrible about this but had no idea a food that we considered a health food could be so toxic to her. You may think you have no xylitol in your house, but it is an ingredient in most chewing gum these days. Read labels and protect your animals from this substance which, like chocolate is good for humans and terrible for dogs.
The vet told us that she had seen xylitol in the stores lately and that it usually had no warning labels and that she had been very concerned. I certainly am as well now and thought I would warn you all to guard your pets against anything containing xylitol. Only small amounts can be toxic to dogs.