31/08/2026
Did you know that most chewing gum is toxic to dogs?
Poor Nacho swallowed some discarded gum on Friday, and had to spend the evening with us being sick before he digested it. Luckily it was brought up in time and he suffered no ill-effects, but it could have been so much worse if his owners hadn't seen him swallow it and they'd gone out for the evening or gone to bed.
Xylitol is an artificial sweetener that's in most chewing gum. Dogs are extremely sensitive to it, and it causes hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) that can be fatal if not treated in time.
Preventing this is really easy - please put your chewing gum in the bin! The most common way for dogs to eat gum is picked up outside, so never throw your gum on the ground and make sure it goes into a bin, well out of reach of curious noses.
If you ever think that your dog has swallowed gum, you need to take them to a vet immediately.
