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Help Please...chewing gum!?!?

vgaffney83

Well-known member
Hey guys, My 9 month old Cavi Lucky just ate a piece of chewed chewing gum! Is he going to be able to pass this!? There isn't enough of the bad stuff in one piece to hurt him, right?! Any assurances would be great!!
- A worried mommy.....
 
As Pat said, the danger would be if it contained xylitol since that is very toxic. (the xylitol is an artificial sweetener in sugarless gum). Otherwize, it should come right on out the other end!
 
If it is already chewed most likely even if there is xylitol it will have been chewed out or down to a low level that isn't dangerous. Jaspar used to grab chewed gum off the walkway all the time -- hard to avoid this if you have a dog that has a taste for gum and you live in the inner city. He never had any problems and now if much better on 'leave it' and also doesn't have the same obsession with gum. So most likely it won't be a worry but it is worth ringing the vet. And to try and prevent them from eating gum. It can also possibly and rarely cause a blockage but most likely will pass through with no problems. It is helpful to get advice from your vets on what to watch for just in case. (y)
 
Maggie has gotten chewing gum...her brother Levi (our lab) got some off the counter and gave it to her (nice yes?). It was only one piece and it contained xylitol. I called the vet and she said if she showed no symptoms she would be fine. She was just fine...it came out a few days later. :) If you're at all worried by all means talk to the vet...but just because it has xylitol doesn't mean it will hurt your baby. Watch closely and monitor your little one to be sure.
 
Yes that may be true but a lab is a LOT larger than a cavalier -- may easily weigh ten times what a cavalier weighs -- and a cavalier would die from a level that would not affect a lab. Anytime a dog accesses gum with xylitol it should be treated as a potential emergency. I know of two cavaliers that nearly died from getting into a single pack of gum. The dog's life may be saved if vets can get the dog to vomit the gum or give other emergency care so a call to the vet should be the first thing any owner does if it seems xylitol has been ingested (likewise grapes or raisins or dark chocolate). (y)
 
If the gum had xylitol in it, you might want to ask the vet to do a blood panel on Lucky to make sure there was no organ damage. That's what I would do.:flwr:
 
Lucy once got an entire package of Trident sugarless gum (I am fairly sure it had xylitol in it). She took it under the bed and chewed it up, although left most of the chewed up pieces behind. At the time I didn't know that it was dangerous for her so I didn't take her to the vet. However, she was totally fine not a single symptom of anything. Obviously, I am much more careful now that I know it is toxic for dogs.
 
I see you posted yesterday so I'm coming in late ... In the future if something like this happens, I'd recommend you call Animal Poison Control ... 888-426-4435.

There's a fee for it ... I think $65 but to me it is worth the peace of mind. Even if you're fairly certain they'll be okay.

Sparky ate a tiny piece of chocolate a few months ago. It was probably no bigger than a couple chocolate chips but I was paranoid. I was pretty sure he was okay, and no need to induce vomiting, but I wanted a vet to reassure me. Many vets actually recommend calling Animal Poison Control as they really are on top of animal toxins and what levels are dangerous, etc. I didn't mind paying the money ... I just considered it a donation to support their animal education programs.
 
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