A few months ago, I wrote a post about Poisonous Foods for Dogs.  I mentioned some of the more well-known poisonous foods for dogs (chocolate, grapes, onions, etc.), but I didn’t realize that sugar-free gum containing the sweetener Xylitol can also be fatal to dogs.  It’s particularly scary because most people have sugar-free gum in their homes and don’t even realize that it’s poisonous to their dogs.

This article from the Burlington County Times drew my attention to Xylitol, but once I started looking I found tons of heart-breaking stories of pet owners losing their dogs to Xylitol poisoning.  The article also talks about other common household products that are commonly ingested by pets.

If your dog ingests a potentially poisonous substance, you can call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center hotline.  The ASPCA APCC charges $60 per case, with no extra charge for follow-up calls and can work with your vet through the entire treatment process.   Their toll-free, 24-hour hotline number is (888) 426-4435, which handled more than 130,000 calls in 2007.

Think you know what’s bad for your pet?  Take this quiz to test your knowledge.