AquaDent Pet Oral Health Product Contains Deadly Xylitol
by Susan Thixton, citizen journalistSee all articles by this author
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(NaturalNews) Many pet owners are aware that the sugar substitute Xylitol, found in many sugar free chewing gums, is toxic to dogs. However few pet owners would think to look for Xylitol listed as an ingredient in a pet oral health product; especially one that claims to be developed by "Veterinary Dental Specialists".
As ridiculous as it might be, the pet oral health product C.E.T. AquaDent lists as the third ingredient Xylitol; well known to be toxic to pets. AquaDent is sold by many pet retail outlets including 1800PetMeds.com. The 1800PetMeds website states "C.E.T. AquaDent is a drinking water additive formulated by veterinary dental specialists to help freshen your pet's breath and maintain oral hygiene in conjunction with regular home dental care for your pet." The ingredients in AquaDent are listed as follows: Purified water, Glycerine, Xylitol, Polysorbate 20, Potassium sorbate, Emilgase (enzyme), Zinc gluconate, Sodium benzoate, FD&C Blue No. 1, FD&C Yellow No. 5, Chlorhexidine gluconate.
According to Dr. Eric Dunayer, veterinarian and toxicologist for the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, there appears to be a strong link between xylitol ingestions and the development of liver failure in dogs. It was previously thought that only large amounts of xylitol could result in problems for dogs, however recently even small amounts of xylitol can result in severe illness in dogs (and believed to effect cats and other animals as well). http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pa...
Snopes.com states that just three grams of Xylitol can kill a 65 pound dog. "Because the amount of sweetener used in sugar free chewing gums varies by manufacturer and product, the number of sticks of gum that would prove fatal to a pooch of that size can't be stated with precision. As a general rule of thumb, between eight and ten pieces of gum might be deadly to a 65 pound canine, but a smaller dog could easily die after ingesting far less (perhaps as few as two sticks of gum)."
The 1800PetMeds website provides the following warning regarding AquaDent Pet Oral Health Product: "Prepare fresh C.E.T. AquaDent solution every day and discard any treated water not consumed within 24 hours." The website provides no warning of Xylitol toxicity to animals.
To make matters a bit worse, not only does this pet oral health product contain the known dangerous ingredient Xylitol, it also contains dyes linked to cancer and numerous other health risks.
C.E.T. AquaDent is made by Virbac Animal Health (www.virbacvet.com). Virbac Animal Health produces a long line of pet health products; from antibiotics to heartworm preventatives (Iverhart) to pet vitamins (Pet Tabs). Virbac Animal Health was on the FDA warning letter list (December 10, 2008) for violations of current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations; "the documented violations cause drug products manufactured at your facility to be adulterated" http://www.fda.gov/foi/warning_letters/...
Virbac Animal Health's Heartworm Preventative, Iverhart Plus, was recalled 2/11/2004. From the FDA website (http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/enforce/2...) "The firm is recalling 4 lots of IVERHART Plus Flavored Chewables due to contamination of Minocycline, a FDA approved human drug which has not been approved in species other than humans."
"VOLUME OF PRODUCT IN COMMERCE
1,179,840 tablets."
Why would a pet product, formulated by "veterinary dental specialists", contain an ingredient that is known to be toxic to dogs? It's illogical and reckless. The moral of the story is this, read the ingredients of every single product provided to your pet. Just because a pet product is "formulated by veterinary specialists" doesn't mean its safe.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
about the author:
Susan Thixton has an international pet people following providing dog and cat lovers a trusted source for pet food and pet food ingredient information. She's been called courageous, perseverant, even "the Caped Crusader for Pets" for her 16 year study of pet food. Susan Thixton is the author of hundreds of pet industry articles and the 2006 released book Truth About Pet Food (currently being updated for a second edition). She developed and publishes the pet product consumer magazine Petsumer Report and is a frequent speaker and radio guest all over the U.S. and Canada with more than 70 appearances in the last 2 years.
If you are looking for straight forward pet food information that can have an almost immediate impact on your pet's health - subscribe to the free newsletter, and subscribe to Petsumer Report to see reviews of close to 700 dog and cat foods and treats (adding 40+ each month). Susan Thixton's 'truth' will help you find a safer, healthier dog or cat food that could add years to your pet's life. http://www.TruthAboutPetFood.com
Thank you for posting this--I am a bit fanatical about caring for my dog, Phoebe and sometimes it scares me how uninformed pet owners are!
ReplyDeleteHow irresponsible for a place that is in the business of making materials for pets!!! I simply can't believe it. Are they insane? Thank you for giving us another piece of information. I am nuts about my fur-baby and just the thought of it makes me cringe!!
ReplyDeletethanks for the post..ive passed it along
ReplyDeleteForgot how good this blog is.
ReplyDeletePure evil how many pet products are made.
Thanks for sharing that....
ReplyDeleteMy 9 year old Bichon Frise had just had surgery to remove 14 stones from his bladder. He has never had any problem with his bladder and I started to give him Aquadent a year ago. Just wandering whether there is any connection in these.
ReplyDeleteXylitol in the levels found in Aquadent has been proven in scientific studies to not be harmful to dogs and cats. Xylitol is an excellent plaque/tartar fighter and really makes a difference to pets' oral health. Dogs would literally have to ingest bottles of the undiluted Aquadent in order to go in to the hypoglycemic crisis that is well known to occur from an overdose of xylitol containing products.
ReplyDeleteThe issue dogs have with xylitol is their rate of metabolism of the molecule, which is a different pathway and is much slower than in humans. That is why ingesting bags full of candy with xylitol as a sweetener is so harmful; their bodies just can't keep up. The levels of xylitol found in Aquadent are easily metabolized.
That being said, each animal is different and it is always possible that your specific pet could have an adverse reaction to the ingredient. The moral of the story is know the ingredients in the things you give your pets, and know the WHOLE story. ANYTHING is toxic in the right amounts.
dear anonymous, thank you for enlightening us. this article came from naturalnews.com. i agree with mike adams and you that we should have enough sense to read what's in the products we feed our pets. i also feel it is irresponsible to put an ingredient in a pet (or any type) product that has been known to have any toxic affect. unfortunately companies do it every day and we, the consumers need to continually make ourselves aware.
ReplyDelete