Most of us nowadays know about the danger chocolate can pose to our pooches, and have read how grapes, raisins, sultanas and currents can cause kidney failure. But did you know there is another danger in the kitchen, medicine cabinet and even in our pockets and handbags?

Let’s face it, as owners of Basset Hounds we know they will eat anything and countless slabs of chocolate and fruit cake have disappeared without causing problems.

However, it seems it is not always an exact science. Chocolate poisoning is an equation of quality of chocolate versus the size of the dog. This means Fido can gobble down a cheap Easter egg with no bad effects, but a couple of squares of good quality 80% dark chocolate can lead to a life-threatening situation.

Similarly, many dogs have eaten handfuls of grapes and raisins and not so much as belched. Others have eaten two and ended up on life support.

The latest poison to come to light is called xylitol. It’s a naturally-occurring sweetener which is harmless to humans and is used in a lot of “sugar-free” “light” or “diet” options.

Unlike chocolate and raisins, it is hard to know if xylitol is in the soft drink your Basset has just slurped out of your glass, without checking the label on the bottle in the fridge.

In humans, consuming more than 40g of xylitol per day (quite a feat) can cause discomfort and diarrhoea, but even small amounts can cause liver failure, seizures and death in dogs.

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, within 30 minutes of consuming a small amount of a product sweetened with xylitol, a dog experiences rapidly plummeting blood sugar, vomiting, lethargy and can experience difficulty walking or standing. In severe cases, dogs have seizures, internal haemorrhaging and liver failure.

The ASPCA estimates that two or three sticks of gum sweetened with xylitol could be toxic to a 20lb dog. And just because this advice is coming from an American charity, don’t be fooled into thinking this isn’t a problem in the UK. Google xylitol UK and you will quickly find examples of loved pets which became terribly ill or died a horrible death thanks to a few sticks of chewing gum.

And it’s not just in fizzy drinks and gum. Xylitol can be found in many sugar-free products - jams, sweets, toothpaste, cakes, biscuits, honey, medicines and even in some homeopathic remedies. For example, many people find Bach’s Rescue Remedy is great for helping dogs with anxiety or itchy skin. However good the drops may be, avoid the pastilles - they too are sweetened with xylitol.

Here are two useful websites. The first gives a list of common pet poisons and the second is an interactive chart telling you how much chocolate, of any variety, will have an effect on whichever size of dog. It’s a bit fiddly to type in, but definitely worth keeping in your internet favourites.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/10/pets/chocolate-chart-interactive.html

(No need to type in, just click the links. However when last looked, National Geographic required a subscription!)

(Ed: Many thanks Sally for highlighting these potential dangers - especially at this time of the year when it is sometimes too easy to be distracted by all the seasonal nonsense and miss what our hounds are getting up to.)

hound health ☞