Xylitol in cats

I called the Virbac C.E.T company 1-800-338-3659 or 1-844-484-7222 to ask them why they would put Xylitol in the Aquadent since Xylitol is toxic to dogs and cats and I was met with...

"Well it's just a miniscule amount and it's only toxic to dogs not cats but it's not even enough to harm them"

I said "well actually it IS toxic to cats too and they can't even taste sweet so why bother adding it into the product and what about the FD&C Blue No. 1 I'm sure that cats and dogs don't care if this product has a pretty color?"

She went on a tangent about how there has to be so many parts per million in order for it to be considered toxic so I said "well ma'am would you feel comfortable putting a miniscule amount of arsenic or rat poison in your morning coffee?"

She said that they add the Xylitol because it's an antibacterial and I argued that there are SEVERAL other antibacterial agents that they could use that are NOT toxic and that was my point in calling. I said that using their product over a period of time would have long term effects even if it didn't have immediate ones.

I'm not done messing with them about this, I'm on a mission now.

 

LOVE THIS!

 

GO! GO! GO!!! I love how you handled that... I SO agree 100% with you!

 

Awesome! Go get 'em! That makes me furious - "Oh, it's just a little bit of toxic poisons we're selling you as part of a health product!"

 

Tell her to put a minuscule amount of arsenic in her daily coffee and tell you how she feels in a month

 

I might even record the conversation next time so that you guys can hear it

 

Explains what is wrong with our food supply and our companion animal food supply. Lots of little things get by as it a small amount....I don't know about you but I have seen just a small amount of snow fall continually and it added up to a big pile of white stuff to shovel.

 

yep, exactly. I'm still pretty tiffed about that conversation. I'm going to see if I can get someone higher up the food chain next time I call.

 

I wanted to ask a favor of those that read this. I'll keep after the company and have some great fun with this, I find it very entertaining to blow up the phones of companies like these. The lady on the phone did ask me where I had read about the toxicity in cats and dogs and I rushed to Googled search a source. I told her a few links but she wanted something a little more scientific like a study showing proof of this toxicity and I'm certain that it's out there somewhere I just don't have time to search for it right now. However if you guys can search for it and provide me with links then I can be ready to fire off the data by the time I'm done moving. Trust me, I can be relentless and I'll have other people calling them too, you guys can join in as well if you like. They will be so sick of me by the time that I'm done. Did I mention that I used to be a member of PETA and a vegan? I think that's where I get this gusto from. Anyway, any information that you can provide will be better than nothing and I appreciate the help. After this, I'll be tackling the same company about the dextrose in the toothpaste, yippie!

 

What a good idea!

 

I love you! I'm actually like that as well. If I'm passionate about something I don't give up!

 

Good for you! My cat had seizures after using Advantage II spot treatment when they added the pesticide to the mix. He was on phenobarbital for six months because of this with no other medical issues that could have caused it other than the flea treatment. He did not lick it or ingest it but his nervous system was compromised by the systemic absorption. The company was a nightmare to deal with and argues that so many other animals are not affected by this so it must just be mine. I just hate what they can get away with sometimes.

 

Sieden, I do not think it would be listed here if it was a non-issue:

http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/xylitol/

Now that does not list it toxic to cats... but there are many warnings about it and hypoglycemia, so for our Diabetic cats it certainly is.... and if it's toxic to dogs, it's hard to imagine it's safe for cats...?

 

Ah ha.. interesting, cats ARE different from dogs in this case... though in the case of tooth cleaner you ARE forcing cats to ingest it... soooo

http://www.catster.com/lifestyle/cat-health-sugarless-gum-xylitol-toxic-harmful-cats-ask-a-vet

 

I'm an accomplished expert on antagonizing salespeople and moronic spokes persons. If they can't be educated or are cat haters...
1 ) They are often told to NEVER hang up on someone. Just keep dragging out the conversation.
2) Misquote them, apologize, do it again.
3) Ask where they are right now and if it's a really bad neighborhood.
4) Keep using semi politically incorrect/condescending words like Madam, Professor, Stupidvisor or my favorite "just the receptionist".
Some people need a kick in the pants to get some action. Toxic means toxic, which part is so hard to understand? Go for it!

 

There still isn't nearly as much research for Xylitol effects on cats as there is for dogs


http://www.alternet.org/personal-health/people-food-can-kill-your-pet:
Excerpt:
1. Xylitol.
While xylitol has no known toxicity in humans, just a few sticks of sugar-free gum scavenged by a 20-pound dog can cause its insulin levels to spike and send it into hypoglycemia. Ingesting higher amounts of xylitol can create serious liver problems including acute hepatic necrosis, leading to death. Cats are also susceptible to xylitol poisoning.

Unfortunately, I cannot find any proof of reported Xylitol toxicity in cats . Newest statement (Jan 2017) re-iterating this lack of reports added xylitol is harmless to humans and cats

 

Thanks

 

Thank you for this, it's a good start even if it doesn't mention toxicity specifically for cats at least it's something. I'll use it the next time that I call them. I'll be calling after I move and get my computer set up so probably around May 1

 

Now this article is pretty interesting, I didn't expect that outcome at the end. I still hold my stance that Xylitol shouldn't be in the product though, and on top of that perhaps they should make one for cats and then another one for dogs. Certainly the one for dogs CANNOT have Xylitol in it period. This company needs to stop treating cats and dogs the same because they clearly are not the same as we just read about. Thanks for another good article.

 

I like that lol

 

Just showing that it's toxic to dogs and the product is for dogs and cats should be good enough for them to make a change. They should NOT be putting ANY amount of a toxic ingredient into an animal product and I will fight for the dogs too.

 

Oh I agree. I wasn't have much luck finding cat specific though . With all the proof and research on dogs, they should realize it's just as bad for cats and give them the same attention

 

I was told that they added Xylitol to this product because it's antibacterial but I did a quick Google search for natural antibacterial foods and found a list of 10. On the list of course was garlic, honey and apple cider vinegar but we know that we can't add that to a pets drinking water lol. On the list was also Grapefruit Seed Extract GSE so I looked it up to see if it's toxic to cats and IT'S NOT, yay! Check this out... here's a link to the product which I just happen to already have lol
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/NutriBiotic-Grapefruit-Seed-Extract-Liquid/353000.aspx

Here's a little description from their page.
As a natural, non-toxic compound, NutriBiotic's Grapefruit Seed Extract Liquid Concentrate has many uses. It may be used as a surface disinfectant in place of commonly used cleaners like bleach or ammonia-based products. Because of its non-toxic nature, the liquid concentrate is ideal for use in the kitchen and in children’s areas. Grapefruit seed extract can be used as a sanitizing wash for raw meat and other foods, dishes, cutting boards, and utensils. The product can also be used to purify drinking water in your pet's water dish
And check out all of the helpful info on this other site
https://www.nutriteam.com/pets/

I'll continue to battle it out with this other company because I don't want to see them poison pets but I'm going to start adding the GSE to my cats water and that's all the dental rinse that they need. I couldn't be happier that I found out about that.

 

How's the mission going? Some corporations get it, some are stuck in the past. You have to shame them. On a much smaller note I've pointed out expired food and food that's obviously been thawed and refrozen to the manager. He's a super nice guy but he's stuck in the middle. The company is too big and fat to change. And the local farmers market? Those poor people are border line poverty stricken. It's all pretty sad. The family farm disappeared with long ago along with some of my trust.

 

This is a very sad reality. Small family businesses can not survive, only big greedy corporations will dictate everything. We are becoming robots because we sold our souls and we want a lot of everything cheeply, than we get depressed and stressed and we have to take Zoloft, Prozac, Wellbutrin etc, we want it all. Sad.
Sorry about the rant.

 

This is one of my favorites.
Get some good quality paper and Photoshop some made-up company logo.
"Dear Sir, please cancel our order for 100,000,000 of your smelly things with extra smelly Xylitol. Your standards do not meet our customers expectations of family values blah blah blah." You'll have to run it through a postage meter or they'll know it's a gag. I love messing with peoples heads. Make your motto "Because we care/When only the best will do/From our family to yours/When quality matters. The usual BS. Make sure your the president of purchasing and quality control.
Those Tide pod things that kids chew on, still sold in Canada! What a joke.

 

That's not a rant but it is sad, and it's the truth. I like to ask for things that are NOT new and improved or extra strength. I once had to get some suppositories for my Mom and asked for the extra large ones. I think they where ready to throw me out of the store. Some people can't take a joke.

 

Oh, I do know how it works in a medical/pharmaceutical set up very well as it used to be my job! They take themselves very seriously but it is a stressful job (never enough staff to process everything smoothly) and not very well paid but what managers deeply cared about was that we did not get too many complaints as it was making bad record so everything had to look good on paper but in reality it is shambles! But to be fair I recall a few incidents that patients actually swallowed suppositories and came back to complain that they were unable to take these "tablets" as they were too big! You've got to laugh!

 

I used to work at The Body Shop, Canada headquarters. Had a lady wax herself but let the wax completely dry. My previous doctor got so sick of people quoting TV commercials "Ask your doctor today" that she just gave them whatever it was as long as it wasn't dangerous. Laxatives, shampoo that makes you smarter, water with enriched H2O (?). You can't get well when you're not sick but you can complain.