CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When bringing home a new animal, there are always some do's and don'ts. Peanut butter has always been a choice for pet owners to either give their pets medication or as a treat but social media post is warning owners that an added ingredient could cause harm, especially to dogs.
But is that true? If so, what kind of dangers should pet owners be aware of before giving their dog a treat?
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THE QUESTION
Does some peanut butter contain xylitol, an ingredient that could harm pets?
OUR SOURCES
THE ANSWER:
Yes, some peanut butter has xylitol in it, and that's harmful to dogs.
WHAT WE FOUND
According to NC State University, xylitol is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol in birch trees. It's extracted into a white powder and tastes similar to sugar, so it's commonly used as a low-calorie substitute. While it's not harmful to humans, dogs are a different story.
"Dogs do not have the ability to process that chemical compound so what ends up happening is they have a severe drop in blood sugar and can cause severe damage to their liver," Wystrach said.
As it's added to more foods, the number of xylitol poisoning cases has increased in canines. A study published by NAVC shows from 2002-2015, there was a significant rise in emergency calls.
"It has increased over the last couple of years people don't even realize that some things are sugar-free," Wystrach said.
Wystrach said xylitol is found in gum, candy, and some peanut butter. The common peanut butter brands that include xylitol as an ingredient are Got Nuts, Nuts N More Peanut Butter, P28 Foods Formulated High Protein Peanut Butter Spread.
"Checking the labels and the buzzword would see more is sugar-free, and it means they will usually see a sugar substitute," Wystrach said.
In general, Wystrach tells WCNC that regular peanut butter is safe for dogs but check the ingredients before giving it to your pets.
WCNC Charlotte's Verify series is all about trying to make a difference in the Carolinas by making sure the community has the correct information. WCNC Charlotte outlines concisely what we know and what we don't know. Sometimes the answer can be surprising. Watch previous stories where we verify social media claims in the YouTube playlist below and subscribe to get updated when new videos are uploaded.