what is harmful to dogs in sugar-free gum
Chewing gum contains a sugar alcohol called xylitol. Regular chewing gums contain this, and sugar-free gums are almost 70% xylitol, because it is an artificial sweetener. Many candies use xylitol in their ingredients as well. When xylitol is consumed by humans, there are no effects. When ingested by dogs, it causes a surge of insulin that drops a dog's blood sugar to dangerous levels. If your dog has ingested a large amount of gum, the xylitol could start to damage their liver. This is, essentially, like going into a diabetic coma.