Safeguarding pets through Super Bowl and Valentine's celebrations

As we inch closer and closer to February, Super Bowl parties with family and friends and Valentine's, or Galentine's, Day dates and events are beginning to be planned. However, there are risks on these occasions to pets that clients might not even be aware of. From Xylitol to THC, how can veterinary teams keep pet parents informed and clients safe from the toxins lurking on coffee tables and in suitcases?

On this episode of The Vet Blast Podcast, Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, senior toxicologist for the Pet Poison Helpline, sat down with Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, host of The Vet Blast Podcast, to go over top toxins and how veterinary teams can educate their clients on keeping pets safe and healthy.

Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT: Xylitol truly is everywhere. We say it's everywhere and it really kind of is. We think about it a lot with our sugar-free gums and candies and that's enough to bring a lot of light to it and make people kind of perk their ears and really look at the back of those ingredient labels to see if xylitol is there, but that's just really only one component, one piece of the puzzle with xylitol. There are a lot of products that don't state that they're sugar-free that still contain xylitol. There's products that contain sugar and xylitol in them as well. And so they can be really kind of sneaky as to where they get in there.

It's a great product for weight loss and weight loss products because of its sweetness and it has a low glycemic index. So you might see it in protein bars, different granola bars, [and] different weight loss products. It has a humectant effect, which means it helps to retain moisture so you might see it in skin lotions and gels, and just kind of all over the place.