Warning for pet owners: this popular candy can be deadly for your dog

Attention all dog owners! There could be a silent killer lurking in your purse. Xylitol, an ingredient found in most chewing gum, can be deadly for dogs.

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As reported by the Wall Street Journal, North Carolina dog owner Tonia Cox "came home to find that the labradoodle had knocked her son's Ice Breakers gum off the counter and ingested about 20 pieces. The dog began vomiting and later became lethargic. A local animal hospital diagnosed liver failure."

%shareLinks-quote="It [xylitol] has been deemed safe for humans but is extremely harmful to dogs, roughly 100 times as toxic as milk chocolate, a more widely known hazard, experts say." type="quote" author="Wall Street Journal" authordesc="Online" isquoteoftheday="false"%

According to veterinary toxicologist Dr. Ahna Brutlag, her center has had 2,800 calls about known or suspected xylitol ingestion so far in this year alone.

It is important to note that xylitol is sometimes added to specialty peanut butters, so be sure to read the label's ingredients very carefully before feeding some to your dog as a treat.

We know you love dogs, so take a look at photos from New York City's Halloween dog parade:

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