Erythritol
CautionErythritol is not listed as a canine toxin the way xylitol is, but a large dose causes osmotic diarrhea. The real hazard is that the sugar-free product it came in may also contain xylitol.
This food guide has not been reviewed by a veterinarian. It summarises general information from sources and should not be used to decide whether a food is suitable for an individual dog or to assess an emergency.
Check before feeding
Check the precautions before sharing
Risk depends on preparation, ingredients or amount. Read the precautions below; body weight alone cannot establish a safe portion.
Signs and health concerns
This list includes both observable signs and conditions identified through examination or testing. It cannot establish the cause or whether an exposure is safe.
- Diarrhoea
- Loose stool
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Excess gas
- Dehydration
More about this food
Erythritol is the sugar alcohol that fills out the volume of most sugar-free products in the US: Truvia, Swerve, keto bars, zero-sugar chocolate, and the sweetener line in almost every low-carb baked good. It is usually the first ingredient on the panel of a stevia or monk fruit blend.
Start by separating it from xylitol. The names rhyme and both are sugar alcohols, but what has been documented in dogs differs sharply. In the Merck Veterinary Manual's food hazards chapter, the only sugar alcohol with its own toxicosis monograph is xylitol, and on the ASPCA's list of people foods to avoid, xylitol is the only sweetener listed as toxic. Erythritol appears on neither. There is no current basis for treating a bite of an erythritol-sweetened cookie the way you would treat xylitol, with its hypoglycemia and liver failure.
That does not make it a free pass. First, sugar alcohols pull water into the gut. Merck describes sorbitol as an osmotic cathartic added to activated charcoal to speed GI transit, and the same physics applies here: a big dose means watery diarrhea, cramping and gas, and a small dog dehydrates fast on diarrhea alone.
Second, and this is the part that matters at 2 a.m.: on an ingredient panel, erythritol and xylitol are a few letters apart. The same brand's sugar-free gum, mints, chocolate and gummies may use one in some products and the other in others. Per Merck, xylitol above roughly 100 mg/kg has been associated with hypoglycemia, and above 500 mg/kg may cause severe hepatic insufficiency or failure. Glancing at a wrapper in the dark and deciding it was probably erythritol is the single most dangerous move on this page. The FDA advises checking the ingredient list for xylitol specifically on anything labeled sugar-free or low sugar.
So do this: pick up the package and read the full ingredient list out loud. If xylitol appears anywhere, call your veterinarian, an emergency clinic, or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 right away even with no symptoms, and take the packaging with you. If it does not, leave water out and watch; call if watery diarrhea repeats or your dog goes flat with tacky gums. Do not induce vomiting at home.
Frequently asked questions
- Is erythritol as dangerous as xylitol for dogs?
- Based on what is documented, no. Xylitol is the only sugar alcohol with its own toxicosis entry in Merck's food hazards chapter and the only sweetener the ASPCA lists as toxic. Erythritol still causes osmotic diarrhea in quantity, and the package may contain xylitol too, so read the full panel.
- My dog drank some zero-sugar soda. Do I need the ER?
- Read the ingredient list first. If xylitol is in it, call right away even with no symptoms. If it is not, expect loose stool at worst. Keep water available and call your vet if watery diarrhea repeats or your dog becomes lethargic.
- I cannot read the label, the packaging is chewed up.
- Take whatever is left of the package to your vet or call with it in hand now. The brand, product name, time of ingestion, rough amount and your dog's weight let a veterinarian check whether that product contains xylitol. Do not induce vomiting while you wait.