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Situation

An incompetent relative of mine (I'm not sure who) left a cough candy in its wrapper unattended.

All my relatives left the house, and I'm staying with the dog.

Apparently, the dog got hold of this candy and ate it.

Dog

  • 8-12 months old (I don't keep track)
  • miniature schnauzer.

Candy

  • "Ricola -- Original Swiss Herb"
  • sugar free
  • active ingredient:
    • menthol, 4.8 mg
  • inactive ingredients:
    • extracts of a Ricola herb mixture (elder, horehound, hyssop, lemon balm, lindens flowers, mallow, peppermint, sage, thyme, wild thyme)
    • isomalt
    • natural flavor
    • sorbitol

This is all the information from the bag.

Concerns/Reliefs

  • Dogs, especially mini schnauzers, cannot have sweets and have a weak pancreas.
  • My grandmother's (who is notorious for over-feeding living beings) mini schnauzer (which lived until a ripe old age) ate sweets like chocolates all the time and had no noticeable negative effects.

What do I do?

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1
  • Hopefully you contacted a vet. While it is nice to find answers about urgent questions about pet health on the intranet, it is not realistic to expect new answers in a timely manor. Please edit your question to indicate if the dog ate one, or a whole bag of these. If you can post an answer to your question indicating the outcome and treatment recommended by your vet, it will be helpful to others in the future.
    – James Jenkins
    Commented Jun 13, 2016 at 13:22

2 Answers 2

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"If you think your dog may have eaten something dangerous, CALL YOUR VET or: ASPCA POISON CONTROL HOTLINE (888)426-4435, NATIONAL PET POISON HELPLINE (800)213-6680"

"If you think your dog may have eaten something dangerous, CALL YOUR VET or: ASPCA POISON CONTROL HOTLINE (888)426-4435, NATIONAL PET POISON HELPLINE (800)213-6680"

Yeah, I'd say the first thing to do is call one of these numbers. They're happy to help, even with false alarms (I doubt they get too many calls...)

Also, keep a close eye on your pet. Strange, loopy behavior may be a tip-off of a bigger problem.

Make sure your dog drinks lots of water to keep his kidneys pumping. Also, don't worry too much; it will probably be fine. The worst thing you can do to yourself is convince yourself something terrible has happened when, in all likelihood, this will blow over by tomorrow. Keep a positive attitude. When you hear paws, think Labrador Retrievers, not Azawakhs.

Ok. That came out weird.

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8
  • At least nothing listed on the graphic is on the ingredients list. The paw-sitivie attitude is probably the antidote. :)
    – user7386
    Commented Jun 11, 2016 at 3:10
  • @SirJony By the way, I totally dig your user name and graphic!
    – General Nuisance
    Commented Jun 11, 2016 at 3:10
  • Haha, thanks! I've always wondered if someone thought this account belongs to the real Sir Jony (Ive). I doubt it though. :)
    – user7386
    Commented Jun 11, 2016 at 3:12
  • Yeeaaaaaaaaaah probably no. But I knew you had an Ask Different account instantly. You tell us how that dog is doing!
    – General Nuisance
    Commented Jun 11, 2016 at 3:16
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    +1 for a veterinary poison control center. If you have a pet, that number should always be where you can find it quickly, and should always be your first step when you suspect poisoning. Don't wait for the internet to respond!
    – keshlam
    Commented Jun 11, 2016 at 7:55
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The two ingredients I would be concerned about are the isomalt and the sorbitol, which are sugar substitutes. I was in a vet's office recently, and there was a poster on the wall warning of the dangers of (some?) sugar substitutes to dogs, among other things.

I recommend you call your vet -- even if out of hours. They may advise you to bring the dog in immediately, or to observe the dog for symptoms. Or they may tell you not to worry. Better to be safe than sorry.

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1
  • Thank you. As far as how the dog's doing: his sleeping peacefully. I assume he's alright, since I'd expect his to be restless if he doesn't feel well. Anyhow, I don't know the vet's phone number, and will have to wait for an hour or two before a relative that comes back does know it.
    – user7386
    Commented Jun 11, 2016 at 3:02

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