If holiday baking is in your plans this month, it’s important to make sure potentially toxic ingredients are kept out of our furry friends’ reach. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) would like to make note of one such ingredient called xylitol—a low-calorie sweetener known to cause low blood sugar and liver damage in dogs.

Xylitol has long been used in sugar free gum, but has recently begun popping up on the ingredient lists of various products including some peanut butters, baby wipes, medications and others. Please be on the lookout for xylitol before giving your pet a special treat!

Other common kitchen dangers include chocolate, coffee, caffeine, citrus, raisins, nuts, raw eggs, yeast dough and more. Please visit our People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets page for a full list of pantry pet toxins.

We hope your family has a safe and happy holiday season!

APCC is your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency—24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you think that your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 immediately.