Arizona Congressman David Schweikert introduced legislation in Congress last Tuesday aimed at labeling a chemical found in some foods that’s toxic to dogs. When ingested by dogs, the chemical can cause liver damage and low blood sugar.
The Paws Off Act of 2025 would deem foods misbranded unless their labeling warns of the toxic effects of xylitol, a sweetener that can be found in foods such as peanut butter and sugarless gum.
Tina Wismer, a senior director of the Animal Poison Control Center at ASPCA, said that symptoms following ingestion of xylitol by dogs can sometimes mean vomiting and seizures.
“Melatonin, that people take to sleep, is actually a really common one that can contain xylitol. It’s all about reading those labels and keeping the things away from pets," Wismer said.
In 2024, Wismer said there were more than 10,000 calls to the center from across the country concerning dogs that ingested xylitol. Over 250 calls came from Arizona.
Wismer added that she doesn’t know of any foods labeled with a warning stating xylitol is hazardous to dogs.
Schweikert introduced a similar bill at the beginning of 2023 that would have forbid the sale of food containing xylitol unless a warning label indicated its toxic effects to dogs. The last action on that bill was when it was referred to the Subcommittee on Health in February 2023.
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The declines were felt across the Mountain West. In Idaho, SNAP participation fell nearly 8%. Nevada saw a drop of more than 14%. In Arizona, participation fell by nearly 34%. New Mexico saw a decrease of about 6%, while Wyoming dropped by more than 11%.
