Your dog is at risk of being poisoned from this household substance

Watch out, dog owners: your four-legged friend could be poisoning by something you keep around the house.

It’s called xylitol, and it’s found in chewing gum, mints, and nut butters, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about it.

The problem is that the artificial sweetener does something to your dog that it doesn’t do to humans: it causes blood sugar levels to take a huge dive, which can prove fatal.

Xylitol is harmless to humans, and dentally it’s actually quite beneficial, but there have been numerous reports of dog poisonings, prompting the FDA’s warning. Signs that your dog has been poisoning include vomiting, and symptoms associated with hypoglycemia, like decreased activity, collapse, and seizures. Symptoms don’t set in until 12 to 24 hours later, so if you think your dog has consumed some but don’t see signs, go to a vet or emergency animal hospital anyway.

To avoid poisoning, check labels and avoid products with xylitol, or simply keep it out of reach of your pets.

“FDA wants to know if your pet encounters safety issues with a product, and/or unanticipated harmful effects that you believe are related to a product,” the statement reads. “Each report is evaluated to determine how serious the problem is and, if necessary, additional information may be requested from the person who filed the report. You can report problems related to both human and pet foods and treats at the Safety Reporting Portal.”