Xylitol Pet Poisoning Cases More than Doubled Over Five Years Pet Poison Helpline Warns of Growing Danger During National Poison Prevention Week News provided by Share this article Share this article MINNEAPOLIS, March 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Many people are cutting back on sugar, which has led to an enormous increase in the number of products that contain xylitol, a lower-calorie sugar substitute with a low glycemic index that is found naturally in berries, plums, corn, oats, mushrooms, lettuce, trees and some other fruits. Now it is being used to sweeten everything from chocolate and other candy, to peanut butter and toothpaste. While that's great news for people, pets aren't so lucky.