A rumour has been going viral since the beginning of April 2022 that there is xylitol in McDonalds Ice Cream. According to reports, multiple posts on Facebook started claiming that McDonald’s ice cream had xylitol, a sugar alcohol that was toxic for dogs.
Posts Claiming Xylitol in McDonalds Ice Cream
The posts making shocking claims were shared thousands of times. They warned against feeding the ice cream to pets since xylitol was deadly for dogs and could kill them within an hour. The warning written in front of a colourful background with an animated character was shared in several posts on Facebook. Social media users shared the post on other platforms to confirm whether this claim was authentic.
What is Xylitol?
Xylitol is a sweetener commonly found in various consumer goods. It is unknown if there’s xylitol in McDonalds ice cream, but this sweetening agent can certainly be dangerous for dogs.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) published a report in 2017 saying that if a dog ingested a product containing xylitol, there would be serious problems. It causes low blood sugar and damages the animal’s liver.
Some signs of low blood sugar are weakness, shakiness, unsteadiness, and also seizures if treatment is delayed. Liver injury signs include appetite loss, yellow skin, diarrhoea, vomiting, and lethargy.
Research in Progress
A fact-checking website Snopes has approached McDonald’s for comment, but there is no updated yet. It also cross-checked the ingredients used in their desserts but did not find xylitol in the list. Moreover, it also said that the social media posts did not share any credible evidence to support the claim that there was xylitol in McDonalds ice cream. The fact-checkers have labelled this claim as “Research in Progress” for now and will update as new information becomes available.
Also Read
