>"Ingredients: Water, Dextrose; Less than 2% of: Potassium Citrate,
>Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate and Citric Acid.
>
>Pedialyte Provides (per liter): Sodium, 45 mEq; Potassium, 20 mEq;
>Chloride, 35 mEq; Dextrose, 25 grams; Calories, 100."
>
> ... I don't think any of this stuff is sugar.

Dextrose is a sugar. Sucrose is normal table sugar. Maltose is malt
sugar. Lactose is milk sugar, and fructose is fruit sugar. Galactose
is another sugar. Glucose is the simplest sugar; it is the sugar in
honey, and the type of sugar we have in our blood.

Generally, anything that ends with -ose is apt to be a sugar, just as
anything that ends with -ol is apt to be an alcohol. Also - anything
with calories has to get them from somewhere; from a fat, a protein,
or a carbohydrate (sugar is a carbohydrate). Electrolytes themselves
have no calories.

Electrolytes are basically salts. In Pedialyte, you have table salt
(sodium chloride) vitamin c (citric acid), and two salts of citric acid
(sodim citrate and potassium citrate). In water, the salts separate
into their components, which is why under "Pedialyte provides" it lists
the components: sodium, potassium, and chloride.

Salt water by itself is hard to digest (it used to be given to people
to make them vomit), so Pedialyte also contains dextrose, which helps
the electrolytes to be absorbed.

Salt substitute is badly named; it may not contain sodium salt, but it
contains other salts. It is usually potassium chloride and potassium
citrate. It can be used if you make your own electrolyte solution.
This site has recipes for homemade electrolyte solutions:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf792836.tip.html

Since sugar has an effect on electrolyte absorbtion, I would check
with my vet before eliminating it entirely.

By the way, corn syrup is also a sugar. I only mention that because
some of the comments on the thriftyfun site indicate that some people
don't know that.

-Claire

[Posted in FML 6254]