Toddler turned grey and passed out after drinking Slush Puppie

A two-year-old lady fell unconscious and needed to be hospitalised after consuming a Slush Puppie.

Arla Agnew “turned gray” when her blood sugars plummeted after solely half a cup of the icy drink at a good friend’s home on Saturday.

Her mom Carys, from Stranraer, mentioned docs believed this was attributable to glycerol, a chemical compound utilized in slushy drinks because it forestall liquids from freezing strong.

The Meals Requirements Company advises drinks with glycerol should not appropriate for youngsters underneath age 4 – however it’s not obligatory for corporations to print this on meals labels.

Carys, her mom and Arla had gone to a good friend’s home on Saturday. The group determined to utilize the good friend’s new Slush Puppie machine from B&M.

Arla had solely a small cup of the drink however Carys seen one thing was unsuitable when the usually “hyper” two-year-old grew to become drained and requested to be carried house.

“Her entire face was gray,” she mentioned. “It was like she wasn’t falling asleep – it was like she was passing out and waking up once more.”

Hours later, and with no enchancment in Arla’s situation, Carys determined to take her to A&E at Galloway Neighborhood Hospital.

She started to concern for her daughter’s life when docs couldn’t instantly inform her what was unsuitable.

Checks revealed that Arla’s blood sugar had dropped to an abnormally low degree – a situation known as hypoglycaemia, which needs to be handled in a short time to cease it getting worse.

The household couldn’t perceive it because the toddler had eaten a variety of sugary meals earlier that day.

“They had been so fast getting all of the machines into her,” mentioned Carys. “They pricked her heel and took blood from her arms, and he or she did nothing, did not flinch – that’s after I knew one thing wasn’t proper along with her.

“I used to be absolute having it, I couldn’t cease crying. My brother and sister couldn’t even take a look at her due to all of the machines hooked up to her.

“Then a health care provider got here by means of mentioned ‘I do know what it is perhaps’ – he mentioned ‘I believe it’s the Slush Puppie’. He’d spoken to the poison unit and located that glycerol wasn’t for underneath fours.”

Arla needed to be rushed to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, the place medical workers additionally informed the household that glycerol within the Slush Puppie was the doubtless reason behind her situation.

They had been in a position to deal with the toddler shortly and earlier than lengthy she was sitting up, consuming juice and talking to associates on Facetime.

The Meals Requirements Company (FSA) launched new steerage in August final 12 months, saying slush-ice drinks containing glycerol shouldn’t be given to youngsters underneath 4 – although this steerage is voluntary.

It adopted a danger evaluation that discovered that youngsters beneath this age might undergo complications and illness attributable to publicity to the chemical.

If a number of merchandise are drunk by a baby in a brief house of time, the FSA mentioned it might trigger shock, hypoglycaemia and lack of consciousness.

There have been two different circumstances of kids being hospitalised in Scotland due to glycerol intoxication so far as the FSA is conscious – one in 2021 and one in 2022.

Carys’s mom Stacey checked the packaging on the Slush Puppie and located there was no warning concerning the product being unsuitable for younger youngsters.

B&M mentioned that they had inspected present inventory and “confirmed that the packaging adheres to the Meals Customary Company’s steerage”.

The BBC has contacted Slush Puppie for remark.

“This simply scares me,” mentioned Carys. “That’s why we’re talking about it – to ensure it doesn’t occur to anybody else.

“The physician mentioned if it had been 20 minutes later it might have been completely completely different – I took that to imply she might have died.”

After spending an evening in hospital, Arla is now again to her traditional energetic self – although Carys is cautious of permitting her to have any extra slushy drinks.

She says she could use another like diluting juice if Arla is round older youngsters utilizing the machine once more.

Carys added: “She’s hyper 24-7 – she runs about from the minute she will get up till the minute she will get to her mattress.

“I’ve undoubtedly received my fingers full – and I’m glad about that.”