Dogs and Chocolate

Dogs and chocolate do not mix well. A canine eating chocolate results in dog food poisoning as chocolates are toxic foods for dogs. Hearing, 'my dog ate chocolate', means you need immediate and quick action to alleviate dog sickness.

Most everyone who owns a canine has at least heard that chocolate is poisonous for dogs.

Many people wonder if it is really true and how much chocolate is too much.

There are also questions as to what types of chocolates are harmful and what to do if their dogs gets into chocolate by accident.

These are important questions that need to be answered, and understood.

The harmful ingredient in chocolate for dogs is primarily theobromine, which is a naturally occurring ingredient in chocolate. The cocoa bean has a very high concentration of this ingredient and caffeine.

Caffeine can be toxic as well. The main reason why these substances are toxic to dogs is because they stay in a dog's bloodstream a very long time and, as a result, over-stimulate the central nervous system. This adversely affects the heart and kidneys causing them to shut down.

A lethal dose of both caffeine and theobromine is between 100 mg and 200 mg per kg (2.2 lbs) of the dog's body weight.

The amount of these ingredients varies according to the type of chocolate. Generally speaking, because of the pureness, chocolate used for cooking is more lethal than chocolate bars.

Dry cocoa power contains 808 mg of theobromine and caffeine per ounce whereas milk chocolate only contains 64 mg. Dark chocolate has more than either white chocolate or milk chocolate.

How much chocolate will be harmful to your pet will depend both on the type of chocolate he has eaten, and how much he weighs.

The smaller the canine is, the less he has to eat to be made sick. Larger dogs can eat more chocolate without serious ill effects. For example, dogs weighing 60 pounds can eat a teaspoon of chocolate with only mild or no ill effects, but dogs weighing 15 pounds can become sick by the same amount.

A dog that has eaten chocolate will develop symptoms of toxicity within a couple of hours. They will become hyperactive and experience vomiting and diarrhea. Remember the harmful effects will continue to intensify because of the slow absorption process.

As the dog's body absorbs more of the toxins his heart rate will increase and the pet will become more restless and hyperactive. The rapid heart rate will result in heart arrhythmia, muscle twitching, panting and excessive urination. If it is a lethal amount of chocolate, the canine will have seizures, fall into a coma and die.

Since the toxins are in the body for a long time, your best bet is to induce vomiting. If you catch your dog eating chocolate, try a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to make your pet vomit up the poisonous chocolate. A veterinarian should be consulted as soon as possible as they can prescribe other medications to assist your canine.

Activated charcoal can be used to prevent the toxins from being absorbed by the body. The vet may also recommend an anticonvulsive medication, intravenous medications, oxygen therapy and fluids.

If your dog eats chocolate (especially if it has ingested a significant amount of chocolate); call your vet. They will tell you that dogs and chocolate do not go together. Your veterinarian is your best line of defense and knows how to treat your pet for best results.

Chocolate is lethal for dogs and should be kept out of their reach at all times. Always keep dogs and chocolate separate.

Once your dog sickness recovery is managed by your vet, and you, it is time to try to re-balance your dog's digestive health. We recommend a 100% herbal remedy called PetAlive Digestive Support which is developed to treat digestive system problems in pets.

Its benefits include balancing and maintaining healthy digestive functioning; soothing gastric mucus membranes irritated by the toxic foods for dogs; and supporting absorption of nutrition.

Digestive Support is a good digestive system tonic for your pet and contains carefully chosen herbs in therapeutic dosage to soothe and support the stomach lining, esophagus, and entire digestive tract of your canine.

Share Your Story:

Do you have a story to tell about your dog and chocolate? Or other toxic foods and dogs and how you handled the resulting dog sickness. We would all like to learn more about how to help our pets: what worked and what didn't. Thanks!