Chocolate and Your Dog

Halloween is coming up soon. That means there will be lots of sweets around over the next few weeks. Take care to keep that candy bowl away from Fido. Chocolate is extremely dangerous to our furry buddies! A local vet offers some tips on this below.

Toxicity

What makes chocolate so unsafe for dogs? The guilty party is theobromine. Theobromine is a heart stimulant, blood vessel dilator, muscle relaxant, and diuretic. Fido can’t metabolize chemicals like theobromine and can get extremely sick from ingesting it. He could also develop pancreatitis, from the fat and sugar in chocolate. Even worse, it won’t take a lot to make your pooch sick. Chocolate is toxic to dogs at just one pound per body weight.

Symptoms

Keep an eye out for symptoms. Some of them include diarrhea, vomiting, panting, increased or excessive urination, and elevated heart rate. Sometimes dogs have more severe reactions, such as seizures, muscle tremors, and unfortunately, death. Warning signs generally start within a few hours after consumption and can last for several days. Immediately contact your veterinarian if you see any of these red flags, or if you know or think that your dog ate chocolate.

Cats

What about Fluffy? Chocolate is just as toxic for her as it is for Fido. But, due to the picky nature of cats, they are less likely to consume it.

Kinds Of Chocolate

Some types of chocolate are more toxic than others. The general rule is, chocolate is more dangerous the darker it is. Dark chocolate has as much as 450 mg of theobromine per ounce. The least toxic kind is white chocolate with only approximately 0.25 mg of theobromine per ounce. However, any type of chocolate is bad, and should be kept out of paws’ reach.

Precautions

As we all know, dogs take every opportunity they can to eat. Fido has a habit of snatching anything that ends up on the floor. Be careful when consuming chocolate around your pooch. You’ll also need to keep an eye on young children that are eating chocolate around the dog, as they often like to innocently share their food with their furry pals.

Contact us for any questions or concerns you may have about your pet’s care and health.