|
Sure, it’s
hard to resist those sweet little eyes begging for a treat when you’re
eating a chocolate bar or some chocolate ice cream, but the bottom line is
that dogs must not eat chocolate. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs and can
kill them. There have been many a number of unfortunate dog deaths due to
owners leaving something chocolate out within the pooch’s reach. Even if
your dog has eaten chocolate previously and suffered no adverse reaction,
you should never again allow him to eat it. The reaction to chocolate
varies depending upon the size of the dog and how much chocolate they
consumed. What causes chocolate to be toxic to dogs is the chemical
theobromine. Because dogs like foods that are sweet and are quick to grab
things and run off with them, chocolate should be kept away from dogs at
all times.
Signs of chocolate poisoning in dogs usually start within a few hours of
the time they ingested the chocolate and include vomiting, diarrhea,
excess urination, nausea, seizures, irregular heartbeat and coma.
Sometimes the symptoms don’t show up for up to 36 hours, but if you know
or suspect that your dog got ahold of some chocolate and ate it, you
should get him to an emergency animal hospital or your veterinarian’s
office immediately. There is always a better prognosis when the dog is
rushed in and care starts early.
The amount of chocolate that it takes to poison your pooch varies
depending on what type of chocolate, how much theobromine it contained,
how much he ate, and how much he weighs. Comparing the chocolates, white
chocolate has the least amount of theobromine at 1 mg per ounce. The
highest amount of the toxic chemical comes from baking chocolate and cocoa
beans. Below is a list of how much chocolate it takes to poison a dog
based on the type of chocolate and its level of theobromine per ounce:
White chocolate: 200 ounces per pound of body weight. It
takes 250 pounds of white chocolate to cause signs of nervous-system
poisoning in a 20-pound dog, 125 pounds for a 10-pound dog.
Milk chocolate: 1 ounce per pound of body weight.
Approximately one pound of milk chocolate is poisonous to the nervous
system of a 20-pound dog; one-half pound for a 10-pound dog. Semi-sweet
chocolate has a similar toxic level. Keep in mind that the average
chocolate bar contains 2 to 3 oz of milk chocolate. It would take 2-3
candy bars to produce toxicity in a 10 lb dog.
Sweet cocoa: 0.3 ounces per pound of body weight. One-third
of a pound of sweet cocoa is toxic to a 20-pound dog; 1/6 pound for a
10-pound dog.
Baking chocolate: 0.1 ounce per pound body weight. Two
one-ounce squares of bakers' chocolate is toxic to a 20-pound dog; one
ounce for a 10-pound dog.
|
If your
dog does accidentally ingest chocolate, here are some things you can
do before taking him to the vet. First, you need to induce vomiting by
administering to your dog a one or two teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide
by mouth every 15 minutes until he starts to throw up. Alternatively,
you could use Syrups of Ipecac, which is an over-the-counter
medication that you can get at any pharmacy. After the dogs throw up,
you need to give him activated charcoal mixed with water. |
Veterinary
experts say that if you give in to your dog’s begging and give him even a
speck of chocolate, you will cause him to crave more, meaning that he will
sneak around and/or jump at any opportunity to get it. Veterinarians say
that the best thing you can do is never, ever, ever give your dog
chocolate.
Written by Michael Tambler of www.pet-super-store.com: a site with a huge
selection of
gps tracking collars and
doggie
doors.
|
HOME
|
