Barking Up The Wrong Tree

Dogs And Chocolate Are Best Kept Apart

Chocolate intended for human consumption (not the special doggie chocolate) is poisonous to dogs. People have told me they give their dogs the odd chunk of chocolate and it does them no harm but that’s like saying you drank a teaspoon of bleach and it did you no harm.

There is a chemical compound contained in chocolate called theobromine and it is this which is harmful to pets, including cats, dogs, horses and more. Theobromine belongs to the same family as caffeine and most animals metabolise it very slowly so it can damage their heart, liver and other internal organs. The higher the cocoa content of the chocolate, the more dangerous it can be.

So what if your dog has accidentally eaten some chocolate? Maybe you left an open bar of chocolate on the table and your dog jumped up and ate it. We need to know what signs to look for and how much they can stand.

Naturally, how much they can stand depends predominantly on the size of the dog. Generally speaking, it takes 100 – 150mg of theobromine per kilo or 2.2 pounds of dog to cause a toxic reaction. Roughly, that equates to 2 ounces of milk chocolate per kilo of dog or one ounce of dark chocolate to 4 kilos of dog.

So if your fifteen pound dog has eaten a couple of pieces of milk chocolate, it’s likely he’ll just have mild indigestion but two or three bars could kill him.

Signs to watch for are vomiting, diarrhoea, restlessness, increased heart rate and increased urination. If you suspect your dog has theobromine poisoning, take him straight to the vet. Left alone, the dog could suffer a seizure, have muscle tremors, slip into a coma or die.

There is no antidote. The best treatment is vomiting and your vet can provide something to help the dog vomit every few minutes. They can also give the dog activated charcoal that can stop the poison from being absorbed and help it pass through the body. Dogs have the best chance of survival if treatment is provided within three to five hours. Even so, effects can last up to twelve hours and the dog may need to stay in the vet hospital.

I love both my dog and chocolate, but it’s best to keep them apart and enjoy them separately.