Why Chocolate May Harm Our Dog?

adminr

4 years ago

Even in a small amount, chocolate can seriously affect the health of our dog&period; In some cases, exposure to chocolate can cause death&period; While dark chocolate is considered healthy for human due to its rich antioxidants presence, our dogs can become seriously ill when ingesting it&period; Two toxic components of chocolate for dogs are theobromine and caffeine&period; The former is available in a particularly large amount in dark chocolate and it may cause multiple adverse clinical signs in our pets&period; Theobromine may directly affect kidneys, cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous and intestinal systems&period; It is clear that the substance could cause widespread organ disruption in dogs&period;&NewLine;The risk of poisoning is directly related to the amount chocolate our dogs eat and the type of chocolate&period; Early signs of chocolate poisoning are diarrhea, vomiting, bloating and stomach upset&period; It is not uncommon to see our dogs urinate frequently, drink more, become restless and hyperactive&period; These are clear signs that theobromine has affected the nervous system of our dogs&period; In more serious cases, chocolate could cause tremors, increased breathing rate, seizures, hyperthermia and eventually coma&period;&NewLine;Fatal toxic dose is about 60mg/kg, so 600mg of theobromine could cause adverse symptoms in a 20lb dog&period; Slight symptoms can be triggered by 20mg/kg dose, while medium to severe symptoms could be caused by 20mg/kg dose&period; However, it still depends on the actual amount of theobromine inside the chocolate bar&period; Milk chocolate contain the lowest amount of theobromine, about 250mg in 5oz of bar&period; Dark chocolate could contain 600mg of theobromine in a 5oz of bar and dry cocoa powder at 700mg&period; This would mean that a small poodle that weighs only 10lbs could be poisoned fatally by a milk chocolate bar with about 250mg of theobromine&period; Larger dog breeds, like Golden Retriever will become seriously ill after eating more than five bars of 5oz milk chocolate&period; It should be noted that cooking chocolate and dark chocolate are far more toxic for dogs due to the higher concentration of theobromine&period; In fact, one bar of dark chocolate could already fatally poison a large dog&period;&NewLine;After we find out that our dog eats specific amount of chocolate, it is important to determine the actual quantity of chocolate the dog eats&period; Based on the type of chocolate, we should be able to determine the possible level of toxicity&period; If the dose of theobromine has exceeded 20mg/kg we should immediately bring the dog to the nearest vet&period; The veterinarian will induce vomiting to clear the digestive system of remaining chocolate&period;&NewLine;As first aid attempt, we could induce vomiting at home by giving the dog one teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide for each 10lbs of body weight&period; We could repeat the treatment if the dog won’t vomit in ten minutes&period; However, we shouldn’t repeat this treatment more than twice&period; If we can’t induce vomiting and the dog begins to show signs of seizures, it is important to go to a veterinarian immediately&period;&NewLine;&NewLine;