What makes chocolate deadly to dogs

To prevent your dog from sneaking chocolate, follow these tips:. Put it away: Make sure all chocolate items, including cocoa powder and hot chocolate mix, are stored where the dog cannot reach them, such as on a high shelf in a closed-door pantry. Offer toys, a stuffed Kong , a favorite blanket , and treats to help him feel like the crate is his personal den. Compare Breeds Compare up to 5 different breeds side by side.

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Key Points. White chocolate has very little theobromine and will not cause chocolate poisoning in pets. Ingestions of small amounts of chocolate may cause mild vomiting and diarrhea. Larger ingestions can cause severe agitation, tachycardia elevated heart rate , abnormal heart rhythms, tremors, seizures and collapse. Induce vomiting and give multiple doses activated charcoal to decontaminate.

Aggressive IV fluids to help with excretion, sedatives to calm the pet, specific heart medications to reduce the heart rate and blood pressure, anti-convulsants for seizures, antacids such as Pepcid for stomach discomfort and diarrhea. Theobromine may be reabsorbed across the bladder wall so a urinary catheter or frequent walks are needed to keep the bladder empty.

Excellent with small ingestions such as mild stomach upset. Excellent in pets with mild signs of poisoning such as mild stomach upset or slight restlessness. Poor in those with severe signs of poisoning such as collapse and seizures. Is chocolate poisonous to dogs? For milk chocolate, any ingestion of more than 0. Ingestions of more than 0.

Very young, geriatric and animals with underlying disease must be treated more conservatively as they are more at risk for poisoning than healthy adult animals. Due to the large amount of fat in chocolate, some pets may develop pancreatitis inflammation of the pancreas after eating chocolate or baked goods containing chocolate see fatty foods.

The enzyme responsible for metabolizing theobromine is a member of the cytochrome P family. This is due to compounds in grapefruit interfering with the P enzymes. So, what does this mean for your dog who ate a chocolate bar? A median lethal dose LD 50 is the dose of a toxin required to kill half of a sample population. To illustrate my point, allow me to introduce three dogs. First, we have Baci, a 5-year-old, 7-kg Maltipoo. You can see my results in the chart below and can replicate my calculations easily using one of the online chocolate toxicity calculators.

In recent years cocoa-bean-based mulch has gained popularity as an attractive alternative to traditional mulch. It can be good for your garden, contributing nutrients and preventing weed growth, but it can be really bad for your dog. With up to 32 mg of theobromine per gram, cocoa bean mulch can be a more potent source of theobromine than even pure unsweetened baking chocolate.

One study found that repeated theobromine exposure led to the development of cardiomyopathy a chronic disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood in dogs. This has important implications in their veterinary treatment and could explain why some dogs get sick after eating very little chocolate. So, what should you do if you suspect your dog has eaten chocolate? You have a few options. You can check an online calculator like this one to see if your dog is likely to exhibit symptoms or call animal poison control in Canada and the U.