Is chocolate poisonous to dogs?
Can it be true? Is chocolate poisonous to dogs? The answer
is yes. The hazard to your dog however, depends on the type of
chocolate, the size of dog, and the amount consumed.
The component of chocolate that is toxic to dogs is called
theobromine. Whereas humans easily metabolise theobromine, dogs
process it much more slowly allowing it to build up to toxic
levels in their system.
Size matters
A large dog can consume a great deal more chocolate than a
small dog before it will suffer ill effects. It's also worth
remembering that different types of chocolate have different
levels of theobromine. Cocoa, cooking chocolate and dark
chocolate have the highest levels while milk chocolate and
white chocolate have the lowest.
A small amount of chocolate will probably just give your dog
an upset stomach. He may throw up or have diarrhoea. Large
amounts though, will have a more serious effect. In sufficient
quantities, theobromine can produce muscle tremors, seizures,
an irregular heartbeat, internal bleeding, or a
heart-attack.
What to look out for
The onset of theobromine poisoning is usually marked by
severe hyperactivity.
Don't worry if your dog has eaten a single chocolate or
helped himself to the last square of your bar, because this
won't provide a large enough dosage of theobromine to hurt him.
If you have a small dog though, and he has eaten a box of
chocolates, you need to get him to the vet immediately. And if
you're dealing with any quantity of dark or bitter chocolate,
err on the side of caution. The high level of theobromine in
dark chocolate means it takes only a very small amount to
poison a dog; just 25 grams may be enough to poison a 20 kg
dog.
The usual treatment for theobromine poisoning is to induce
vomiting within two hours of ingestion. If you are worried that
your dog may have eaten a large quantity of chocolate do not
hesitate to call your vet. Time will be of the essence.