Monday, August 27, 2012

What to do if the dog eats chocolate

By Jerry Welsh


You thought of giving the girlfriend a puppy for your 1st monthsary. Together with the $120/pound Godiva chocolate, the cuddly puppy was placed in a beribboned basket ready to be delivered. Apparently, the notion that dogs and chocolates is a bad combination is true. The dog has eaten the chocolates! Would you ignore the pet and rush to get another chocolate or would you take the dog to the vet?

Chocolate is a comfort food thus most households would have a cache of this favorite sweet indulgence. It is therefore not uncommon for dogs to ingest this natural poison. Many dog owners have not heard about chocolate poisoning thus the pet will be allowed to have a bite of the chocolate bar and allowed to have a slice of the Black Forest cake. Dogs are commonly fed commercial dog food but because these animals are much loved, anything that is eaten by the owner will be shared with the pet. Some human foods though can have dangerous effects on the pet.

Chocolate is kind of addicting - after one bite another and another will be taken. Chocolate eating will have no dangerous effect in humans. Chocolate contains theobromine, a substance that has no dangerous effect on humans but can be deadly if ingested by dogs. Because theobromine cannot be digested by the dog the buildup of this stimulant would have a negative effect on the nervous systems as well as on the cardio vascular system of the dog. A dog that has binged on chocolate could have seizures that can lead to arrhythmia and to the death of the dog if immediate treatment is not administered.

Chocolate is lethal to dogs but not all who ingested chocolates will be poisoned as the toxicity to dogs of this human food is dose dependent. Because eating small amount of chocolates would not show any dangerous effect on the pet, pet owners will continue feeding the dog little bits of the chocolate bar, a slice of the chocolate cake. A bite of these delicacies would have no apparent dangerous effects so the owner would continue to give chocolates to the pet. The dog owner will be in for a big surprise if the dog that has been gorging on chocolates would vomit, have diarrhea and seize.

The dog will manifest a hyperactive behavior. It is imperative to take the pet to a veterinary facility at once but first aid can be administered to give the dog a good chance of survival. Administer activated charcoal to the poisoned dog. Activated charcoal will bind with the poison and stop it from being absorbed by the bloodstream. A hydrogen peroxide and water solution can be administered as well to induce vomiting.




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