When you are enjoying your chocolate candy's make sure you keep them out of your dogs and cats reach.
Easter is the time of year Vets will usually see more chocolate toxicities in pets because they got into the Easter Basket.
The "healthier dark chocolate" maybe better for you but your pet only needs to eat 1/3 as much dark chocolate as opposed to milk chocolate for them to become gravely ill.
Chocolate most commonly comes in dark, milk, and white varieties, made with cocoa solids.
(Cocoa solids are the low-fat component of chocolate.
The end product may also be called cocoa powder, cocoa, and cacao).
Cocoa solids contain alkaloids such as theobromine and phenethylamine, which have physiological effects on the body.
The toxic components for dogs and cats in chocolate are theobromine and caffeine, with the theobromine being the biggest toxin.
Dogs and cats metabolize theobromine slower than we do and can succumb to theobromine poisoning, more so in dogs rather than cats because cats are less likely to eat chocolate in view of the fact that they are unable to taste sweetness.
How they know that is beyond me, although you may find some cats will eat anything so it is best to know these things.
So how do you know how much is too much? It does take a large amount of theobromine to cause a toxic reaction to your pet which is about 100-150 mg/kg.
Of course you have to take in consideration the animals' sensitivity, size and the amount of chocolate consumed On average you'd find; 44 mg of theobromine per oz.
in Milk chocolate 150mg/oz.
in Semisweet chocolate 390mg/oz.
in Baker's chocolate Using a dose of 100 mg/kg as the toxic dose it comes out to about: 1 ounce per 1 pound of body weight for Milk chocolate 1 ounce per 3 pounds of body weight for Semisweet chocolate 1 ounce per 9 pounds of body weight for Baker's chocolate.
For an example; 2 oz.
of Baker's chocolate can be a huge risk to a 15 lb.
dog.
Yet, 2 oz.
of Milk chocolate usually will only cause digestive problems.
Theobromine poisoning can occur 2- 12 hours after ingestion and last up to 72 hours.
Some of the early signs are: Vomiting, Diarrhea, Bloating, Restlessness, Increased Drinking, Increased Urinating.
The progressing signs of theobromine poisoning are: Hyperactivity, Tremors, Seizures, Elevated Heart Rate, Bluish gum's, Cardiac arrhythmia, Increased respiration, Internal Bleeding, Heart attacks, Coma, Even death.
What do you do? If you know your dog or cat has consumed a large amount of chocolate call your Veterinarian he may want you to bring him/her in right away, especially if they are showing any of the progressing signs of theobromine poisoning.
Medical treatment performed by a veterinarian involves inducing vomiting within two hours of ingestion.
What if you can't get a hold of your vet? Getting your pet to vomit is the most important thing that you can do in most cases of poisoning.
To induce vomiting, give hydrogen peroxide at 1 teaspoon per 10 lbs of body weight.
If your pet doesn't vomit in 10 to 15 minutes you can repeat again but never do more than 2 treatments of peroxide.
If you don't have peroxide or just don't want to use that, you can also try salt: dilute 1 teaspoon of salt in a tablespoon of water per every 10lbs of body weight.
Something else that is good to have at hand is activated charcoal which is available at most pharmacies.
It delays absorption of any toxin by binding to the toxic compound in the stomach.
The easiest way is to give this to your pet is the capsule form.
It is a good idea to have hydrogen peroxide and activated charcoal always on hand, when having a pet one never knows what they can get into.
However, IF you are UNABLE to induce vomiting, SEE your Vet ASAP, IF your pet is showing signs of bloat, tremors, or seizures from eating chocolate see your veterinarian IMMEDIATELY.
If your vet is unavailable then go to the animal emergency center.
Knowing what to do in an emergency could save you pets' life.
Chocolate candy is not the only danger for pets when it comes to cocoa.
A dog in Virginia was reported to have died from eating a large amount of cocoa bean mulch in his owner's yard.
So there are other hazards to consider when you have other cocoa bean products in your home.