Theobromine doses in the region of milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight are toxic to dogs. For example, if you have a Labrador weighing 30kg, as little as mg of theobromine could be fatal.
However, for West Highland Terriers weighing just 10kg these amounts should be reduced by two-thirds. You can use our interactive dog chocolate calculator to find out if your dog has eaten a poisonous amount. Chocolate poisoning mainly affects the heart, central nervous system and kidneys.
Symptoms of dogs eating chocolate usually occur between four and 24 hours after your dog has eaten chocolate. The effect and signs of chocolate poisoning in dogs depends on the amount eaten and the size of the breed. Eating g may result in seizures. It can be hard to tell exactly how much chocolate your dog has eaten and the amount of caffeine and theobromine will vary due to growing conditions, cocoa bean sources and variety.
Our advice is not to give your dog any chocolate, but if they have managed to eat some you need to know how heavy your dog is. Then try to work out whether they have swallowed a toxic dose. Our chocolate calculator can help you.
Owners whose dogs have eaten 3. According to the Veterinary Poisons Information Service, out of 1, dog chocolate toxicity cases it recorded on its database, only five dogs died. Concerns have been raised, however, that many dog chocolate toxicity cases go unreported. Dry cocoa powder contains up to 26mg of theobromine per gram so is highly toxic to dogs.
If you have a dog weighing 10kg, as little as a few grams of cocoa powder could potentially result in your dog suffering seizures. Popular versions of drinking chocolate tend to have similar, or lower, levels of theobromine to milk chocolate. That means a 10kg dog would need to ingest up to g of drinking chocolate to suffer toxic effects.
While some do not show any clinical signs after eating chocolate, others develop severe signs such as seizures and irregular heart rhythms. The toxic chemical in chocolate, theobromine, has been used in human medicine as a heart stimulant and a muscle relaxant. On top of that it dilates blood vessels and can lead to potentially lethal over-stimulation of the heart. The most typical symptoms are sickness and diarrhoea, which may contain blood, as well as restlessness and hyperactivity, rapid breathing, muscle tension, incoordination, increased heart rate and seizures.
If you discover your dog ate chocolate try to work out what type it was, how much they ate and when they ate it. Our chocolate toxicity calculator can help with this.
For more severe cases, veterinary intervention may be needed to provide supplemental treatment, such as medications or IV fluids, to resolve the effects of the poisoning. Dogs suffering from seizures may need to be monitored at the clinic overnight. 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. Dog Name Finder Browse our extensive library of dog names for inspiration. Find out the best and worst foods for your dog and which to avoid.
Additional Resources AKC. Clubs Offering: Training Classes. 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. Keeping in mind that such resources are not substitutes for veterinarian care, you should monitor your dog closely no matter what they say, looking for symptoms like a fast heart rate, vomiting or tremors.
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