Is Chocolate Bad for Dogs? The short answer is YES!
Chocolate ingestion is one of the most common reasons for a trip to the Vet. Although the reaction to chocolate will vary from dog to dog, chocolate is poisonous to dogs and may lead to death if enough is consumed!
Chocolate contains an ingredient called ‘Theobromine’ which is found in the coco bean and causes increased urination and affects the nervous system and heart.
It is a chemical stimulant that belongs in the same category as Caffeine and Theophylline, even in small doses it can create big problems for dogs and make them very ill.
There is no known antidote to cure a dog with chocolate poisoning, so it is very important that chocolate is kept away from dogs.
Chocolate can stay in your dogs system for up to 20 hours before being properly excreted!
The amount of Theobromine varies between different types of chocolate and certain types may just cause diarrhoea, however some types of chocolate may cause serious damage and lead to death if not treated the right way.
The Following shows the Least harmful to the Most dangerous – White Chocolate (least harmful) followed by Milk chocolate, semi sweet chocolate with the most dangerous being Baker’s Chocolate.
You should never give your dog chocolates as a treat, keep a watchful eye on children and any visitors in the home and keep chocolate away from dogs, don’t hang chocolates on the Christmas tree leave chocolates on the arm of the sofa etc.
If you suspect that your dog has eaten chocolate there are various things you can do, however, this article is about raising awareness about the dangers of chocolate, so will not go in to this here – We recommend you seek professional advice from your vet!
When contacting your vet have as much information to hand as possible such as:
What kind of chocolate did your dog consume - What breed is your dog - How much does your dog weigh - How long has it been since your dog consumed the chocolate - What kind of symptoms is your dog showing
It is also useful to see if there is any evidence around such as chocolate bar wrappers as this will often show the serving size, ingredients etc on the packaging.
Most humans crave chocolate , dogs actually crave it too (once they have tasted it) so it’s best to avoid giving your dogs chocolate or any foods containing chocolate this way everybody will have a Merry Christmas!
It is amazing how many dog owners that don’t realise chocolate is bad for their dogs, it is also important that non dog owners and children are aware that chocolate is bad for dogs, so they don’t give your dog chocolate thinking they are being nice by giving them a treat.
Please help to raise awareness by Sharing this information on your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and your other social media pages or simply forward this on via email – You may just save a dogs life!
Please note this article is to raise awareness regarding the dangers of dogs eating chocolate it is not meant to replace seeking professional advice. If you think your dog has consumed chocolate you should seek advice from a vet!
