Chocolate, A Great Poison For Dogs
Among the least recommended foods for our pets is chocolate. This is due to a molecule contained in this food called theobromine. It’s not a light risk. Experts assure us that a dog that ingests a high dose of cocoa could even die.
Theobromine, this substance that contains cocoa that is harmful to dogs, is not added in an artificial way, but is inherent to the cocoa itself.
How does our dog eliminate it? Its elimination is not easy, it can remain for up to 3 days in the dog’s body, and its molecules are toxic for him, up to 17 and a half hours after ingestion.
Difference between dogs and humans
We can ask ourselves what happens in the case of people and children who consume so much chocolate? Why doesn’t theobromine affect them?
Well, the answer is that humans can metabolize the theobromine that chocolate contains in a relatively short period of time. Our organism quickly disposes of its molecules. However, our dog cannot destroy the toxicity of this substance fast enough that it is not harmful to him.
Another substance in chocolate that is also harmful to our dog is caffeine. However, the concentration of caffeine in chocolate is not high.
The amount of theobromine a product contains will depend on many factors. Among them, the quality of cocoa and the percentage of sugars, cocoa, butter and cocoa fat, etc. For example, white chocolate, which has more cocoa butter than cocoa mass, contains virtually no theobromine.
We can, from what we’ve seen so far, come to the conclusion that the purer the chocolate and the better the quality, the more percentage of cocoa mass it contains, and therefore the greater proportion of theobromine it can contain. As the purity of the percentage of cocoa increases, the danger to the dog will also increase.
the size of the dog
As not all dogs are the same size, their body also conditions how much chocolate they can safely ingest and how much theobromine will start to be harmful. Accordingly, a small dog will be able to withstand much less theobromine than a large one, and the risk is greater.
Following this proportion and equivalence between the theobromine in chocolate and the size of our dog, a puppy that does not weigh even one kilogram will have problems even if he eats a very small amount of chocolate.
In case your dog accidentally ingests chocolate, the best thing to do is to take him to the vet. Among the solutions that the specialist will recommend is to induce vomiting or possibly to perform a gastric lavage in your dog.
Effects of excessive chocolate loading on our dog
Author: Soggydan Benenovitch
Among the first symptoms of chocolate poisoning are vomiting and diarrhea. Chocolate theobromine can make a dog’s heart beat twice as fast as normal, and we can see the animal run around looking for its tail desperately.
When consulting the veterinarian, we must contribute as much information as possible about the characteristics of the chocolate in question and the amount our dog ingested. In this way, the veterinarian will choose the best solution, either with measures to be applied at home or in the veterinary clinic.
If it’s just a small amount of chocolate ingested, the effects will only be diarrhea and upset stomach. The normal thing is to provoke vomiting if the animal ingested the chocolate during the last hour and does not have neurological symptoms (tremors) yet.
However, it is not always recommended to induce vomiting, there may be effects and secondary complications in this operation.
We must know that not everything that is good for humans is also good for dogs. Pet owners tend to share everything they eat with their dogs, thinking that the pet’s body will receive it in the same way as ours. Certainly, the animal may even like it, but we must not ignore the serious consequences of this action.
Even the lives of our pets are at stake. Never give chocolates to a dog, let alone a puppy.
