Keep Your Chocolate to Yourself (and far out of your dog's reach)!

As Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and the heart shaped boxes of chocolate are everywhere in the stores, it got me thinking about chocolate and the effects on our furkids. As a chocolate lover myself, I am constantly making sure that Bella doesn’t get into my sweet stash. I am also extremely conscious not to leave wrappers around the house. I have been told that chocolate can be lethal to dogs but I never really looked up the facts. Chocolate has been described as one of the worst offenders of people food poisoning in animals by the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.

I found this great article that really lays out the effects of chocolate poisoning and the toxic dosages, 7 Questions About Dogs and Chocolate. Apparently, our sweet cocoa contains methylxanthines: theobromine and caffeine, which are both toxic to dogs. The level of theobromine and caffeine in chocolate varies between the type of chocolate. The article broadly illustrates the theobromine and caffeine levels by type of chocolate as follows:

§  White chocolate - 1.1 mg per ounce of chocolate;

§  Milk chocolate - 64 mg per ounce of chocolate;

§  Dark sweet chocolate - 150 mg per ounce of chocolate;

§  Instant cocoa powder - 151 mg per ounce of chocolate;

§  Unsweetened baking chocolate - 440 mg per ounce of chocolate

§  Dry cocoa powder - 808 mg per ounce of chocolate.

While there are many factors that would impact your dog’s reaction to chocolate, such as size, health, sensitivity, and quantity of intake, the article states that mild signs of poisoning occur in animals ingesting 20 mg of theobromine and caffeine per kg of bodyweight, severe signs are seen at 40-50 mg/kg, and seizures occur at 60 mg/kg. Bella is about 6.5 to 7 pounds which puts her roughly at 3 kilograms. Therefore, mild signs of poisoning would occur at 60mg of theobromine and caffeine intake, which per the above translates to about an ounce of milk chocolate or .4 ounces of dark chocolate! And just to put that in perspective, a standard Hershey chocolate bar is about 1.5 oz.

If your dog sneaks a bite of some chocolate, the symptoms of chocolate poisoning generally show within four to twenty four hours. The early symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst, increased urination and restlessness. As even more time passes, symptoms such as lack of co-ordination, muscle twitching, hyperactivity, increased heart rate and raised blood pressure will be evident .These can lead on to seizures, coma, heart arrhythmia, hyperthermia, and ultimately death .

The first thing you should do if your dog gets into your chocolate stash is call your vet immediately!  While you will most likely need to bring your dog in to see the doctor, I have heard of instances where the vet will direct you to induce your dog to vomit to get as much chocolate out of your dogs system as quick as possible.

While I hope a yummy box of chocolates is on its way to your doorstep this February 14^th by a loving secret admirer, please be careful to keep these delectable treats out of your dog’s reach. And, don’t forget to get a sweet treat for your furry friends this Valentine’s Day to show them how much you love them!!!