What is Chocolate Poisioning in Dogs?
Chocolate Poisioning in pets is a disease that requires to be closely monitored and dealt with in order to give your furry buddy as many healthful years as possible.
While there are a lot of human foods that our dogs can safely eat and digest in small amounts, chocolate is not one of them. Chocolate is actually toxic to dogs and can result in significant illness if they have ingested too much of it. If your dog has eaten chocolate it is recommended you get in touch with your vet as soon as possible to seek medical advice.
Here’s all you need to know about chocolate poisioning in dogs – how to prevent your caninefrom chocolate poisioning, the early signs or of chocolate poisioning that you should look for, and what to do if you find symptoms of chocolate poisioning in dogs.
Symptoms of Chocolate Poisioning in Dogs
Chocolate Poisioning can cause noticeable changes in your dog’s health and behaviour. There are many early signs and symptoms of chocolate poisioning which you can observe in your pet. We have listed some of the common chocolate poisioning symptoms in dogs, below.
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Increased Body Temperature
- Rapid Breathing
- Increased Heart Rate
- Decreased or Loss of Appetite
- Difficulty Breathing
- Difficulty Urinating
- Difficulty Defecating
Disclaimer: The information presented on this post is designed to help inform you regarding chocolate poisioning. It is not meant to replace the vet diagnosis or treatment for chocolate poisioning. If you have any concerns or questions about your dog’s health or possible symptoms, make to get in touch with and consult with your vet as soon as you can.
The Main Causes of Chocolate Poisioning in Dogs
To understand and treat chocolate poisioning in dogs, you need to understand the underlying causes of chocolate poisioning in dogs. This can help you prevent chocolate poisioning occurring in the first place or again.
The reason choclate is toxic to dogs is because it contains caffiene and a chemical called theobromine. Dogs are not able to metabolize theobromine and caffeine like us humans can. Hence, they are more sensitive to the effects of these chemicals.
How much chocolate is poisonous to a dog? It depends on the amount ingested and the size of the dog. For example, a medium-sized dog weighing 22 kgs would only need to eat 28 grams of baker's chocolate or 255 grams of milk chocolate, to potentially get chocolate poisoning. For a lot of dogs, eating low amounts of milk chocolate will not be harmful.
Diagnosing Chocolate Poisioning in Dogs
No one understands your pet better than you do and hence it is important that your pet be examined properly by a vet at least once a year.
Usually when a dog has eaten chocolate, treatment is implemented immediately prior to an official diagnosis. Before visiting you vet, you should try to calculate how much chocolate your dog has eaten and take not of the type of cholcate and the brand (bring the packaging to the vet if possible). You will need to tell the vet how much your canine weighs, when they ate the chocolate, how much they ate, and what type they ate.
Contact your local vet to find out more about the treatments for chocolate poisioning in dogs.
Preventing Chocolate Poisioning in Dogs
It is awful when your canine gets sick, and watching them suffer can be extremely heartbreaking. With caution and a bit of extra care, a dog owner can make sure that dog stays protected from diseases like chocolate poisioning.
To not to appear weak or vulnerable to predators, the natural survival instincts make pets conceal health problems. This suggests thorough physical exams by a qualified vet are important to keep your family pets healthy. Normally, blood and urine tests performed by your veterinarian are needed to get the complete picture of your animal’s health. These preventive checks steps will identify any health issue sooner making treatment more successful and less pricey and, more importantly, will help your dog live a longer, healthier life.
The best and most easiest way to prevent chocolate posioning in dogs is to keep chocolate away and out of their reach.
Treatment for Chocolate Poisioning in Dogs
The treatment administered by your vet will depend on the amount of chocolate ingested. The first step, if treated early is to induce vomiting, to try to block theobromine absorption into the body.
In more severe cases of chocolate poisoning, IV fluids may be required to help flush out your dogs system.
Chat to your veterinarian to learn more about how to treat chocolate poisioning in dogs.