What You Need to Know About Chocolate and Dogs Now
- Call your vet immediately if your dog has eaten a large amount of chocolate;
- Chocolate contains a substance (theobromine) that is toxic to dogs. The higher the cocoa content (dark chocolate), the higher the theobromine, the more toxic to dogs;
- Some dogs are more sensitive to theobromine. This has to do with age and body weight;
- 100 to 250 mg of theobromine per kilogram of body weight can cause death.
Chocolate and dogs
We do hear stories about the toxicity of chocolate and that a dog that eats chocolate will die from it. Chocolate is definitely not healthy for dogs, because it contains a substance that is related to caffeine. It is a plant toxin that works on the central nervous system, the heart muscle and the lungs. Because of this, an overdose is very serious. What should you do if your dog has eaten chocolate? Call a vet immediately and ask for advice. The vet can treat the dog by making the dog vomit as soon as possible after eating the chocolate. The chocolate is then out of the stomach and does not end up in the intestines.
On the advice of the vet you can give norit. This prevents further absorption of the toxic substance. Norit binds the toxic substance, so that it will no longer be absorbed by the body.
Do not give the dog salt. The administration of salt can lead to salt poisoning, which will make the situation worse.
Is chocolate poisonous to dogs?
Chocolate contains the ingredient theobromine . Theobromine is a stimulant that acts on a dog's central nervous system and can lead to epileptic seizures, serious heart problems or internal bleeding. Even if a dog eats a small piece of chocolate, it will have a harmful effect on the dog's body. Theobromine remains in the dog's body for about 7 hours until it is broken down. Chocolate can be fatal for dogs because their metabolism cannot convert theobromine. When dogs eat chocolate, theobromine remains in the blood for 20 hours. The amount of theobromine varies by type of chocolate. The darker the chocolate, the more theobromine it contains. It is important to prevent the toxic substance from being absorbed in the intestines. Making the dog vomit is therefore a solution.
What if your dog ate chocolate?
Whether a dog will develop symptoms of poisoning depends on the sensitivity to theobromine and the amount. The advice is always to contact the vet as soon as possible.
If dogs have eaten chocolate, it is very important to find out:
- How much chocolate did the dog eat? For a small dog, even small pieces of chocolate can be dangerous;
- Is it milk chocolate, dark chocolate or white chocolate?
- What did the dog eat? For example, chocolate cookie, chocolate cake, chocolate bar;
- What is the theobromine content (cocoa content)? This is stated on the packaging.
Dogs take a long time to eliminate theobromine from their bodies. Symptoms of chocolate poisoning usually occur 4 to 12 hours after eating. Because theobromine breaks down very slowly, symptoms can persist for several days.
Characteristics of overdose:
- Listlessness
- To vibrate
- cramps
- Cardiac arrhythmias
- Increased breathing
- Increased heart rate
- restlessness
- Drink and urinate more
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
How much can a dog take before problems arise?
When the amount of chocolate is harmful to your dog depends on various individual factors, such as age and body weight. In addition, not all chocolate is equally bad. The percentage of theobromine varies in the different types of chocolate. White chocolate is relatively harmless, because it does not contain much theobromine. Milk chocolate and dark chocolate are more dangerous. Dark chocolate is again a lot more dangerous than milk chocolate. The higher the cocoa content, the higher the theobromine, the more toxic to dogs.
Per kilogram of body weight, 100 to 250 mg of theobromide can cause death.
The table below provides an overview of the toxic amounts of milk chocolate and dark chocolate for dogs.
Dog body weight | Mild complaints | Serious complaints | ||
Milk | Pure | Milk | Pure | |
5 kg | 50 gr | 16 gr | 150 gr | 50 gr |
10 kg | 100 gr | 32 gr | 300 gr | 100 gr |
15 kg | 150 gr | 48 gr | 450 gr | 150 gr |
20 kg | 200 gr | 64 gr | 600 gr | 200 gr |
25 kg | 250 gr | 80 gr | 750 gr | 250 gr |
30 kg | 300 gr | 96 gr | 900 gr | 300 gr |
A few final tips
- If your dog has eaten something you do not trust, contact your vet as soon as possible.
- Store chocolate and other dangerous foods in places where your dog definitely cannot get to them.
- Your dog should live a long and healthy life. It is therefore very important to give your four-legged friend good food. Which food suits your dog?
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