By: DOGeNEWS
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Dogs have a tendency to like sweets just like humans, however, chocolates can be a lethal temptation for them. Chocolate contains a substance called methylxanthines which are formed when caffeine and the alkaloid theobromine are combined. These are common ingredients in chocolate. Methylxanthines are not toxic to humans in the amounts found in candy and baked goods. These same amounts eaten by dogs can kill them. Although some dogs tolerance for chocolate is better than others, a basic rule of thumb is, the smaller the dog the less chocolate they have to eat for it to be deadly. Here is a general guideline: |
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Dog's Weight
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Lethal Dose of Baking Chocolate
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*Dogs have been poisoned by eating an entire pan of brownies or a chocolate cake. Chocolate toxicity occurs within hours of eating the chocolate and symptoms you will see include:
* Death is rare, but when it occurs, it is usually cause by cardiac arrest. Treatment: If you know your dog has eaten chocolate within the past 6 hours, and he has not already vomited, induce vomiting. (To find out how to induce vomiting click here.) Record the amount and type of chocolate he ingested. (Sweet and semisweet chocolate in candy bars is not nearly as toxic as baking chocolate.) Then call your veterinarian for further instructions. |
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This was an excerpt from the book, "Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook" 3rd Edition by James M. Giffin MD & Liisa D. Carlson, DVM. |
Chocolate Treats Prove Nearly Fatal
At first it was kind of funny.
Our five-year old Siberian Husky, Chanda, the only non-show dog I have, had always been a "goody" lover. We had even had some good laughs when she would steal a lollipop or jellied candy from one of the children and then give herself away by leaving the stick or plastic wrapper as evidence in her crate. However, this time she had gone too far in what could have been a fatal mistake.
My youngest son was having a candy sale at school and had just picked up his orders, hoping to distribute them the next day. He laid the cardboard carton on the floor in his room and started sorting the boxes and plastic bags of chocolate. After a time he came down to watch TV with the rest of the family and never gave the candy a second thought. When I happened upstairs, I found Chanda looking sheepish in the middle of the room with telltale plastic all around.
Yes, she had consumed 1 1/4 lb. of chocolate.
When she started to vomit a short while later I felt it was for the best and she would get it out of her system. However, the next morning my husband woke me to say Chanda had really made a mess of her crate, herself and the kennel room. The smell of chocolate was everywhere. I was furious and it took me an eternity to clean the mess she had caused, but I had to leave for work so her bath would have to wait until that evening.
While I had been scrubbing and deodorizing, a comment a friend had made just a few months earlier kept creeping into my mind "Chocolate can be toxic for dogs." I decided before I left for work to call my vet, Dr. Dale Mantell. He wasn't in as yet so I explained the situation to his receptionist and asked the Dale telephone me at work when he came in.
About 15 minutes later he phoned and informed me that, indeed Chanda could be in trouble since chocolate can cause vascular collapse and other problems, and it was decided that she would be safer with him at his office while I was at work. I made a quick trip home and delivered a very brown, candy-smelling Chanda to the vet's office. Thank heaven I did because just a half hour later Chanda started to collapse. Had she been at home she would have died by the time I would gotten back for my lunch. Dale immediately started IV treatment to counteract the effects of theobromine (a substance in chocolate) on her system. Theobromine is a drug that causes nervous system stimulation, cardiac stimulation, bronchial relaxation and diuresis. Its toxic effects are manifested by vomiting, thirst, shock and death. Interestingly enough, baking chocolate has 10 times more theobromine than chocolate candy. Therefore, if Chanda had ingested baking chocolate instead of chocolate candy there would have been no hope for her recovery.
By 5 p.m. when I stopped in to check on her she was still unconscious but her vital signs were significantly better. By 11 p.m. she was coming around but still could not stand. I was finally able to take her home the next afternoon and the whole family was overjoyed at her return.
We were certainly fortunate that we were able to pull Chanda through the ordeal and were glad that our Wheaten Terriers or Pharaoh Hound had not been the "goody" victims since they carry much less weight than Chanda, and it was only the fact that she weighs much more that she survived. A dog with less weight, consuming that much chocolate, would have died.
After the incident, I mentioned it to several friends involved in showing and breeding dogs and I was surprised to find how many of them did not realize just how lethal chocolate is to their dogs. They knew it was a danger but few knew to what degree. Therefore, I decided that if "dog" people were not fully informed then there must be many 'pet" people who needed to know also. Hopefully, by sharing our unhappy experience we may be able to prevent another similar incident from occurring.
Chanda has recovered fully and is back to her playful self, but I am sure that if the occasion arose, she would certainly succumb to the chocolate temptation again. Therefore, it has become our responsibility to be very careful of what is in reaching distance of all our pets.
Written by Mary McCormack, Dog World -July 1986
