Dogs and Chocolate - potential for a deadly recipe

This may seem like an odd topic for a chocolate site but if you or your chocolate gift recipient is a dog owner this Dogs and Chocolate page may be a life saver!

Here is an excellent summary from the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association:

“Chocolate and cocoa contain both of the methylxanthines,theobromine and caffeine which can be toxic to animals if fed to excess. Most dangerous is baking chocolate, which contains seven to ten times the amount of theobromine that ordinary milk chocolate does. One ounce of baking chocolate or, about 3/10 of a one kilogram bag of chocolate pieces ( 9-10 oz.) can be life-threatening to a 5 kg dog.

Put another way, the ingestion of approximately 24 oz or roughly ¾ of a kilogram (1.65 pounds) of milk chocolate would result in a potentially lethal dose for a 12 kg (26 ½ pound) dog.

Dogs are more likely to become poisoned by eating chocolate than cats, probably because they like the sweet taste of chocolate and because cats tend to be fussier than dogs about what they will eat.

Even small amounts of chocolate can cause adverse reactions. Reactions can include nervous system stimulation, tachycardia (fast heart rate), weakness, vomiting and diarrhea, restlessness, irregular heartbeat, hyperactivity, and frequent urination. These signs usually appear about 4-5 hours after ingestion.

More severe signs of dogs and chocolate toxicity include tremors, seizures, and death. Clinical signs may not appear for several hours after ingestion and complete recovery after veterinary care may take several days.

Toxicity studies have shown that compared to other species, dogs are unusually sensitive to theobromine. This is because they have a low rate of theobromine metabolism, which causes theobromine to stay in the blood stream for a longer time. After a single dose, the half-life of theobromine in adult dogs is 17.5 hours, compared to six hours in human subjects. This may also be the case in cats.

If presented with an opportunity, most pets will tend to over-consume chocolate. For this reason, all foods containing chocolate should be safely stored away in areas inaccessible to pets. If your pet accidentally ingests chocolate, consult your veterinarian immediately for advice.”

“Dogs are most susceptible because of their ability to gulp down large amounts of chocolate,” Dr Miles said.

“Whether or not a pet is poisoned depends on the size of the animal and the type of chocolate they eat. Pups and smaller dogs seem to be most at risk because they will readily eat chocolate but can be poisoned by small quantities…... ….The biggest threat is from cooking chocolate, followed by semi-sweet and dark chocolate, and milk chocolate.”

Dr Miles said that a dog that has eaten a large quantity of chocolate may not show symptoms of sickness for several hours but can then deteriorate quickly, and even die within 24 hours.

“A chocolate overdose can cause a dog to become hyperactive. It may pass large amounts of urine and it will be unusually thirsty. Vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle tremors and weakness are also common,” he said.

“If you see a pet suffering from poisoning symptoms, take it to your veterinarian immediately.”

Dr Miles said once pets develop a taste for chocolate they can become potential candidates for accidental poisonings.

“We advise people to avoid giving pets even small amounts of chocolate as treats,” he said.

Even mulch can be too much!

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Animal Poison Control Center warns in Data collected in 2003-2003 that even ingestion of cocoa bean mulch can have effects similar to that of eating chocolate. So if you are using Cocoa bean mulch in your garden keep your dog away.

The bottom line is be kind to your best friend - Dogs and chocolate DO NOT MIX!



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