What really happens if your dog eats chocolate?

Answer 1

A few M&Ms caused my pug to have a seizure disorder, which finally caused him to have heart failure, and he died way before his time.

Answer 2

"Dogs and Chocolate"

Everyone has heard that dogs and chocolate can be a deadly combination so what should you do if your dog eats chocolate?

It seems that chocolate makes the world go around and in almost every household you will find this delicious delicacy. Eating chocolate seems to be the great American pastime. It gives us a sense of well being and is a favorite comfort food. In over sixty percent of the homes that have this delicious treat available ,you will also find a hungry and curious dog.

Unfortunately that combination does not mix well. So what can chocolate do to your dog, and why is it considered poison?

Dogs and puppies do not have the ability as we humans do to digest a simple chemical found in chocolate called "Theobromine". When theobromine is ingested by an animal it effects are horrific on the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system. This effect of the chemical has a very harsh effect on the animals body causing severe trauma and often times death.

How much chocolate is to much ? It is important to know just how much chocolate can produce toxic effects on your dog and that amount is one hundred to one hundred and fifty miligrams.That measurement to most does not mean much so to simplify it if you have a twenty pound dog that means to reach the level of becoming poisoned they have to eat approximately ten ounces depending on th type of chocolate. Bakers chocolate and unsweetened chocolate are harsher types for any dog to eat only because the chocolate is purer therefore they contain a higher dosage of Theobromine than the regular candy bar type chocolate.

If you suspect your animal has eaten chocolate what signs do you look for? Toxic signs occur quickly so even if there is any question if your animal has consumed chocolate or not, take the animal to the vet. Do not wait to see if the animal will be alright because any delay in treatment can be devastating. Your dog, if untreated, can quickly go into convulsions, have arrythmia, stop breathing and go into a coma.

First your dog may start vomiting on its own. If not you can induce vomiting with a hydrogen peroxide solution of half peroxide and half water.

The animal will also experience severe diarreah which can cause the animal to dehydrate quickly.

Seek medical help immediately. Be sure to take to the vet the unfinished chocolate if any is left, and any wrappings from the chocolate. This will help the vet to identify the type of chocolate and the concentration of the candy.

The vet will begin treatment and induce vomiting if vomiting has not already occured. Usually the vet will use activated charcoal to induce. The vet will also start an IV for hydration and also to administer medication. The vet will also administer anti-seizure medication because animals that have ingested chocolate have a ninety eight percent chance of having severe seizures. If your animal is having extreme symptoms or cardiac problems he will easily be able to give those cardiac medications through the IV. The stay after this treatment in an easy case is usually two days, although in more extreme instances the hospital stay for your animal could be weeks.

The best medicine in these cases is prevention.If sweets such as chocolate are a frequent snack in your household take care to remove them from anywhere your pet happens to be traveling in your home.An ounce of prevention "is" in this case, worth a pound of cure.

Answer 3

In addition to a high fat content, chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, two different types of stimulants that affect the central nervous system and the heart muscle, as well as increasing the frequency of urination.
Once toxic levels are reached, the stimulants kick in, and this is when you really have to worry. Symptoms include: restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle twitching, increased urination and/or excessive panting. If your pet isn't treated, he could go into a seizure – possibly even die.The amount of chocolate that it takes to poison your pet depends on the type of chocolate he's eaten and his weight. White chocolate has the least amount of stimulants and baking chocolate or cocoa beans have the highestIf your 50-pound dog gets his paws on a single chocolate-chip cookie, it probably won't cause him serious problems. However, if he gobbles up more – a pan of brownies, say – he may develop vomiting or diarrhea. But i personally know a lab who had a one hershey bar and died the in a couple days and a jack russel who ate a 8 dark choclate bars and was fine.

Answer 4

My dog has eaten chocolate before, and nothing has happened. She's a black lab, but maybe other breeds have more trouble with chocolate. I've had 3 black labs, and all have died of old age, but surely eaten chocolate at some point. I'm not saying that it's okay to feed your dog chocolate, but don't stress if you accidentally drop some on the floor!

Answer 5

I learned at my Veterinary Tech. class that there's theobromine in chocolate. It's a type of caffein. When a dog consumes a large amount it can be fatal. It speeds up their heart rate. There are some dogs that ate choc. and was fine, BUT that's because they prob. ate a small piece and they're big like a lab. So it depends on the size of a dog, and the amount consumed.

Answer 6

I can only speak from experience.

Baked chocolate in cookies, the aftereffects, eventually killed my sister's dog. I do not know if the chocolate in candy would be as dangerous.

Her dog was a miniature poodle, 11#, 14 yrs old at the time. She could never get her weight back, and eventually died-took about a year.

Answer 7

Chocolate has methylxantines, like teobrimine or teophiline, in it´s composition. These substances are highly concentrated in pure chocolate, and less in milky chocolate and derivates. Dogs are more succeptible to these substances than we, but ussually tehye need to eat large quantities per body weight to get intoxicated. Methylxantines are SNC and cardiovascular stimulants, and can cause taquicardia, taquidisrythmias, excitement, nervousness, and some times, seizures. Massive ingestion can become life-threatening. Treatment is supportive and symptomatic.

Answer 8

In most cases, not much happens if a dog has a little chocolate. Most cases that we have had come in, they have a little diarrhea but not much else. Usually the dog is fine and doesn't even require hospitalization.

Answer 9

well.. there is some big scientific way 2 measure it but it is something about it eating as much chocolate as they weigh in ounces or something like that. but if it was a small amount it will not die just don't make a habit of giving a dog chocolate

Answer 10

I hate to even relay this story because chocolate really is bad for dogs as are many other types of people food, but my grandparents used to have a dog, it lived for 14 years, and that dog ate Hershey kisses and Kraft caramels every day of it's life, along with tons of people food, lucky I guess. But I don't recommend it.

Answer 11

The digestive system of the dogs does not have the capacity to digest all the components of the chocolate. A big amount would kill him. Also, the dogs does not produce insulin, so they can't eat sugars.