Dog AreaDog Lovers Resources & Pet Care Tips

Everything in the office went haywire and you have forgotten the anniversary dinner so to appease the wife you have decided to give her a dog. Together with the $120/pound Godiva chocolate, the cuddly puppy was placed in a beribboned basket ready to be delivered. As they say, dogs and chocolates would not be a good combination. The dog has eaten the chocolates! Would you ignore the pet and rush to get another chocolate or would you take the dog to the vet?

Chocolate is a comfort food thus most households would have a cache of this favorite sweet indulgence. Thus, a lot of dogs are killed due to chocolate poisoning. It has been the habit of dog owners to allow the pet to have a bite of the chocolate bar or a slice of the chocolate cake. Dogs are commonly fed commercial Dog Food but because these animals are much loved, anything that is eaten by the owner will be shared with the pet. Many innocuous looking human foods though can have dangerous effects on the dog.

Humans can consume as much chocolate as they can. In humans chocolates would have no ill effects aside from increasing the waistline. Chocolate is dangerous to dogs because the theobromine it contains cannot be digested by dogs. As dogs cannot digest this stimulant, ingestion of sufficient quantities will affect the central nervous system as well as cardio vascular system of the dog. A dog that has eaten sufficient amount of chocolates would have seizures and as the heart would have irregular beats, less blood will be pumped and the dog can die if no immediate treatment is given.

Chocolate is lethal to dogs but not all who ingested chocolates will be poisoned as the toxicity to dogs of this human food is dose dependent. Dog owners that are completely unaware of the toxic effect of chocolates on the pet will continue sharing with the dog the candy bar and the chocolate chip cookies. Chocolates are kind of addicting thus the dog would develop a craving for this comfort food for humans. The owner will just be surprised to see a dog that has consumed large quantities of chocolates vomiting and passing soft stools.

Within the hour, the dog will show restlessness and hyperactivity. It is imperative to take the pet to a veterinary facility at once but first aid can be administered to give the dog a good chance of survival. Administer activated charcoal to the poisoned dog. Activated charcoal will bind with the poison and stop it from being absorbed by the bloodstream. A hydrogen peroxide and water solution can be administered as well to induce vomiting.

Find out more about what to do if the dog eats chocolate as well as first aid for dogs at Sarah's Dogs.