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Holly Webb | 160 pages | 02 Aug 2012 | Scholastic | 9781407131771 | English | London, United Kingdom The Chocolate Dog by Holly Webb

Have you ever wondered why chocolate is bad for ? For us, chocolate is an endorphin-producing, serotonin-creating snack. The experts at Canagan have told us all you need to know about the dangers of chocolate for dogs, and what to do if they The Chocolate Dog their paws on this tasty treat…. Our dogs are super The Chocolate Dog into our emotions. So why would chocolate be any different? Also, dogs love sweet and sticky food. As Canagan tells us, chocolate is derived from the roasted seeds of the theobroma cacoa pods, which contains a chemical called along with The Chocolate Dog. Hopefully all that will happen to your dog is and diarrhoea, which while unpleasant are much less damaging in the long term. If your pup has had a lot of chocolate, they might at first seem excited. This excitability can quickly turn into muscle tremors, seizures or heart beat irregularities. In the worst case scenario, Canagan says that your dog could suffer permanent nerve and brain damage or even die from the effects of chocolate. Effects of it include a rapid drop in blood sugar levels, potentially triggering liver failure in some dogs. Canagan says that this definitely depends on the dog and on the type of chocolate. For example, baking chocolate and chocolate powder are especially bad as they contain high levels of theobromine and bitter, dark chocolate is the second worst. The Chocolate Dog quickly is the best way to avoid The Chocolate Dog outcomes, as dogs more often than not survive theobromine poisoning. Instead of giving The Chocolate Dog a bite of your favourite chocolate bar, why not try some more pup-friendly options? Delicious and addictive but only suitable for humans, chocolate should always be kept away from dogs. Kids activities Non-choc advent calendars Slow cooker recipes 5. Home Family. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Credit: Getty. Latest Stories. John Legend shares a powerful message about loss, dedicated to wife Chrissy Teigen. Jamie Oliver shares heartwarming never-before-seen family photograph — and fans are delighted. Why Chocolate is Bad for Dogs | Hill's Pet

If your dog The Chocolate Dog chocolate, contact your , an emergency veterinarian, or the Pet The Chocolate Dog Helpline at a fee applies. Chocolate contains a class of chemicals known as methylxanthines specifically caffeine and theobromine. These chemicals are known for their effects on the heart and muscles. After a dog eats chocolate, their body cannot process these chemicals the same way our bodies can. The Chocolate Dog like in humans, dogs can develop allergies to anything they eat. The bigger concern with chocolate ingestion in dogs is toxicity. If you are concerned that your dog is having an allergic reaction, it's best to contact a veterinarian for advice. The signs of chocolate toxicity The Chocolate Dog occur quickly within one to two hoursor they may take several hours to develop. They can last anywhere from several hours to days. Hospitalization and supportive care may be required depending on the severity of signs that your dog is experiencing. Advanced signs such as seizurecollapse, coma, or death. To use it, you must know or estimate :. All types of chocolate can be toxic to dogs, but the amount of chocolate and type ingested are important factors to consider, because the concentration of caffeine and theobromine can vary. In general, darker, more bitter chocolate is considered to be the most dangerous. This is because dark chocolate contains more theobromine per ounce when compared to other types of chocolate. The list below includes the estimated amounts of theobromine in each type of chocolate in milligrams mg per ounce oz 1. A pound dog that eats a smaller amount of dark chocolate may experience more severe signs and require more care compared to a pound dog that eats a larger The Chocolate Dog of milk chocolate. Your vet can help determine if the amount ingested is toxic and what the best course of action is. Keep your dog calm and safe while you await care and advice. The veterinarian may give instructions to induce vomiting at home or may recommend immediate care at the clinic. The overall prognosis for a dog that ate chocolate is generally good with quick and efficient care. Storing chocolate in a safe place even the refrigerator and educating others The Chocolate Dog the house not to feed chocolate to dogs is the best prevention. Follow The Chocolate Dog on Facebook Twitter. Christina Fernandez, DVM. This is why chocolate is so dangerous for dogs | GoodtoKnow

To most of us, chocolate is a delicious brown substance, with no more problems than an expanding waistline or rotting teeth. To dogs, chocolate is also delicious, but potentially lethal. The humble , from which chocolate is produced, contains a chemical called theobromine. This is closely related to caffeine, which chocolate also contains. The toxicity of chocolate for dogs is due to its theobromine content. Chocolate poisoning is very serious. Theobromine is a long lasting, very potent toxin that can cause death. This toxicity is largely unfamiliar to most people, who may not worry too much if their dog vomits after eating a large quantity of chocolate. It is one of the most common poisonings to occur in dogs in the UK. The Chocolate Dog a dog consumes enough theobromine, see How Much is Enough? Initially, the dog will develop abdominal pain and vomiting which may contain blood. The vomit in most The Chocolate Dog will contain substantial amounts of chocolate, giving it a very characteristic smell. The dog may be restless, drooling saliva and could have difficulty standing or walking. Increased thirst is also common. As the syndrome progresses, in the more severely affected dogs, there is an increased rate of breathing, muscle tremors, or rigidity. Eventually, the dog may develop convulsions and die. In the majority of cases, the symptoms occur within a few hours, but The Chocolate Dog has been known to be delayed for as long as 24 hours. It can take as long as three days for the dog to recover completely. The different forms of chocolate and its by-products contain different amounts of theobromine. The following list is in decreasing order of quantities of theobromine:. Practically, this means that white chocolate has the lowest risk of toxicity, and dark chocolate the highest. The majority of cases of serious poisoning incidences in the UK involve the continental European types of chocolate, because these contain more cocoa and less milk. There have also been many reports of deaths occurring in dogs that have eaten cocoa powder. The quantity of chocolate that must be eaten before toxic symptoms appear is different for each dog. What could be lethal for one dog, may be no problem for another. The quantity of theobromine in chocolate varies, even within the same broad groups mentioned above, but dark chocolate can contain as much as 16mg of theobromine per gram of chocolate. So, dividing our mg lethal dose by 16mg leaves us with a The Chocolate Dog of Most cases of chocolate poisoning involve dogs that have eaten a whole box of from under a Christmas The Chocolate Dog, and deaths in these, often quite large dogs are not in any way uncommon. Cocoa powder is even more dangerous. If your The Chocolate Dog eats any significant quantity of cocoa powder or dark chocolate go immediately to the vet. These figures relate to the minimum fatal doses for dogs. However, some will, and most will be very ill at the very least. Theobromine has no specific antidote. Chocolate poisoning is in every sense of the The Chocolate Dog an emergency, and we may not be able to take time to fully discuss treatment options in the first instance. Convulsing dogs require immediate attention, and general anaesthesia may be required to stop the seizures. See Epilepsy. If the dog is not fitting, then more treatment options are available and the outlook The Chocolate Dog better. What follows is general treatment advice for the treatment of chocolate poisoning. Every dog is different, and in each case, the exact treatment protocol may have to The Chocolate Dog adjusted The Chocolate Dog to the quantity of chocolate thought to have been consumed, and the symptoms that the dog is displaying. In dogs that have only recently consumed the chocolate, if they have not vomited, then vomiting is usually induced. This can be by the administration of drugs such as apomorphine which very reliably causes vomiting in dogsor by giving a washing soda crystal orally. Once the vomiting has stopped, an intestinal adsorbent can be given, such The Chocolate Dog activated charcoal. Intestinal adsorbents slow, The Chocolate Dog prevent the absorption of toxic The Chocolate Dog from the intestines. If the dog is vomiting already, then anti-vomiting drugs may need to be given first, The Chocolate Dog if the chocolate was consumed many hours previously. The most commonly used drugs of this type are called metoclopramide, butorphanol and acepromazine. Once the vomiting has been controlled, then intestinal adsorbents may safely be given. This is important because theobromine, once it has been deactivated by the liver, and excreted into the intestines can become reactivated, and The Chocolate Dog again. In almost all cases, the circulation needs to be supported by giving fluids intravenously. Some dogs that have abnormal heart rhythms will need drugs to combat this. Chocolate is digested very much more slowly by dogs than people. Because of this, symptoms may not appear for many hours after the chocolate is eaten. Do not be fooled by this into thinking that everything is OK. In addition to this, the very slow deactivation of theobromine by dogs means that the effects of chocolate poisoning can be very prolonged — up to three days, so your dog may need to be hospitalised for all this time. The outlook very much The Chocolate Dog on how much chocolate or cocoa powder that the dog has eaten, and how long prior to being seen by the vet that the dog ate it. If seizures have developed, then an even higher proportion of dogs will die. Treated early enough, except for dogs that have consumed very large quantities of chocolate or cocoa powder, the outlook is generally quite good. Recovered dogs show no long term ill effects from the poisoning. Treatment Outlook for Affected The Chocolate Dog. Introduction To most of us, chocolate is a delicious brown substance, with no more problems than an expanding waistline or rotting teeth. Types of Chocolate The different forms of chocolate and its by-products contain different amounts of theobromine. The following list is in decreasing order of quantities of theobromine: Cocoa Beans Cocoa Powder Dark Plain Chocolate Milk Chocolate Drinking Chocolate Powder Practically, this means that white chocolate has the lowest risk of toxicity, and dark chocolate the highest. White Chocolate. How Much is Enough? Treatment Theobromine has no specific antidote. Outlook for Affected Dogs The outlook very much depends on how much chocolate or cocoa powder that the dog has eaten, and how The Chocolate Dog prior to being seen by the vet that the The Chocolate Dog ate it.