Most dogs love chocolate and with their strong sense of smell they are very good at finding it! The problem is, dogs are not able to metabolize Theobromine, a derivative of caffeine found in chocolate
Ingestion can lead to an increased heart rate, vomiting, diarrhoea, agitation, tremors, seizures and even death. Cooking and dark chocolate are the most toxic but ingestion of ANY chocolate can be a problem.
Not surprisingly, Easter is one of the busiest times for chocolate toxicities and if your dog happens to eat an Easter egg, here’s what we will do:
1. We will ask you how much and what type of chocolate your dog has eaten. This helps us work out just how dangerous the ingestion might be. Remember, that cooking and dark chocolate are the most toxic, followed by milk and then white chocolate.
. The toxic dose can vary quite a lot and with some dogs becoming unwell after eating just a small amount, and others not showing any ill effect after the same amount. The toxicity is also related to the size of your dog and the amount ingested. It is important to realise that any amount of chocolate can cause a problem so veterinary advice is always advised.
2. We will most likely induce emesis (which simply means we make your dog vomit). This is usually done using injection that makes you dog vomit. Vomiting tends to occur quickly, and should empty the stomach contents.
3. If we don’t feel enough chocolate has been vomited or if the symptoms are serious, a charcoal meal or enema may be given to help reduce the absorption and risk of toxicity.
In more severe cases dogs will also need further supportive care including intravenous fluid therapy and hospitalization.
Remember it can take 1-4 hours for the ingested chocolate to be digested so the sooner you call, the better chances we have of reducing the risk of toxicity.
