Blog entry by Rachel Shead

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by Rachel Shead - Wednesday, September 28, 2022, 6:49 PM
Anyone in the world

A lot of people have a hard time deciding how much chocolate to give their pet at one time. So, don’t be tempted to give your dog a piece of white chocolate as these other ingredients are toxic and could cause illness in your dog. Dogs are not "allergic" to white chocolate or any other type of chocolate, for that matter. If you know your dog has eaten chocolate, you should contact your vet immediately and not wait until signs and symptoms start to appear. Each dog owner should learn them because it may be the only way to keep your pet healthy. You may think that you are offering your dog a treat, but keep in mind that dog treats and human treats aren’t always the same thing. The most dangerous thing is that it contains methylxanthines (particularly caffeine and theobromine). However, dogs cannot handle the amount of caffeine in chocolate, so a dog’s heart rate may reach a dangerous level in a short amount of time after eating chocolate.

Dogs cannot process caffeine the way humans can, so they experience the symptoms of caffeine ingestion in a much higher concentration than humans do. If you are unaware of any consumption, but notice these symptoms start to present themselves, contact your vet. At around 40 mg per kg, cardiac symptoms may present themselves. Just like a human may have an elevated heart rate from consuming caffeine, a dog might too. The type of chocolate is a major factor in how much it will kill a human or a dog. The length of hospitalization will vary depending on how poorly your dog ate cherry pit is, ranging from a day to several days in some cases. In most cases a quick trip to the vet to make them sick is all that is required but if they ate the chocolate more than a few hours previously or they ate a very large amount above the toxic dose then they may need hospitalization for closer monitoring and treatment.

What is the Difference Between the Amount of Chocolate That Kills Humans and Dogs? Is There Anything Good in White Chocolate for Dogs? Can Dogs Be Allergic to White Chocolate? For example, a 25-pound dog can consume up to 2 pounds of chocolate before dying. If you see any of these symptoms, it is important to take your dog to the vet immediately. The average weight of a mouse is roughly 15 grams, so it would take roughly 1,000 grams of chocolate to kill a mouse. As it turns out, it wasn’t just the amount of chocolate that killed their dog; it was the weight. However, the dogs’ size, the type of chocolate, and the amount of chocolate could determine the severity of the chocolate’s effect on the dogs. Depending on the size of the dog, age, what type of chocolate was consumed, and the amount of said chocolate, the signs of chocolate poisoning can vary. If you do suspect your dog has eaten any chocolate, don’t laugh it off-call your vet for advice or seek veterinary care immediately. Xylitol is also found in dental care products (for both people and pets) because of its antibacterial properties.

Had we not have had an emergency fund we would have still made sure Morgan was taken care of (Don’t worry if you were reading this and love dogs, we never would have considered some of the other options we were presented with). The conclusion of the article is that chocolate is not a good source of nutrition for dogs, but it can be a great source of entertainment. Today is World Chocolate Day - a good time for dog owners to remind themselves of the danger of the sweet treat getting into the wrong paws. We hope this Wonder helped you learn more about why chocolate is not good for dogs. Now instead of panicking and helplessly thinking "My dog ate chocolate! According to the Veterinary Poisons Information Service, out of 1,000 dog chocolate toxicity cases it recorded on its database, only five dogs died. Poison Information Help! My Dog Ate Halloween Candy, What Do I Do? If you suspect that your pet has ingested alcohol, contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center immediately.