Doggies love to dine with their parents; that’s how they connect with their owners, due to which they might be at risk of developing a poisoning of some foods that might be dear to you but not for them; well, chocolate tops the list.
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You might have heard of different myths about dogs not eating chocolate and some dogs being totally fine with eating it as well; let’s get straight to the chemistry to understand whether your dog can eat chocolate or not.
Chocolate can be the favorite treat for your kids, but it affects your canine companion’s metabolism.
WHAT MAKES CHOCOLATE A SWEET POISON: THEOBROMINE.
Chocolate contains
- Cocoa
- Cocoa beans
- Methylxanthines, i.e., Theobromine
- Caffeine
These chemicals, when ingested, follow a certain pathway from their stomach to digestion and metabolism. They all go through a good metabolism except Theobromine, which serves as the main cause of sweet poisoning. Theobromine belongs to the class of methylxanthines that follow a specific ingestion metabolism, comparatively much slower in dogs than in any other species. Therefore, it takes a good amount of time in the doggie’s body to absorb and metabolize Theobromine, which directly means they will be staying in the body more than a required normal time in humans.
The half-life of Theobromine in dogs is 17 hours which means Theobromine will stay half of its amount after 17 hours of ingestion; for instance, if the dog is consuming 8 ounces of Theobromine, it will be 4 ounces after 17 hours. And 2 ounces after another 17 hours.
The more the Theobromine will stay in the body, the more will be its negative effects on your furry friend.
Like Theobromine, the caffeine will reduce to its half amount after good 4.5 hours.
The class of chemicals called methylxanthines also affects body receptors that have a role in our sleeping patterns. Methylxanthines inhibit the receptors that make us tired and sleepy. By inhibiting the receptors, dogs’ sleep affects them badly, which means Getting less sleep and more active time. More active time for your Pupster can be a threat to the dog’s health.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF MY DOG EATS CHOCOLATE?
The chemistry won’t make any sense until we know the management of our Pup consumption.
The Pup weight has a lot to do with dog chocolate consumption. Having stated that, Dogs, according to their age and weight, can have some amount of chocolate and won’t get affected by it. For example, a dog weighing 10kg can consume chocolate or Theobromine of 8 ounces in it, and the dog with 7 kgs will show negative effects and symptoms of poisoning.
For that, online help is available with just a single click. Online calculators are available that will give you the perfect ratio of the limits till your dogs can consume chocolate and won’t get any negative health impacts; you will be asked certain questions of breed, weight, height, and eating habits before having the final results. Make sure to input the latest vitals in the calculator to have the exact information.
It also depends on the breed and genetic factors that I will discuss in this article later.
RISK FACTORS INVOLVED IN THE CONSUMPTION OF CHOCOLATE.
Understanding the chemistry made it evident that the dose and the components make a chocolate poison for dogs. Therefore, chocolate consumption can make your furry friend nauseousness, tired and your canine might vomit right after the ingestion.
According to the dose, the signs and symptoms will vary.
According to an independent study, Dogs will show severe hyperactivity and rapid heartbeat after consuming caffeine in their diet.
Ingesting high doses of chocolate, especially black, can result in your dog facing seizures and tremors or even death; that is an emergency condition and should be taken to the vet as soon as possible.
According to the research conducted, dogs show mild effects of poisoning of Theobromine after 20mg/kg.
Signs start to become evident and a bit severe 40mg/kg.
They will become more severe at 60mg/kg and more.
Your Pup will only be dining with you if he is more than a pet you. It’s much better to avoid any such food item that might cause any risk involved. It’s much better to avoid chocolate consumption at all than to face the after-effects.
POISON MANAGEMENT:
Avoiding chocolate must be the priority as a dog owner, but IN CASE your Pup has ingested the bar with you or without you knowing it, you can manage it by following these simple steps
- Check the vitals of your PupPup as soon as you get to know that he ingested. Checking vitals include noticing his hyperactivity, heart rate, and temperature.
- Make sure you take your PupPup to the vet as soon you notice any health condition changes.
- Vomiting is also the major sign of poisoning of caffeine.
- Gastric decontamination is the major and main process that a qualified vet might do after the ingestion. It’s the process of emptying your stomach by giving your PupPup anything that can make your friend vomit.
- Activated charcoal is given with dog food by the vet. Sometimes repetitive administration is also being done if needed.
- The drug named apomorphine is given via eyes for rapid absorption for gastric decontamination.
INVOLVEMENT OF THE GENETIC FACTOR IN CHOCOLATE POISONING:
Like a lactose intolerance that is innate in so some breeds, chocolate poisoning can also be innate and affect the ingestion and metabolism of caffeine and methylxanthines.
Some breeds are at higher risk, and some are not. Therefore, it’s better to be aware of the species and the information related to your furry friend in detail to avoid any risk involvement.
CONCLUSION:
The eating habits of our furry friends entirely depend on us, which comes with the responsibility to take good care of them and their eating and health patterns.
Chocolates can be a sweet poison to them and lead to serious health effects for our furry Pups.
Chocolates have a class of chemicals called methylxanthine, caffeine, and cocoa beans which are not good for our pups due to their metabolism. They take time to properly and completely metabolize from their body and more time causes them hyperactivity, seizures, increased heart rate, and sometimes death.
It also depends on the weight by dose ratio of the chocolate consumption. If the chocolate is consumed without any calculation of the weight and it overburdens the digestive system, your PupPup can be In danger, which might lead to death.
Taking care of the Pup’sPup’s health, vitals and eating will make the quality of your Pup’sPup’s life better and healthy.
References:
- https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health/my-dog-ate-chocolate-and-he-was-fine-so-whats-big-deal
- https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/what-to-do-if-your-dog-ate-chocolate/
- https://www.vets-now.com/pet-care-advice/dog-eaten-chocolate/
- https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/chocolate-poisoning-in-dogs
