First, chocolate candy and baking items should be handled like toxic cleaning supplies. Easily forgotten items such as hot chocolate, baking chocolate and cocoa powder are a risk and must be stored just as safely as pre-packaged, holiday-themed candy. On the flip side, a tiny toy breed may get very sick after eating just a bite of baking chocolate. If you don’t notice changes right away, pay careful attention to your dog as symptoms may not arise for up to 6 to 12 hours. Without treatment, these symptoms can last for days as the affected dog’s body slowly breaks down the toxins. If you know exactly how much chocolate your dog ate, what type of chocolate they ate, and your dog’s weight (in kilograms), it is possible to calculate whether or not they will develop any form of chocolate toxicity. Symptoms of chocolate toxicity do not show up immediately. Extreme symptoms include seizures and cardiac failure. Battersea explained that this is toxic to dogs and can cause kidney failure. Dogs cannot metabolize these compounds easily like humans, so they build up in their system and cause clinical signs of chocolate toxicity. Let’s discuss the science behind chocolate toxicity in dogs, what happens if a dog eats chocolate, and what you should do if you catch your canine companion with their paw in the metaphorical chocolate chip cookie jar.
Ultimately, what happens if your dog eats chocolate will depend on their body weight, the amount of chocolate they ate, and the type of chocolate they ate. So, the burning question is, what should you do if your dog eats chocolate? If your dog consumes Theobromine their poison levels can rise pretty quickly. When it comes to chocolate with fillings, it is harder to decipher the impact it might have so it might be best to look up animal poison centres’ lists of particularly poisonous food to see if treatment is necessary. Alternatively, you can simply bring your dog to a veterinary clinic or emergency veterinarian for evaluation and treatment if needed. Teach your dog to «leave it» or «drop it» so you can intervene if you see them about to snack on dropped chocolate. 3. Severe hyperactivity can occur when a dog consumes chocolate. Let’s say your dog weighs 22 pounds (or 10 kilograms), and you find out they ate a standard sized milk chocolate Hershey’s bar which is 1.55 ounces. To convert your dog’s weight to kilograms you divide their weight in pounds by 2.205. You can also use the chart below.
This is to aid the next step, which involves the use of activated charcoal or similar substances. «Chocolate contains two substances that are toxic to dogs: caffeine and theobromine,» says Dr. Ed Blach, chief medical officer and co-founder of Vet24seven. Chocolate is bad for dogs primarily because it contains two methylxanthines compounds: theobromine and caffeine. Chocolate contains two ingredients that can be toxic to dogs: caffeine and theobromine. Moreover, caffeine is used in human medication to increase mental alertness, and theophylline is widely used as a bronchodilator in anti-asthma drugs (50). Methylxanthines antagonize cellular adenosine receptors and inhibit cellular phosphodiesterases, causing an increase in cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) (50). Moreover, methylxanthines enhance the release of catecholamines and increase cellular calcium entry while inhibiting intracellular sequestration of calcium by the sarcoplasmic reticulum, leading to increased muscular contractility (51). These combined actions result in the stimulation of both the CNS and cardiac muscle, the relaxation of smooth muscle, most notably bronchial muscle, and diuresis (50). Methylxanthine poisoning cases have been reported after the ingestion of herbal supplements containing guarana (52), garden mulch made of cacao bean shells (53, 54), caffeine tablets (55, 56), and caffeine-containing bait (57). However, most poisoning cases occur as a result of chocolate ingestion (4, 58-62). Though the intoxication of cats may also occur, dogs are most commonly affected because of their indiscriminate eating habits (4). The presence of chocolate was noted in the 10 most common cases of toxicosis involving dogs reported to the VPIS and to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Animal Poisons Control Center (APCC) in the past few years (60, 63). Poisoning episodes frequently occur around holidays when there is a higher occurrence of chocolate products in the home (4, 60). In addition to theobromine, chocolate contains caffeine but in much lower concentrations.
Both theobromine and caffeine affect nearly the entire body by increasing the heart rate, causing diuresis (increased urine production), dilating blood vessels, relaxing smooth muscle, and stimulating the nervous system. Some is paint toxic to dogs successfully excreted by the liver, but some makes it into the inferior vena cava; from here to the heart and lungs and into the main circulatory system. This means the stomach contents can be emptied before the toxic compounds are released into their system. Just ingesting chocolate, which most dogs don’t typically eat every day, can cause an upset stomach. It can cause your dog’s heart rate to rise, its blood vessels to dilate, and its muscles to relax. Chocolate boxes could also have other harmful ingredients though, like nuts or raisins, which could cause another host of issues. You will then know what your puppy will look like as she ages. Like all dogs, they will do their best when they are cared for properly. Now we know that Bernedoodles are a crossbreed of Poodles and Bernese mountain dogs. Now you simply divide this number by your dog’s weight in kilograms (10 kg). When storing chocolate items, think about the dog’s size, behaviors and ability to jump and climb.