The dog ate the chocolate…

 Your dog ate chocolate. It would seem, what is this? Let’s figure it out. 

Can dogs have chocolate?

Cocoa beans, the main ingredient in chocolate, contain theobromine, which is poisonous to dogs. Theobromine is structurally very similar to caffeine. Theobromine, like caffeine, has a stimulating effect on the nervous system, increasing the time of wakefulness.

In the photo – a dog after chocolate poisoning and a night in the hospital under a dropper.

In small amounts, theobromine increases oxygen flow to the brain, heart rate, and nutrient flow to the brain. But in the body of dogs, unlike the human body, theobromine is poorly absorbed, which leads to a longer effect on dogs. So chocolate is not allowed for dogs – it can cause poisoning and even death. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs – literally. 

Chocolate poisoning in dogs

Symptoms of chocolate poisoning in dogs may appear within 6 to 12 hours after chocolate has been ingested by the dog. Therefore, do not relax if your dog does not show any symptoms of poisoning immediately after eating chocolate.

Symptoms of chocolate poisoning in dogs

• At first, the dog becomes hyperactive.
• Vomiting.
• Diarrhea.
• Increased body temperature.
• Convulsions.
• Rigidity of the muscles.
• Reduced blood pressure.
• Increased breathing and heart rate.
• With a high concentration of theobromine, acute heart failure, depression, coma.

Lethal dose of chocolate for dogs

Let’s deal with dangerous doses of theobromine, which is contained in chocolate, for dogs. There is the concept of LD50 – the average dose of a substance that leads to death. For dogs, the LD50 is 300 mg per 1 kg of body weight. The theobromine content in chocolate depends on its variety:

• Up to 60 mg in 30 g of milk chocolate
• Up to 400mg per 30g bitter

 The lethal dose of chocolate for a 30 kg dog is 4,5 kg of milk chocolate or 677 g of dark chocolate. 

But the deterioration of well-being is observed when taking a much smaller amount of chocolate!

The size and age of the dog also greatly affect outcome: the older or smaller the dog, the greater the risk of serious poisoning and death. 

The dog ate chocolate: what to do?

If you notice that the dog has eaten chocolate, the main thing is not to panic. You need composure to save your tail.

1. It is necessary to induce vomiting (but this only makes sense if no more than 1 hour has passed after the dog ate the chocolate).
2. There is no specific antidote for theobromine, so treatment of chocolate poisoning in dogs is symptomatic.
3. It is urgent to contact the veterinarian to determine the severity of the poisoning and provide timely assistance.