How many times have you been eating those chocolate chip cookies with milk when you look over and see those soulful puppy dog eyes staring at you? While the saddest begging look creeps across his face and he lets out the most pathetic whimper, a dog wanting chocolate can weaken the most stoic dog owner.
Don't give in, ever. You must stay firm.
First and foremost, it must be said that dogs must NOT eat chocolate. No matter how pathetic he looks at you, no matter how much he whines, let me repeat, dogs must NOT eat chocolate. Keep ALL forms of chocolate out of his reach and locked away at all times.
Don't let them get the taste for chocolate. Keep in mind that once dogs have tasted chocolate, they want more. The problem, according to veterinary experts, is that eating just a speck of chocolate leads a dog to crave more. They become addicted to it very easily. It can mean that your dog will jump at any opportunity to get any type of chocolate and chocolate can kill.
Causes
Chocolate poisoning is caused by excessive intake of the methylxanthine alkaloids . Methylxanthine alkaloids are naturally occurring drugs (primarily theobromine and caffeine) that can be found in chocolate, coffee, tea, cola beverages and some over-the-counter stimulants. Chocolate preparations contain different concentrations of these active compounds. One of the methylxanthine alkaloids is an element called theobromine, which is lethal to dogs, and another is theophylline, which is similar to caffeine.
The amount of theobromine found in chocolate is small enough that chocolate can be safely consumed by humans in large quantities, but dogs metabolize theobromine slower and can easily consume enough chocolate to cause chocolate poisoning. Dogs are the most common victims of theobromine chocolate poisoning.
The poisoning affects many organ systems, and animals of all ages are susceptible. These drugs cause constricted blood vessels; rapid and weak heart beat; and stimulate the nervous system. Nervous system stimulation leads to hyperactivity, tremors, and seizures. The heart rate becomes increasingly rapid and irregular. The theobromine will remain in their bloodstream for up to 20 hours.
In most cases, dogs are poisoned by eating the processed chocolate used in sweets, baked goods, and chocolate bars. Since these products contain high concentrations of theobromine and caffeine, and dogs love the way they taste, poisoning is common because of the way they gobble down just about anything and everything.
Puppies and young dogs are especially susceptible as they may be more likely to ingest large amounts of unusual foods. Since chocolate is very often available and dogs enjoy the taste, access to chocolate goodies has become a real problem, with more and more cases of dog chocolate poisoning on the uprise.
The quantity of theobromine will vary with the different types of chocolate. This list starts with the type of chocolate that has the largest quantity and moves down to the type of chocolate with the least amount.
Cocoa Beans
Cocoa Powder
Baking Chocolate
Dark Chocolate
Chocolate Cocktail Mixes
Chocolate Syrup
Milk Chocolate
Chocolate Milk Mixes
White Chocolate
Symptoms
The first symptoms of chocolate poisoning in dogs include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and increased urination. These symptoms will occur 2 to 4 hours after intake, and chocolate in the vomit may be obvious. Excessive urination may result from the diuretic (water clearing) action of the chocolate.
Advanced signs of chocolate poisoning include cardiac arrhythmias, hallucinations, stiffness, epileptic seizures, muscle twitching, excitement, extreme responses to noise, light, and touch.
Internal bleeding, heart failure, weakness, coma, and eventually death can occur 12 to 36 hours after intake.
Chocolate poisoning can be confused with many other types of poisoning or conditions. Life threatening chemical poisoning can cause very similar effects.
Chemicals such as strychnine, amphetamines, pesticides, and some rodenticides can have mirror effects.
A typical 40 pound dog will normally experience intestinal distress after eating less than 8 ounces of dark chocolate, but won't necessarily experience bradycardia (a slow heartbeat rate) or tachyarrhythmia (an increase in heart rate) unless it eats at least a pound of milk chocolate.
According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, approximately 0.023 ounces of baker's chocolate per pound of a dog's body weight is sufficient to cause symptoms of toxicity. For example, a typical 1 ounce baker's chocolate piece would be enough to bring out symptoms in a 40 pound dog.
What You Should Do If Your Dog Eats Chocolate
If a dog eats chocolate, immediate induction of vomiting is the best. This can only be done within the first two hours of ingestion. Vomiting can be induced by putting a small amount of vanilla ice cream in a bowl (for taste!) mixed with hydrogen peroxide (amount depends on the weight of the dog) and a teaspoon of salt.
Whatever you do, DO NOT induce vomiting with salt water. You will induce salt toxicity instead of vomiting and can cause seizures.
Save a sample of the vomit, for analysis, and take both the dog and the sample to the veterinarian immediately.
If, on the other hand, your dog is having a seizure, DO NOT attempt to induce vomiting.
Call your veterinarian immediately for advice, before bringing him in to the clinic.
If a combination of chocolate ingestion, vomiting, nervousness, or weakness are seen, take your dog to your vet immediately and again, if possible, bring a sample of the vomit with you for analysis, since this may aid in rapid identification of the toxic substance.
Your veterenarian will examine your dog's nervous system and cardiac function. He may want to test the blood and urine for concentrations of sugar(glucose) and the active ingredient in the chocolate.
This type of poisoning progresses rapidly and symptoms may need to be treated symptomatically until a laboratory diagnosis is confirmed.
Cure
There is no antidote for chocolate poisoning.
Your veterinarian may use drugs to induce vomiting if the chocolate was consumed within the previous 2 - 4 hours. He may also use a stomach tube and fluids to flush the stomach of the chocolate, followed by an activated charcoal treatment, to prevent any of the drugs from being absorbed into the system.
In dogs with advanced symptoms, specialized medications are needed to control the seizures and to correct the rapid and weak heartbeat in order to prevent heart failure.
Prognosis
The expected course of chocolate poisoning is 12 to 36 hours depending on the dosage and effectiveness of treatment. Prognosis is good if the chocolate is removed within 2 to 4 hours of ingestion. Prognosis is guarded in animals with advanced signs such as seizures and serious heart dysfunction.
Prevention
The ASPCA, Susan Thorpe-Vargas, M.S, Ph.D. in her article "Poisoned," strongly encourages pet owners to be prepared for a poisoning.
When time can make the difference between life and death, it is important that you know the immediate steps to take and have the first-aid tools on hand to take those steps.
To be prepared, get knowledgeable. You'll avoid panic if you have educated yourself. Keep your vet's phone number handy. Keep the phone number close to the phone at home and enter your vet's phone number into your cell phone.
Last, but not least, keep the chocolate up high, in locked cupboards, away from your dog. If you leave it lying around within reach, you are tempting even the best trained dog.
To Learn More About Keeping Your Dog Safe
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