Animal lovers always told us not to feed our dogs chocolate because it could kill them. I passed off the information as a wive’s tale since I had always slipped a bit of a chocolate treat to my dog, and he never died. As luck would have it, I was researching pet safety for my Associated Content article about Sweetie who got dragged behind a pick up truck, and I ran across a myth buster story about chocolate and pets. Out of curiosity more than responsibility, I opened the article and immediately felt sick after reading the veterinary medicine report saying that this is true: chocolate can be toxic and sometimes fatal to animals. Here are some of the facts behind what I thought was a myth.
Chocolate contains a caffeine related substance called theobromine which can sicken or kill animals. Dogs are more commonly affected because they seem to have a stronger sweet tooth and through smell have a better ability to find chocolate. However, cats and other animals can also experience theobromine poisoning. Veterinarians say that chocolate is more likely to give an animal a bad stomach ache than to kill them, but if ingested in high enough levels, it can be fatal. There are three factors that determine how toxic the chocolate will be to an individual animal: the type of chocolate, the size of the animal, and the amount of chocolate ingested.
Facts About the Types of Chocolate
* Unsweetened baker’s chocolate contains 8 – 10 times more theobromine than milk chocolate. (390 – 450 mg per oz)
* Semi-sweet chocolate falls in between unsweetened chocolate and milk chocolate for theobromine levels. (190 – 225 mg per oz)
* Milk chocolate has 44-60 mg of theobromine per oz of chocolate.
* White chocolate contains the least amount of theobromine, in fact, so low that poisoning is unlikely.
Facts About the Size of the Animal and Ingested Amount
* The toxic dose of theobromine and caffeine for pets is 100 – 200 milligrams per 2.2 pounds of weight.
* The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) suggests the toxic level is lower – 20 mg per 2.2 pounds.
* Using the ASPCA toxicity level: a 50 pound dog would see toxic effects if it ate 9 ounces of milk chocolate.
* Symptoms of theobromine poisoning are commonly seen within 12 hours of ingestation.
Symptoms of Theobromine Poisoning
* Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
* Muscle tremors, Seizures
* Restlessness, Nervousness
* Excessive thirst
* Excessive urination
* Coma in rare cases
* Death from heart arrhythmia in rare cases
Veterinarians have no specific treatment or antidote for theobromine poisoning, but can provide treatment to lessen the effects of the symptoms. The treatments might include IV fluids, medications to induce vomiting, activated charcoal, anti-seizure medications, or heart medications. The best medicine for your pet is to completely avoid feeding the animal any chocolate.
