Chocolates have been known to be dangerous to dogs, here’s what you should do if your pooch ingests them

If you are a dog parent you must by now know that chocolates are harmful even deadly for our hairy, four legged babies. With their sneaky and inquisitive nature there is every possibility of our pooches taking a bite off of the chocolate cake when you turn away to watch your favourite show. But, why exactly is chocolate harmful to dogs? Chocolates contains theobromine a bitter alkaloid found in cacao plant, kola nut and can have same effects as coffee which acts as a stimulant. 

Depending on the amount of chocolate our dogs eat, chocolates when eaten by dogs in large quantities can cause vomiting, increased heart rate, internal bleeding, agitation, seizures and even death. While for humans, the stimulant which triggers the central nervous system can help to improve mental performance, especially on alertness, attention and concentration, dogs are unable to mobilize the stimulant leading to it become toxic. Just this February, Ruby, a Hungarian Vizsla lost her life after consuming two brownies which contained Xylitol, a form of sweetener, which is toxic to dogs causing liver failure. 

So, in dreadful situations such as these, what will be the ideal thing to do for our pooches? Like humans react to food poisoning with signs of vomiting, diarrhoea or in dangerous cases muscle rigidity, agitation, hyperactive behaviour, excessive panting, pacing and seizures, dogs also react more or less likely the same. When you see these signs the first thing to do is call the vet right away.

The seriousness of your dog’s health depends on which type of chocolate and how much they have consumed. While as of now there’s no cure for theobromine poisoning, the vets in order to safe your pooch’s life are likely to induce vomiting. In some cases, they may put the dog on a drip to try control their hydration and heart rate while in other cases your pooch will be given activated charcoal to try and soak up the ‘poisonous’ chocolates they have consumed. 

It is hence always wise to be safe than sorry. With our babies not having a language that we can thoroughly understand we might sometimes not foresee the ordeal they are in. Hence, in situations such as these when you witness your dog showing these symptoms rush them to the vet right away.