Why Chocolates Should Not Be Given To Dogs

People love dogs. As such people tend to share whatever they eat with the dog unknowing that some human foods can be dangerous to dog. It is really quite perplexing how a perfectly safe food for humans can be poisonous to dogs. Humans and dog have many genetic similarities but they are also different in a lot of ways. In spite of the similarities, dogs, unlike their human friends cannot tolerate chocolates. The toxic effect of chocolates on dogs is made more dangerous because a lot of dog owners are unaware of this fact. Humans get a lot of benefits from chocolates. Chocolates and dogs would be a dangerous combination.

Chocolate, the world's most loved treat is dangerous to dogs because of its theobromine content. Cocoa beans from where chocolates are derived contains the substance theobromine. Theobromine serves as a stimulant and causes frequent urination, affects the kidneys and the heart muscles as well as the central nervous system. The toxic effects of theobromine in dogs is caused by dog's inability to digest this substance. Because of the dog's inability to digest the theobromine substance, continued consumption will cause an accumulation in the dog's system until a variety of medical concerns happen because increased level of toxicity.

Dog people love chocolates and because dogs are well loved pets, the chocolate bar or the Black Forest cake the dog owner is eating will be shared with the pet. Apparently, a dog will not show signs of poisoning if only a small amount of these kinds of chocolates are consumed. A good news to dog owners that are unaware of the harmful effects of chocolates to the dog is the fact that the toxicity of this food is dose dependent so that the pet has to consume from 100 to 150 milligrams of chocolate per kilogram of body weight before the pet will be affected. Different types of chocolates have different toxicity levels. The toxicity level is much lower in white chocolates because this type of chocolate contains very little theobromine. A dog has to ingest about 200 ounces of white chocolate per pound of body weight before the dog shows clinical signs of chocolate poisoning. Milk chocolates and semi-sweet chocolates contains more of toxic substance thus a substantial amount consumed will be dangerous to the pet. The baking chocolate is the most dangerous ass it has the highest theobromine content. Although a dog owner may not give the dog baking chocolate it is still possible for the dog to ingest substantial amount because the dog's nose would find where the chocolates are kept and would have an eating spree. This situation calls for immediate treatment to save the life of the pet. Furthermore it is important to know what to do if your dog eats chocolate.

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