by admin | March 10th, 2010
You just discovered candy wrappers on the floor and think that your dog ate chocolate. What should you do? First off, don’t panic. Your dog won’t fall over dead in 30 seconds. You have time to take action. Call your veterinarian right away.
If you think your dog ate chocolate within the last 2 hours, you can get your dog to the vet and he can give him medicine that will make the dog throw up. After two hours, the chocolate will already have been digested and won’t be in the stomach anymore so other measures will need to be taken.
The reaction will depend on what kind and how much chocolate your dog ate. The most toxic chocolate (to a dog) is baker’s chocolate, followed by semi-sweet chocolate, and then by milk chocolate. If only eaten in small amounts, your dog may just vomit or have an upset stomach. Chocolate also contains caffeine, so it may make your dog’s heart race or cause seizures. Or make him act hyper and nervous.
If your dog ate chocolate in large amounts, the veterinarian may want to keep him overnight for observation and further treatment. Chocolate has an ingredient called theobromine. People can digest it just fine, but it makes dogs sick. The vet will wait until all of the theobromine is out of the dog’s system, which may take up to 72 hours.
The moral of this story: Keep chocolate away from dogs and never give it as a treat or reward. If you have small children, teach them never to share chocolate or candy with the family dog. Chocolate is not good for dogs, they don’t need it, and it can harm them.
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