What To Do If Your Dog Ate Chocolate
Help Me! What Do I Do If My Dog Just Ate Chocolate?
FIRST, if your dog ate a lot of chocolate, you should call you vet, at least to let them know and ask for advice if you should come in or not.
First of all, why is chocolate toxic to dogs? Because it contains caffeine, which both speeds up the heart rate and nervous system of your dog. The risk of your dog becoming sick from eating chocolate depends majorly on the kind and the amount of chocolate that your dog consumed, as well as the size/weight of your dog. Chocolate also contains a chemical called “Thebromine”, which is safe in humans but can kill your dog.
Cocoa powder is most toxic, bakers chocolate is next in line, then semisweet chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate is not very toxic.
(Use these tips to help save your dog, do not panic, do not wait until it is too late) The first thing to do if you are already freaking out because your dog ate chocolate, is taking a few deep breaths and handle the situation. If you have a small dog and they just ate a ton of chocolate, then you should be more concerned and give you local vet a call so they can take a look at your dog, and help the issue. Now, if your dog ate a few Hersey kisses or chocolate chips, your dog will most likely be totally fine.
Signs of your dog being poisoned by chocolate are as follows. (Signs of chocolate poisoning usually appear 6 to 12 hours after your dog ate the chocolate and may last up to 3 days)
1. Vomiting 2. Diarrhea 3. Restless 4. Increased Urination 5. Seizures 6. Elevated Heart Rate 7. Tremors 8. (Worst case – Death)
Anytime your dog has eaten any amount of chocolate, it is always best for you to give your vet a call, just in case, and do it as soon as you can, longer you wait the worse things can get.
If your dog has eaten chocolate in the last 2 hours, your veterinarian may induce vomiting to work the toxins out of your dog’s body quickly without it being absorbed into your pups bloodstream.
It is
important to note that older dogs that already have heart conditions are most at risk for sudden death.
As soon as your dog has eaten chocolate that you find out, your dog may start of vomit on his or her own which is a good thing to get the toxins out of the body. There are some steps you can take in an emergency that can help save your dog’s life.
Give your dog a teaspoon of “Hydrogen Peroxide” Mix the peroxide with water or vanilla ice cream to make it easier for your dog to want to eat it.
Next, get your dog to move, take your dog on a walk for 15 or so minutes, physical activity will help your dog to induce vomiting.
If your dog does not vomit after about 30 minutes, do not give more peroxide, as so much of this can also be harmful to your dog. You can also try using grass as dogs will typically eat grass to make themselves vomit.
If you can not get your dog to vomit, then feed them something that they really love to help dilute the chocolate that your dog has already eaten and reduced the potency of the “thebromine”.
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