CP* Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 This weekend my small sheltie got onto the kitchen table and opened and ate a family-sized packet of smarties. So after this experience I have (thanks to my local vet) more details about chocolate toxicity. Of course this also depends on the health and age of the dog. As a rule of thumb for toxicity (ie, levels that have a harmful effect): Milk chocolate - 60gm/1kg of dog Dark chocolate - 20.5gm/1kg of dog Cooking chocolate - 7gm/1kg of dog White chocolate - has negligible amounts of theobromine and caffeine (levels in milk and dark choc do vary) Death can occur Milk chocolate - 140-280gm/kg of dog Cooking chololate - 15-31gm/kg of dog Signs of toxity - look for increased heart rate and tremors/shakes My Sheltie still got sick, even though she ate less than the toxic level (too much caffeine and sugar). She was vomiting 2hrs after ingesting and had green sloppy poo 14hrs later. And the moral of the story - a smart dog will find a way to get into anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cashew Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 (edited) Thanks so much Caro. I almost lost my baby to 500gm bloack of milk chocolate. Luckily we managed to get him into the ER on time. It was my worst night ever. There are also other signs like excessive drinking of water, bloatedness and hyperactivity. Vet also put him on a lot of charcoal pills to clear up remnants in his stomach after making him purge. To be on the safe side, I have heeded the advice of Dolers here to stash some lectric soda crystals. Edited for spelling: Lectric Soda Edited January 12, 2009 by cashew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Yikes.. that must have given you some anxious hours. Looks like cooking chocolate is frighteningly toxic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 General rule of thumb is the darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is. Unfortunately, the guidelines are just that. Much depends upon the individual metabolism of the dog. What may kill one dog might not even affect another dog of the same breed, size and age. That's why it is best to just put a blanket ban on chocolate of any kind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CP* Posted January 12, 2009 Author Share Posted January 12, 2009 Where do I get some lectic soda crystals? I think I had better keep a stash. Luckily she was throwing up herself this time but I would have felt better if she threw up as soon as I knew she had eaten the choc rather than waiting the 2 hrs. Ironically I had taken my other dog to the vet when she did this. I can imagine Cashew what you went through - I felt so helpless because they cannot do a lot. I also brought a container with a screw on lid for any future choc things that come into the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cashew Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 The soda crystals are found at the detergent section of supermarkets. I am not too sure of the exact amount to cause purging but it is about 3/4tsp for my MS. The local vet I went to actually inserted a crystal (not too sure if it was the same sort) into his eye to encourage purging as my boy was too bloated and sick to swallow anything. He was also lying on his side and had difficulties breathing by the time I found him at home. I was out on a Christmas Party when it happened. Worst ever night I had. All chocolates are now kept on the top shelf of my pantry or in the fridge. Things like coffee powder/bread dough are equally toxic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Great Dane who finished off a family block of chocolate with no even an upset tummy....go figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bully Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/10/...nteractive.html A great little chart with a slider to adjust your dogs weight. It shows how much chocolate it takes to make your dog sick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 It doesn't pay to rely too much on the charts and figures if your dog does have a feed of chocolate, reaction amongst individuals may vary. Always be aware and call your Vet if you have any concerns at all. On of my clients almost lost her dog to theobromine toxicity last year, the daughter was dog sitting, Chloe ate stolen chocolate, someone on a parenting forum googled it, and assured her that dog had not eaten enough according to the figures. It nearly ended really badly when feeling confident the dog would be alright they left her alone for the day and went to work, they came home to a really ill dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Midol Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Great Dane who finished off a family block of chocolate with no even an upset tummy....go figure. I can beat that! 19kg sibe, 2 family blocks of chocolate and no issues at all. Sibes have ridiculously slow metabolisms though. Great Danes are about 60kg right? If Gizmo was 60kg with the same metabolism he has now he'd still only be eating around 600g of meat and bones a day, in total. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noisymina Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Reminds me of the Xmas that our old Wei got into some After Dinner Mints. She got through Xmas wrapping and ribbon. Outer celophane wrap Cardboard box And each mint was in a brown envelope thingy. She was though one box when I got up (very early morning) and, through bleary eyes, wondered what all the bits were out on the grass. I got our there in time to find her getting into the second box! No other gifts were unwrapped - so she SMELT them out before she even started! The bitch! I'll NEVER have another scent hound! At least each box was only 125g net - and that was not all chocolate. I didn't know then just how toxic chocolate could be to dogs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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