PET ARTICLES BLOG

People love dogs. Pet owners have the habit of tossing a piece of the food they are eating with the pet not knowing that some people food can poison the pet. A pet owner would wonder why foods that give humans a lot of benefits would be harmful to dogs. Humans and dog have many genetic similarities but they are also different in a lot of ways. The inability of a dog's system to tolerate chocolate is one of these differences. Dogs are given bits of chocolate because not many dog owners are aware of the toxic effects of this food on dogs. Chocolates are comfort foods that give humans loads of benefits. Chocolates and dogs though is a bad combination.

The substance theobromine in chocolate is the reason why this world's most loved treat is toxic to dogs. 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. A dog that continuously ingest small amount of chocolates will eventually develop a variety of medical concerns because the dog's inability to digest theobromine would result to an accumulation of this toxic substance.

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. Small amount of chocolate consumed by the dog would not show clinical signs of poisoning. Chocolate is dose dependent meaning that a dog has to ingest about 100 to 150 milligrams per kilogram of dog body weight before the toxicity level can be reached. Different types of chocolates have different toxicity levels. White chocolates have little amount of theobromine thus the toxicity level is quite low. About 200 ounces of white chocolates must be consumed before signs of chocolate poisoning will be seen. 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 considered to be the most dangerous among all types of chocolates. Dog owners don't normally give the dog baking chocolate but knowing the voracious appetite of these animals, it is still possible for the dog to gorge on the dangerous food. The dog has to have medical attention ASAP. Furthermore it is important to know what to do if your dog eats chocolate.