What To Do If Your Dog Eats chocolate or Anything Toxic

Chocolate can be like poison for a dog. THEOBROMINE is the stimulant, similar to caffeine, that can cause heart and nervous system damage or even organ faillure. Milk chocolate is toxic to the degree of 1 ounce per pound of weight. SEMI SWEET is twice as toxic as milk chocolate, causing danger to a dog 3-6 pounds that ingest 1 ounce. A dog that weighs 10 pounds will encounter toxic levels of BAKERS CHOCOLATE of only 1 ounce ingested. Stronger yet is the COCOA BEAN being toxic at a ration of only 1 ounce per 33 pounds of body wieght in a dog. Commit it to memory, keep chocolate away from you dog as it is a very bad thing.

I met a live victim the other day.  A yellow lab named Milo had a diagnosis of Pancreatitis. The dogs human parent told me the story of her dog having eaten an entire pound of chocolate. The only clue to the chocolate having been eaten was the empty wrapper under the table, found in not enough time to prevent organ damage do to the high levels of toxicity to the body. It wasn’t until the next day that symptoms started to occur. Diarrhea and vomiting should be the most common symptom. Only then did they know to go to the vet. At the time it seemed insignificant that it was the weekend as there we no intial symptoms. Two things should have been done right away. The followed two things could have saved his now injured pancreas.

In general, if you suspect your dog may have eaten something “BAD”, with the exception of caustic substances such as Bleach or Draino , you may always induce vomiting. Your primary medicine cabinet remedies for poison control are as follows:

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE given 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight, squirted down the throat with a syringe, or soaked into a piece of bread and fed, will induce vomiting, in most cases, within 20 minutes. If there is no vomit occuring the first time, repeat the process and try again, but only once more. go to the vet imediately if your dog does not vomit after trying twice to induce vominting this way. Most often vomiting will resolve many near dangerous situations. A dogs digestive track is much shorter than a humans and is easily vacated if vomiting is induced soon enough. Naturally, if you waited too long, usually more than 2 hours, there will be little vomit visible. Be certain to see what is in the vomit! Look closely to see what you see. Is there lots of chocolate in there or whatever else you suspect? Garbage? Plants?

Activated Charcoal is the best follow up after vomiting induced by Hydrogen Peroxide. Although I have never located an exact dose for the charcoal it is relatively harmless and can only help. An average dose of 2 tabs works effectively on my 30 pound dog. It is similar to your filtration system. Charcoal is the all absorbing ingredient that filters bad ingredients out of our drinking water. If you introduce charcoal into the digestive system it will absorb toxins very well removing harmful side effects of toxic foods. When you suspect anything at all that might cuase a stomach ache or indigestion back it up with CHARCOAL TABS. The results are often effective.

So in summary, when in doubt about what your dog ate, or if you are sure it was chocolate, INDUCE VOMITING and FOLLOW with ACTIVATED CHARCOAL tabs.

Remember if you do not successfully see your dog vomit then GO TO THE VET. Or, if in doubt, GO TO THE VET.