Why Can’t Dogs Eat Chocolate?
In the list of prohibited foods for pets, we know for a fact that dogs cannot eat chocolate. In this article we tell you what the effects – even fatal – can be. Why can’t dogs eat chocolate ?
Why Dogs Can’t Eat Chocolate
Surely you have heard of this thing, a rule included in the decalogue of a good master, but you do not know very well what it is. We find it strange that something so beneficial to our health – if we are talking about pure cocoa – is forbidden to our pets.
Of course, chocolate isn’t the only food that’s unsuitable for dogs. The others are: tomato sauce, aubergines and walnuts. Cocoa has a large amount of antioxidants which, while good for humans, are bad for dogs.
We shouldn’t take this information lightly, since eating chocolate for a dog can be deadly. That’s right, because this food contains a caffeine-like alkaloid called theobromine. It is a chemical compound that intoxicates people when consumed in certain quantities, but in dogs it is dangerous even in low doses.
If your dog has eaten chocolate – without your consent, since they are usually quite gluttonous – he may have several symptoms: from vomiting to diarrhea, cramps and bloating. In severe cases, where the intake was large, it can cause convulsions and heart failure.
How much chocolate is toxic to dogs?
Dogs are sensitive to this substance because they cannot digest it properly. If humans take a maximum of three hours to digest chocolate, dogs need almost a day. They metabolize the chemical up to nine times slower than we do.
We must bear in mind that a high dose of theobromine can be deadly, even for people! Except that humans have to eat chocolate for a whole day, while for dogs less than 500 grams is enough.
A 20-pound dog can suffer the consequences of cocoa by consuming a 100-gram bar. So imagine what can happen with smaller dog breeds, such as the pug or the poodle: a piece of chocolate is enough to poison him.
The dose of cocoa poisoning is 5 milligrams for each pound of the dog. If you eat below that amount, you will have the same symptoms as indigestion, but if you don’t digest it, it can be fatal.
If you do not arrive in time to prevent the chocolate from being consumed, you should immediately take your dog to the vet and, if deemed necessary, perform a detox treatment.
What happens to other pets?
We now know that dogs cannot eat chocolate and why. But you have to be very careful even if you have other pets at home, as cocoa can also be more dangerous for them.
Exactly, since for example cats are even more sensitive to theobromine. If we add to this the weight of the animal – in general, domestic cats weigh around four kilos – we can guess that a small piece of chocolate will be deadly for them. Something similar happens with other pets such as rabbits or ferrets.
You don’t have to stop eating chocolate or secretly do it at home. If you have pets, you just need to be careful and hide it very well to prevent them from finding and eating it. A good place to store it is on top of the refrigerator or in tall kitchen cabinets.
When you are enjoying a piece of chocolate and your dog takes on that pitiful face you know so well, you better make the effort not to share it with him. Don’t forget that it can be deadly.
