Many of us have heard that chocolate is toxic for dogs but the reason behind it unknown to many of us. Yes, dogs must indeed be kept away from chocolate as it contains a toxic substance such as Caffeine and Theobromine which might affect their heartbeat as well as their nervous system, however, the effect of these substances also depends on the physical fitness of dogs and the type of chocolate consumed by them.
Why do dogs like chocolate?
Chocolate is loved by each one of us and also loved by dogs, chocolate is so craving that each one of us likes to have it and is attracted to it very much, dogs too feel the same taste of it but they aren’t aware of that it might work as toxic material in their body and might put them in a serious condition. It’s your duty towards your pet to keep them away from chocolate and also try to make aware of this situation.
How to keep them away from chocolate?
Right from the day you bring a small puppy in your house, it’s your duty that the dogs did not get to know what chocolate is and thus feed them with different types of good food but not chocolate, you must keep all that chocolate items away from their eyesight and didn’t let them know anything about chocolate in their entire life, it’s very difficult but still, you have to do this for the safety of your dog.
If you are thinking of eating a bar of chocolate in your house then make sure that you do not have it in front of them and tell this to every family member about the consequences of doing this in front of them. These things must be kept in a place where the dog cannot see it. In the future, if they get aware of them then make sure to train them as such that they do not eat this chocolate in their entire life.
What makes chocolate to be toxic for dogs?
Chocolate mainly has caffeine and Theobromine in a major amount and this sort of amount acts as a toxic material for dogs, this may reduce their heartbeat and can have side effects on their nervous system. Theobromine is not easily digested by dogs, however, it depends on the size of your dog but this does not mean that big dogs are capable of digesting this substance in their body.
The amount of this theobromine and caffeine might wary of different types of chocolate. The chocolate product such as cocoa, cooking powder, and dark chocolate contains a higher amount of this substance and is less in white and white milk chocolate. This is only for general information, so you must only keep one thing in mind that chocolate is not made for dogs so they must be kept unaware of it.
What might be the symptoms, if your dog ate chocolate accidentally?
Even after your lot of care if your dog ate the chocolate accidentally, then you will see the following symptoms in 6 – 12 hours which fully depends on the metabolism of your dog.
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Restlessness
- Increased urination
- Tremors
- Elevated or abnormal heart rate
- Seizures
- Collapse and death
After seeing this sort of symptoms you must direct call your veterinarian immediately, then according to the type of chocolate consumed and the weight of your dog will let you know how much time will it take him to recover out of this illness.
It’s your foremost duty to keep your dog away from chocolate which might be very dangerous for them and may also lead to losing their life out of it, which as a dog lover will not be accepted from us and thus might keep them away from chocolate right from their childhood.