Dogs are probably the most loved pets. 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. It is really quite perplexing how a perfectly safe food for humans can be poisonous to dogs. Humans and dogs are believed to have many genetic similarities but they differ in many ways as well. In spite of the similarities, dogs, unlike their human friends cannot tolerate chocolates. The toxic effect of chocolates on dogs is made more dangerous because a lot of dog owners are unaware of this fact. People love chocolates as this comfort food has many benefits for humans. Chocolates and dogs would be a dangerous combination.
The substance theobromine that is found in chocolates is what makes this world’s most loved treat toxic to dogs. Theobromine, a chemical that is similar to caffeine is a naturally occurring substance found in cocoa beans. Theobromine is dangerous to dogs as it acts as stimulant that causes frequent urination, affects heart muscles and the kidneys and the central nervous system. The toxic effects of theobromine in dogs is caused by dog’s inability to digest this substance. Because of the dog’s inability to digest the theobromine substance, continued consumption will cause an accumulation in the dog’s system until a variety of medical concerns happen because increased level of toxicity.
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. Apparently, a dog will not show signs of poisoning if only a small amount of these kinds of chocolates are consumed. Theobromine have dangerous effects but a dog has to ingest a substantial amount of chocolates before clinical signs of poisoning will be seen. Different types of chocolates have different toxicity levels. The toxicity level is much lower in white chocolates because this type of chocolate contains very little theobromine. Because of the low theobromine content, a dog has to consume 200 ounces of white chocolates before clinical signs of poisoning can be noticed. However, this is not so with milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate as it contains more of the dangerous theobromine chemical. The baking chocolate is the most dangerous ass it has the highest theobromine content. Although a dog owner may not give the dog baking chocolate it is still possible for the dog to ingest substantial amount because the dog’s nose would find where the chocolates are kept and would have an eating spree. This situation calls for immediate treatment to save the life of the pet. It is always good to know what to do if your dog eats chocolate.
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