Why Dogs Should Not Be Allowed To Eat Chocolates
27 Jul 2010
People love dogs. Pet owners unaware of the dangerous effect of some people food to animals would share whatever they are eating with the pet. A pet owner would wonder why foods that give humans a lot of benefits would be harmful to dogs. Humans and dogs are believed to have many genetic similarities but they differ in many ways as well. The inability of a dog’s system to tolerate chocolate is one of these differences. The toxic effect of chocolates on dogs is made more dangerous because a lot of dog owners are unaware of this fact. Humans get a lot of benefits from chocolates. Chocolates and dogs though is a bad combination.
Chocolate, the world’s most loved treat is dangerous to dogs because of its theobromine content. 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. Continued consumption will increase the accumulation of the substance in the dog’s system until the high level of toxic concentration causes a variety of medical concern.
Dog owners can share the chocolate bar with the pet or allow the dog to have a slice of the Black Forest cake. 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. White chocolates have little amount of theobromine thus the toxicity level is quite low. A dog has to ingest about 200 ounces of white chocolate per pound of body weight before the dog shows clinical signs of chocolate poisoning. Milk chocolates and semi-sweet chocolates have higher theobromine content. The baking chocolate is the most dangerous ass it has the highest theobromine content. Dog owners may not give the dog baking chocolate, dogs being the voracious eaters that they are may be lured by the smell and filch the chocolate while the master’s back is turned. This situation calls for immediate treatment to save the life of the pet. Find out more about what to do if your dog eats chocolate.
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