Health and wellbeing | PETS
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toxic to animals, especially dogs, cats and
horses. This is because their digestive systems
process theobromine less efficiently than our
human guts, making it relatively easy for them
to be poisoned.
WHAT IS THEOBROMINE?
The more dangerous of the two stimulants in
chocolate, theobromine is a molecule made
by plants and was discovered in the 1840s in
cocoa beans. It’s also found naturally in kola
nuts, tea and other plants — and consequently
chocolate and other cocoa products. The
riskiest type of chocolate is cooking or baking
chocolate, which has approximately 14.1mg/g
of theobromine, followed by dark chocolate
which has 5.3mg/g, then milk chocolate with
1.4mg/g. White chocolate has very little real
chocolate in it, so carries the lowest risk should
your pet ingest it.
“The toxic dose for theobromine is reported
as 100–150mg per kilogram of body weight,
though, while it is rare, problems have been
known to occur at doses as low as 20mg per
kilogram of body weight. This means a 15kg
dog, such as a small Staff y, could conceivably
become seriously ill after eating just 50g of
baking chocolate,” Dr Felicia explains.
While cats and horses are also at risk, dogs
face the biggest danger because they are far
more likely to nosh it down. Cats do not have
an especially sweet tooth and horses have
body weight on their side (and, frankly,
they’re far less likely to be sitting or standing
nearby when you’re cooking with chocolate or
enjoying a few squares in front of the TV!).
SPOT THE SIGNS
If you suspect your pet has gotten
stuck into the chocolate, Dr Felicia
recommends calling your vet
immediately and being ready
with any handy information
— how much they’ve eaten,
what type of chocolate, your
pet’s weight and age.
Based on their
calculations,
the vet may
ask you to
bring the animal in, or they may recommend
monitoring them for the next 12 hours; signs
of poisoning usually occur between three and
12 hours after ingestion.
“Signs of poisoning may include vomiting,
diarrhoea, restlessness, increased urination,
tremors, elevated or abnormal heart rate,
seizures or collapse,” Dr Felicia says. If your pet
consumed the chocolate less than four hours
ago, your vet may ask you to bring him in so
they can induce vomiting. If your pet arrives at
the vet more than four hours after ingestion,
or continues to show signs of toxicity after
vomiting, activated charcoal is administered.
This is used to prevent further toxin absorption
from the gut.
If your pet has eaten
a lot or is experiencing
severe side eff ects, the
vet may administer
anticonvulsant and
antiarrhythmic
medications.Instead of reaching
for the chocolate,
treat your pet to
an animal-specifi c
treat this Easter