#STUFFEMMETTEATS

Emmett is a 2 year old Great Pyrenees, and he is tall enough to get to anything unattended.  This can be a pet owner’s worse nightmare.  When you have a curious puppy or young dog, there are all kinds of household hazards you need to constantly be aware of, so we are going to use Emmett’s constant escapades to help our pet owner’s navigate through the tricky health concerns of all puppies and young dogs.

Episode #4  Chocolate

Emmett and his partner in crime, Haley, have had many opportunities for encounters with chocolate, and many owners are well aware that chocolate is a potential toxin for dogs.

The most important information owners need to be aware of with chocolate toxicity is it is amount and size dependent, and there are different types of chocolate with different potential concerns.

The encounter:

Its Halloween season, and almost everyone has some candy stashed in the house, whether their child came home with a bucket of goodies, or they have some stocked up to pass out to all those ghouls and goblins for the big night.  If your pet is curious about the shiny packages and yummy smells, they are highly likely to eat some of that candy goodness when your back is turned.  In Emmett’s case, that included the wrappers and all.  Luckily, it was well past Halloween and most of the candy was gone. 

 

The scoop:

The good news is that most of the time if your pet gets into chocolate candy, it is usually milk chocolate and this has much less potential to be toxic to your pet.  The bigger the pet, the more chocolate they can consume without serious ill effects, minus a tummy ache.  If you have a small dog that ate a large amount, or a large dog that ate a ginormous amount, you might have a more serious condition to control.  The dark chocolates and the baker’s chocolates are more concentrated with the actual toxin component, theobromine, and these are the chocolates we become more concerned about if your pet consumes them!

The plan:

The most important thing to do first is to call your local veterinarian or the ASPCA poison control, and determine if the amount of chocolate consumed will be a toxic concern. 

Often, if the professionals determine that it is a concerning amount, your veterinarian can safely induce vomiting, and this often solves the immediate problem before symptoms can occur.  A tummy ache may still be in the cards, and your pet may be monitored for possible toxicity signs in the hospital for a period of time.  If it is not a large toxic amount of chocolate, then your veterinarian will likely make you aware that GI signs, like diarrhea, and vomiting are likely from a general upset stomach from eating something so rich, and sugary.

In severe cases of ingestion, or in cases that were not caught right away, symptoms can include hyperactivity, tremors, seizures, racing heart beat, and sometimes death.  Luckily, most cases do not go undetected, as it is a fairly messy item for your dog to ingest.

Happy Halloween!!!
Thank you for reading!! and Join us for the next episode of #stuffemmetteats