Why chocolate is bad for dogs?
PlanetaCurioso.com – Chocolate is delicious. There’s no doubt.
Has it happened to you that while you enjoy some chocolate, your dog approaches you and with those tormented eyes, stares at you, waiting for you to share what you eat?
Then you think: “They say that chocolate is dangerous for dogs, it is a poison for them”. So you apologize to your dog and try to explain that you will not give him something that can hurt him.
Indeed, chocolate is bad for dogs, as it can be lethal to them.
The question is why shouldn’t dogs eat chocolate?
The reason is because of theobromine, a chemical substance that cocoa contains and that is very similar to caffeine, and that can cause chocolate poisoning in dogs, with serious consequences.
I’ll explain in more detail.
Theobromine and dogs
Theobromine is responsible for the fact that dogs can become intoxicated or even die if they consume too much chocolate.
It does not harm us humans to consume this chemical compound. Quite the contrary. It is the main responsible for giving us pleasure and happiness when eating chocolate. (In fact, it’s very similar to caffeine.)
Our body is programmed to digest it in a short time. Between 2 and 3 hours approximately. So it does not represent any danger.
In contrast, dogs take a long time to digest theobromine: about 18 hours. This is 9 times slower than humans.
What happens if my dog eats some chocolate?
There are those who think that a little will not hurt them. Or if by accident, your dog has eaten chocolate, when should you worry?
1. It all depends on the size of the dog and the amount of chocolate it consumes.
For example, 25 grams of chocolate can be enough to poison a 20 kilo dog. Whereas a large dog can eat more chocolate than a small dog, before seeing the effects.
A high dose for dogs is between 250 and 500 milligrams of theobromine per kilogram of body weight, which would end up being fatal. But a poisoning can occur at about 5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.
2. Another factor to take into account is that different types of chocolate have different levels of theobromine.
Cocoa, cooking chocolate, and dark chocolate contain the highest levels of theobromine, while milk chocolate and white chocolate have the lowest levels.
What happens if a dog eats a little chocolate?
Symptoms of chocolate poisoning in dogs
If your dog consumes a little chocolate, this can happen to him:
- Stomach ache
- Threw up
- Diarrhea
But if you have eaten chocolate in larger quantities, the effects are more serious:
- muscle tremors
- seizures
- irregular heartbeat
- internal bleeding
- Heart attack.
conclusion
Chocolate is bad for dogs, as they can become poisoned with fatal consequences. Remember that the harmful effects depend on the size of your dog, the amount and the type of chocolate that has been ingested. In such a case, it is best to call the vet immediately, as time is another important factor.
So you already know. Keep anything containing chocolate out of their reach. More chocolate for you!
If you want to know more, here I recommend the curiosities of dogs that you did not know. Also 5 Reasons Why Dogs Howl . You’ll also love discovering the difference between cats and dogs , according to an illustrator. And why do dogs eat anything, and cats don’t?
This article was published on planetacurioso.com. It is not allowed to publish the content of this article on another website. Visit planetacurioso.com.
