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Friday, June 19, 2009

Dogs And Chocolate!


A very bad combination, dogs & chocolate! You probably knew but in case you did not, click here on info. to get some helpful facts.
How do I know? Two veterinary bills in 18 months for a total of $1400, yes that's one thousand four hundred!
Theobromine is the villain in this case found in products from the cocoa tree, & while milk choc. contains small amounts [44mgs./oz] it ramps up as you get to the darker, purer products. Semi sweet/dark choc. has three times as much as milk choc. & baker's choc. has about eight times as much. Theobromine affects the heart & other organs, Button's heart rate was around 2oo the first time & nearly that this second time. It really is a killer & immediate medical response is urgent.
It takes about 150mgms/kilo of weight [2.2lbs] to cause toxicity in your pet[cats & horses too] which equates to an ounce of dark/semi sweet choc. Our Aussie Terrier Button weighs close to 14lbs so her toxic level for the dark choc. is about 4-5 ozs. The first time she ingested three bars of Godiva dark choc. around 9 ozs, she was a very sick puppy that Christmas night. $660 later, EKG, blood work, IV fluids etc. she was through the danger & I said "all chocolate goes in the fridge", if she learns to open that we are in big trouble. Maybe you saw the ad that featured the dog fetching his master a beer from the fridge? In the advert. it was a big dog but inside our 14lb. dog's body is a 300lb.mastiff trying to get out!

You'd think after the first scare we would never see that again? Someone left an unopened 9.5ozs. bag of dark choc. on their desk shelf, no challenge really for a dog that can scale cliffs!
Last night we were late returning home & she was hungry so you can guess the rest. Seven ozs. of dark chocolate & lots of evidence around the house & yard that it did not agree with her.
Another ER veterinary hosp. event & this evening DH picked her up & $700 plus later she is through this second choc. poisoning a bit subdued but thankfully ok. [That chocolate ended up costing nearly $100/oz.]We have to watch her for a day or two because there is a slight chance of further complications but she is a tough little girl, all the "Aussies" are, they breed 'em that way! Any dog that can survive in the Australian outback has to be tough, & even though Button may be generations removed from that kind of life she shows us how strong & durable she is when we hike mountains & run her daily for several miles.

I found some additional info this time around about other toxic foods; six grapes can put your dog into a life threatening situation & of course it follows that raisins are bad [& no doubt wine!] avocados for heaven's sake, nutmeg, coffee, onions & garlic & for dogs, raw salmon plus a few other surprises. Then there are a host of plants...........
FYI it is worth checking out the facts about products toxic for your pets, no one needs to spend their hard earned money unnecessarily on emergency pet care that could be avoided with some extra knowledge & care. And certainly none of us want to risk pain, suffering & damage to our beloved pets.

9 comments:

  1. good information. My dog is also a chocolaholic and we have been down the same path with her. We were lucky, sounds like you were too! Hope Button makes a full recovery..;p

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  2. I'm glad your dog is okay. I am going to paste a link here that lists foods that are toxic to dogs. (onions and garlic are others...raisins, since they are grapes, etc.) It is worth looking as some of these things are surprising.

    http://www.vetinfo.com/dtoxin.html

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  3. Doggies and chocolate is a NO NO! Glad they're alright!

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  4. I hope Buttons is still on the mend. My dachshunds have gotten in to chocolate with no ill effects. Wonder why but thank God I didn't have your experience. My 1500$ Vet bill was 'caused by two rattlesnakes and I lost one dog! Lock up the chocolate and I'm looking for something to keep snakes out of the dog yard.

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  5. Glad you were able to get Buttons to the vet early enough. My son't dog almost died after eating sugarfree gum. it really is best that dogs eat dog food and dog treats: they just don't seem to understand that, do they?

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  6. OMG Roslyn...devil that Button is...and I am presuming it was Walt who has left the chocolate out? aggghhhh....Button is one expensive Aussie Shiela...LOL...hugs Khris

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  7. So glad pup is ok! Great info...Happy VTT!

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  8. Ohh, I am so glad that Button has recovered from such a scary episode!

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  9. Your poor poor Button and wallet! I had absolutely no idea that there was such a long list of dangerous foods. I'll be flying to see my Mom and her new puppy soon with my boys! Now I know exactly what I need to talk to them about!

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