A lot of dog owners know that their pets shouldn’t have chocolate, but many of them don’t actually know why chocolate is so bad for pups. Here’s the scoop!
All chocolate contains compounds like caffeine and theobromine, which can cause life-threatening heart and breathing problems in canines. White chocolate contains minimal amounts of these compounds, milk chocolate has moderate levels and dark chocolate has the most.
Large dogs can tolerate more chocolate than smaller ones. An 80 pound Labrador, for instance, can eat at least four standard milk chocolate bars before reaching a toxic level. The same amount of dark chocolate would likely be emergency for a tiny pooch under 10 pounds, who can only tolerate the equivalent of one Hershey‘s kiss.
If your pup swallows a toxic level of chocolate, symptoms will appear between six and 12 hours. These may include thirst, restlessness, tremors, seizures and rapid breathing. Chocolate is also high in fat, which may lead to gastrointestinal problems like vomiting or diarrhea.
Therefore, it is extremely important to be vigilant to make sure your canine doesn’t get its paws in the cocoa!!