Thelwall, Grappenhall & Latchford April 2015 | Page 22

Essential Feature

Chocolate Poisoning
and the Easter Bunny
Chocolate poisoning in dogs
For dog owners especially Easter can be
a brilliant time for some long walks in
the (hopefully!) nice spring weather, and
in most homes (especially those with
children) there is of course an abundant
supply of chocolate to be found.
Unfortunately as vets, we see a lot of cases
of chocolate poisoning in our canine
friends at this time of year. Chocolate
contains a substance called theobromine
which is poisonous to dogs. This is found
in all types of chocolate but the greatest
quantity is found in dark chocolate.
What are the clinical signs of chocolate
poisoning in dogs?
Common signs:
• Vomiting and abdominal pain
• Excessive salivation
• Increased thirst and urination
• Excitability or ataxia (‘wobbliness’)
• Changes in heart rate and rhythmn
Uncommon signs:
• Muscle rigidity, tremors and seizures
• Rapid breathing
• Kidney dysfunction
• Fever
Clinical signs are usually seen within
4 hours of consuming chocolate, but
can occur up to 24 hours later. For this
reason if your dog has eaten a toxic dose
22

of chocolate (see
below) you should
contact
the
vet
straight away.
How is chocolate
poisoning treated?
Patients are injected
with an emetic to make them vomit and
following on from this activated charcoal
is administered orally. This stops any
further chocolate being absorbed into
the dog’s circulation. Depending on
how severely the patient is affected,
other supportive care may be given (such
as intravenous fluids or treatments to
control seizuring). Unfortunately, there
is no direct antidote to theobromine.
How much chocolate is too much?
This depends on the type of chocolate
so it is very helpful to keep hold of the
wrapper to show to the vet. As a guide,
an average sized dog weighing 20Kg may
show signs of chocolate toxicity if he or
she eats 180g of milk chocolate or 25g
of dark chocolate. If this is the case, it
is advisable to contact your vet straight
away because the sooner your dog is
treated the less likely he or she is to
develop the potentially serious clinical
signs seen above. The good news is that
when dogs are seen and treated promptly,
the prognosis for a full recovery is good.

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