Pet health care: Why chocolate can be toxic

Tuesday, 16 February 2010 15:45

Pet health care could save a dog that ingests too much chocolate - but the symptoms need to be caught early.

This is according to a vet in the US, Jeff Kahler, who recently wrote about the subject for the Modesto Bee.

He responded to a reader's query asking why her pooch did not become ill after consuming chocolate.

Dr Kahler explained that different types of the sweet stuff contain varying amounts of theobromine, which is the chemical with the potential to harm dogs.

Theobromine cannot be metabolised quickly enough in a canine's liver, meaning that with high enough levels of intake, uncontrollable trembling and seizures can result.

"They can appear hypersensitive to noise and hyper-reactive to any external stimuli," Dr Kahler added.

Moreover, the toxicity of the chemical is related to a dog's weight, so smaller dogs that eat the same amount as larger ones have a greater chance of becoming intoxicated.

Any owner with concerns about their pet's health care may want to contact their vet for advice.

Animal Friends are a specialist pet insurance company providing dog insurance and cat insurance to British pet owners since 1999 and we now offer horse insurance too.

Posted by Elaine