Chocolate Covered Vet Bills: Avoid Dog Poisoning This Valentine’s Day
One of the most well known food poisoning cases for dogs is chocolate, which also happens to be the largest selling Valentine’s Day gift.
If you come home from Valentine’s Day festivities and find that your pooch might have eaten your chocolate, a million things might run through your mind. The most important thing is to stay calm.
What To Do if You Think Your Dog Ate Chocolate
It’s always recommended to call your vet, an emergency vet, or the Pet Poison Helpline at 1-855-213-6680. Before doing that, be sure you have an idea of how much your dog weighs, how much, and what type of chocolate they might have eaten (darker or purer chocolates are more dangerous than milk chocolate). This information will help the vet decide what the next steps are.
The vet or help line may recommend making the dog vomit with at-home remedies, or just closely observe their behavior - they may vomit on their own. The recommended at-home remedy is typically 3% hydrogen peroxide at a dose of 1 tablespoon per every 20 pounds. If they will not swallow it on their own, use a medicine dropper or add it to the edge of a small bowl of peanut butter for them to lick the bowl clean. Hydrogen peroxide will induce vomiting so be sure to keep your dog in a safe area and keep a close eye on them. Follow any advice given by your trusted veterinarian.
Symptoms & What to Look For
Symptoms of chocolate poisoning include extreme thirst, diarrhea, energy bursts (more than normal), pacing, panting, shaking, and seizures. Symptoms can take up to 12 hours to show, but do not wait to take action if you believe your pet has gotten into chocolate, it could be too late.
Stimulants in chocolate stay in the dog’s body for up to 72 hours in severe cases. Early treatment is key in preventing a costly vet visit, or worse.
But, What if My Dog Just Ate Some Crumbs?
How much chocolate is cause for concern? It is always better to be proactive, since as small as 1oz of milk chocolate per pound of body weight is deadly, and even less for darker and baking chocolates. For reference, one standard size chocolate bar is at least 1.5oz.
Final Thoughts
While crumbs might not cause any issues, be sure to keep an eye on your dog and keep toxic things out of reach. Prevention is key. Dog proof your home, inside and out. Teach a “drop it” command, and keep anything potentially harmful to pets out of reach or locked up.
My personal thoughts? People food for people and not for pets.😎👌🏻
Jisuk Kim┃ Creator
@milliondogs_hello