Why is chocolate so dangerous for pets

Chocolate is a big favourite for most adults and children a like, the treat of choice or favourite cake flavour.  I am sure if I asked you what is your favourite chocolate bar or type you could reel off a few!  There is such a wide variety of chocolate available these days it’s not just white, milk and dark.  You can have chocolate with orange, salted caramel, all sorts of nuts, shortbread biscuit pieces, mint, truffles, praline and dairy free chocolate, the list is actually endless.

 

A treat for you could be fatal for your pet…

Even though most humans love chocolate and eat is regularly, if your cats and dogs get hold of it and eat it, it can have devastating consequences as chocolate is highly poisonous to pets and it can be fatal.  Most pet owners are aware that the chocolate we eat is very dangerous to animals so you would hope it’s pretty unlikely that pet owners would actively give their pet some chocolate.  However, we all know how clever these animals are, quite often they are into everything.  How often have you turned around to find your dog has run off with the ham you left on the side or your cat pinched a slice of cheese from your plate and ran off with it!  Your pets are very fast and when they want something they will go after it in a clever way and quite often get away with it.  Whilst a lot of human foods are ok for cats and dogs to consume, some are not and chocolate is most definitely one of them.

 

The hidden danger…

Now whilst chocolate tastes great to us humans, and it could also be very appealing to your pets, it is very dangerous for them to eat.  We mention above it’s not that common for pet owners to actively give chocolate to their pets, however, cats and dogs are very good at sniffing out treats and they will rip open packets, chew though the cardboard and foil packaging to get to the yummy bit.  Your cats and dogs will find a way to climb or get into cupboards where you store these treats and they will help themselves when you aren’t looking or are out.  Therefore, it is imperative that everyone in the family knows how dangerous chocolate is.  Your kids Easter eggs and Christmas advent calendars need to be kept well out of reach of your pets and secured so they can’t find them and chew into them.

 

What is theobromine…

Theobromine as defined by Wikipedia is a bitter alkaloid that is found in the cacao plant and it used to be called xantheose.  For the chemists amongst you, the chemical formula of theobromine is C7H8N4O2.   Research has shown that theobromine can have positive effects on human health such as reduce blood pressure due to its vasodilation properties, which means it widens your blood vessels making it easier for blood to pass through your blood vessels.  Theobromine can cause a dose dependent increase in heart rate and act as a mild stimulant like caffeine, so you need to be careful you don’t have too much as the more you take in, the bigger the stimulant effect.

 

Dark chocolate is better for your health but much worse for your pets…

The theobromine content is generally linked to the amount of cacao in the chocolate since the theobromine comes from the cacao plant.  So the higher the cocoa content, the higher the theobromine levels in that chocolate. This makes sense in that high percentage cocoa dark chocolate does often have a bitter taste, that will be the theobromine which we learned earlier is a bitter alkaloid.   Dark chocolate contains the most theobromine followed by milk and then white chocolate.  The health benefits above are more associated with dark chocolate as it contains the highest amount of theobromine.  Even though us humans see benefits, sadly your cats and dogs bodies are unable to digest (metabolise) the theobromine compound very well and large amounts can be fatal.

Is it more dangerous in cats or dogs?

Most people are more concerned about preventing dogs getting hold of chocolate as in general cats are much more fussy about what they eat and a lot of dogs tend to eat whatever is available whether or not it is good for them!  However, cat owners need to be especially careful as well because cats have even less ability to metabolise theobromine than dogs, so even slight amounts of theobromine can be fatal for cats.

 

It only takes a few seconds…

As I mentioned above, most pet owners are aware that chocolate is bad and potentially fatal for their pets however, it never hurts to be reminded of this as it’s easy to take your eye off the ball or assume your cats or dogs are not interested in chocolate because they have never tried to eat it before.  However, you must remain vigilant at all times and not take a risk.

 

A few weeks back I had baked some chocolate brownies at home and I got the air tight cake box out of the kitchen cupboard and took out a couple of brownies for my sons’ and put them in bowls to give them.  Naughty Luna, one of our cats had jumped up on kitchen worktop.  In the time it took me to put the lid on the box and reach up to put them on the top shelf in the cupboard, I looked down and Luna had taken a small chunk out of one of the brownies!  Luckily I noticed straight away so I opened her mouth and used my finger to hook out the bit she was chewing on. Luna was not best pleased but I managed to get it all out (my veterinary nursing experience came in handy that day).  I then got a clean syringe and syringed water in her mouth to ensure I washed away/out any tiny crumbs that were hard to remove with my finger.  Luna is absolutely fine because I saw what happened and acted immediately but this just goes to show how quick our pets can be and right underneath our noses!

 

Side effects of theobromine in pets…

Low doses of theobromine can cause vomiting and diarrhoea in cats and dogs, which can in some cases be severe.  If higher doses of theobromine have been ingested you may notice your pet is restless, panting, has uncoordinated movement and even seizures in severe cases.  Their heart rate may be elevated and irregular.  If you see any of these signs in your pet please call your vet immediately.

 

What to do if you think your pet has eaten chocolate

If you have detected any of the above signs and symptoms in your pet quickly check to see what they may have eaten, you will usually find a left over chewed packet not too far away.  It is very important you call your vet immediately and give them as much information as you possibly can.  Bring any packets with you so your vet can ascertain exactly what your pet has eaten and potentially how much, as that could determine the treatment they require.  Get your pet into your car and have someone call the vets on the way so they know to expect you and can prepare anything necessary in advance, speed is of the essence in cases like this.

 

www.nutritionadvice.com and www.theveterinaryexpert.com have some great information on theobromine if you’d like to find out more.