Christmas Chocolate

Q. I want to buy my dog a Christmas stocking but they all seem to include chocolate.  I thought this was poisonous to dogs.  Is this true?

A. Chocolate manufactured for humans contains theobromine.  In dogs this can have a dramatic effect dependent on dosage.  Usually hyper-excitability  is the first sign followed by restlessness and agitation but this can lead to seizures and convulsions.  

The severe signs are generally only seen with higher doses of chocolate but darker chocolate (especially cooking chocolate) contains more theobromine than milk chocolate.  

Treatment will be required from your vet if it ever happens which will include medicine to make the dog vomit, activated charcoal to absorb the theobromine in the stomach and additional medication to control seizures.  

You can treat your dog to the chocolate manufactured specifically for dogs but don’t overdo it as too much is just as bad for their waistlines as human chocolate is for us!