Are you a dog lover? Most of the pet owners don’t know chocolate can harm their lovely pets. New research in the journal Vet Record reveals that chocolate poisoning in dogs remains a problem. While Christmas may be a moment of sweet pampering for humans, for dogs it is a period of increased risk of chocolate poisoning, experts warned yesterday.
Chocolate and cocoa are products of cacao beans after they are fermented, roasted, shelled and ground. Chocolate contains two ingredients potentially lethal to dogs – theobromine and caffeine. There are 1-9 milligrams of theobromine per gram of chocolate, with higher levels of darker chocolate. White chocolate has zero risks of toxicity.
Chocolate in small dosages can generate vomiting or diarrhoea, and in large quantities, it can lead to muscle tremors, seizures, an irregular heartbeat, internal bleeding or even heart attacks. It is useful for about a quarter of all acute canine intoxication cases. “Chocolate ingestion has a unique seasonal pattern which merits highlighting this risk,” the researchers wrote in the Vet Record journal after scrutinising five years’ worth data on chocolate poisoning from 229 British veterinary practices.
Looking at records from 229 U.K. veterinary exercises between 2012 and 2017, the researchers found that Christmas is when dogs are most at risk when they’re four times as expected to go to the vet due to chocolates than at other times of the year. They’re twice as likely during Easter. It’s thought that the Christmas and Easter peaks occur mainly because there’s just more of that delicious but for dogs, toxic sweet stuff around.
The researchers pointed to “younger members of society” as often responsible for feeding these illicit goodies to dogs. Don’t do that, kids: Santa won’t be happy, your dog won’t be satisfied and neither will anyone else. So if you love your pets, then please take care of them during this festive season. Be aware of chocolates that can become the cause of your pet’s death.
Courtesy : The eCake