Chocolate poisoning
Eating chocolate can be very dangerous for pets, as the theobromine contained in chocolate is toxic to dogs and cats. The sweet and fatty taste of chocolate is pleasant for dogs. Cats rarely like chocolate, so chocolate poisoning is very rare in cats.
The darker the chocolate, the higher the theobromine content and the more toxic it is to your pet. The dose of theobromine that causes poisoning symptoms for a dog is usually around 20 mg/kg, but the tolerance of theobromine is individual. Roughly, it can be said that symptoms of poisoning are caused by eating chocolate at a dose of 10–15 g/kg of milk chocolate or about 4 g/kg of dark chocolate. A dog weighing 10 kg can therefore get poisoning symptoms if it eats 100 g of milk chocolate or 40 g of dark chocolate. Three times this amount is already life-threatening for a pet. Theobromine is also e.g. in cocoa.
Symptoms of chocolate poisoning typically include hyperactivity and restlessness, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, increased drinking and urination, cardiac arrhythmias and, at worst, convulsions. Symptoms usually appear within 224 hours of eating chocolate. The treatment for chocolate poisoning is vomiting, if it can be done within two hours at most after eating the chocolate, as well as the administration of medicated charcoal and hydration of the animal, as well as symptomatic support treatment.
If your pet has eaten chocolate, contact the veterinarian as soon as possible, and try to find out the amount of chocolate eaten and the cocoa content of the chocolate.
Xylitol poisoning
Xylitol can cause dangerous poisoning for a dog even with a fairly small dose. Eating xylitol strongly lowers a dog’s blood sugar. The symptoms caused by a drop in blood sugar usually start within 10-60 minutes of consuming xylitol. Symptoms include vomiting, fatigue, weakness and tremors. When the blood sugar drops dangerously low, the dog can convulse and, in the worst case, die. Eating xylitol can also cause liver damage to the dog, which usually develops within 1-3 days.
The tolerance to xylitol is individual, but for a 10-kilogram dog, symptoms can be caused by eating just one or two xylitol lozenges or chewing gum pads. If the amount of xylitol eaten is five times this, there is a risk of serious poisoning and liver damage. The treatment for xylitol poisoning is to induce vomiting, if it can be done before symptoms appear. At the veterinarian, the dog’s blood sugar and liver values are monitored with blood tests. If necessary, the pet receives glucose intravenously, as well as other support treatment it needs.
If the dog has eaten chewing gum, lozenges or other xylitol products containing xylitol, contact your veterinarian immediately and try to find out the amount of xylitol eaten.