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CREATURE FEATURE!

DID YOU KNOW CHOCOLATE CAN BE TOXIC TO DOGS AND CATS?

Apologies for those who already know about Chocolate toxicity, however please pass this on to
those who don’t!

For a small dog or cat it wouldn’t take much to make them very ill so make sure you keep chocolate
out of reach!

The ingredient that makes chocolate toxic to animals is theobromine. Theobromine is present in
cocoa products. Cooking or dark chocolate contains the highest amount, followed by semi-sweet
chocolate & milk chocolate has the least amount.

Signs of toxicity can include panting, restlessness, vomiting and muscular tremors or tenseness. The
animal may also become ‘hyper’ irritable or excitable. Some serious complications can also occur
(such as seizures, heart failure and death). Minor problems can still occur with eating milk chocolate
or small amounts of other human chocolates & the most common would be diarrhoea (usually 12-24
hours after eating the chocolate).

If you suspect chocolate poisoning it is important to contact your vet for immediate advice.

Do not give chocolate to your dog or cat this Easter unless it is the ‘choc treat’ style safe for pets.

Reference: Autumn, April 2009 Newsletter, Clever Creatures www.clevercreatures.com.au

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The best Dog Training and Pet Education Products in Perth Australia
www.clevercreatures.com.au
 The best Dog Training and Pet Education Products in Perth Australia
www.clevercreatures.com.au

Easter time!

Easter is fast approaching! Do not give chocolate to your dog or cat this Easter unless it is the ‘choc
treat’ style safe for pets. The ingredient that makes chocolate toxic to animals is theobromine.
Theobromine is present in cocoa products. Cooking or dark chocolate contains the highest amount,
followed by semi-sweet chocolate & milk chocolate has the least amount. If your dog or cat gets into
the chocolate this Easter phone your vet for advice as your pet may need urgent medical care.

Reference: Autumn 2010 Newsletter, Clever Creatures www.clevercreatures.com.au

Chocolate Toxicity

Chocolate contains a xanthine compound, theobromine that is toxic in sufficient quantities.

Examples of other xanthine compounds are caffeine and theophylline. The toxicity from all of these
compounds is similar.

It takes a fairly large amount of chocolate to cause problems. In “the Handbook of Small Animal
Practice” by Dr. Rhea Morgan, the following data is given:

The toxic dose of theobromine is about 100 to 150 mg / kg.

Milk Chocolate contains 6 mg of theobromine per ounce. Semi-sweet chocolate contains about 22
mg / oz, and cooking chocolate about 35 to 45 gm / oz.

From this it is easy to see that milk chocolate poses only a minor threat while the other forms of
chocolate can be a bigger problem.

Xanthines affect primarily the central nervous system, the cardiovascular system and peripheral
nerves. There is a diuretic effect as well. So the sign with toxicity include hyper excitability,
hyperirritability, increased heart rate, restlessness, increased urination, vomiting and muscular
tremours or tenseness. Under some circumstances these signs can lead to secondary problems such
as hyperthermia. In severe cases, seizures or cardiac arrest can occur. Death can result from severe
intoxication.

There is no specific antidote for this poisoning. Inducing vomiting can help if the ingestion is known
and has occurred within one to two hours. Administration of activated charcoal may inhibit
absorption of the toxin from the digestive tract. It may be necessary to use medications to control
the effects of the poisoning, especially seizure control medications, oxygen therapy, IV fluids, and
medications to control the effects on the heart.

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With ingestion of milk chocolate, diarrhoea is a common secondary problem. This may require
therapy and often occurs 12 to 24 hours after eating the chocolate.
If you suspect chocolate poisoning and your dog or cat is showing clinical signs of the problem, it is
important to contact your vet.

Other Toxic products:

All the onions and garlic species (Allium) have a reactive Sulphur compound - N - propyl disulfide.
There is less of it in sweet onions (Walla Wallas and Vidalia) and in garlic - and more in some of the
very strong pungent onions.

This causes oxidative damage to the haemoglobin of the red blood cells, methemoglobin is also
formed. Methemoglobin cannot carry oxygen (that is what forms with carbon monoxide poisoning
as well). The damaged haemoglobin clumps in the cell and Heinz bodies form - eventually the red
cell breaks down. The cell membrane may be damaged as well. Meanwhile the red cell is damaged
and cannot do its work of carrying oxygen. Fewer red cells = anaemia.

When dogs and cats ingest a large quantity of onions - (raw or cooked) - or ingested them over an
extended period of time - the anaemia may occur. There is often a delay time of 4 to 5 days after
ingesting the onions before the anaemia is noticed.

Of course - these reactive Sulphur compounds are also responsible for the good properties
attributed to onions and garlic.

********
Onions are toxic to dogs. The toxicity is dose dependant, so the bigger the animal, the more onion
need be consumed to cause a toxicity. Onion toxicity causes Heinz body anaemia. Heinz bodies are
small bubble-like projections which protrude from a red blood cell and can be seen when the cells
are stained. This “bubble” is a weak spot in the red blood cell and, therefore, the cell has a
decreased life-span and ruptures prematurely.

If numerous red cells are affected and rupture, anaemia can result. It is a form of hemolytic
anaemia. Onions are only one of the substances which can cause Heinz body anaemia. Other
substances such as Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and benzocaine - containing topical preparations can
also Heinz body anaemia in the dog.

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The toxic effect of the onions is the same whether the product is raw, cooked or dehydrated. The
hemolytic episode usually several days after onion ingestion (lowest hematcrit around day 5 post
ingestion). Daily feeding of onions could have a cumulative effect due to ongoing formation of Heinz
bodies versus a single exposure with a wide gap until the next exposure, allowing the bone marrow
time to regenerate the prematurely destroyed red cells.

The cat is even more susceptible. Recently Gerber began to add onion powder to all its meat baby
foods. They are labelled as “better tasting”. Since baby food is often used in sick cats that are not
eating (to stimulate their appetites), there was concern that the onion powder would a Heinz body
anaemia in cats receiving Gerber baby food in their diets.

I strongly recommend NO ONIONS for dog or cats. There is no benefit and certainly the potential to
cause harm.

Written by Dr. Wendy Wallner, DVM

Reference: Chocolate Toxicity Notes, Clever Creatures www.clevercreatures.com.au

Clever Creatures
The best Dog Training and Pet Education Products in Perth Australia
www.clevercreatures.com.au