CHOCOLATE is in abundance over Easter and while a bit of indulgence won’t hurt humans too much it’s a different story for dogs.
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Singleton Heights Pet Hospital practice manager Anthony Girdler said that pet owners must resist the urge to let their furry friends share their treats of chocolate because it is incredibly toxic to dogs.
“Cocoa from chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine which is a stimulant similar to caffeine that increases your heart rate and if consumed in large amounts can cause an overdose,” he said.
“Humans can breakdown the chocolate quickly however it is much slower process in dogs, if a Chihuahua were to eat 250grams of dark chocolate it would kill it within an hour through a heart attack.
“With a bigger dog there’s lesser risk but it can still make it very sick.”
Although it is a rare occurrence head vet at the Heights Pet Hospital Julie Girdler has had to help several dogs recover from a toxic amount of chocolate.
“One of the dogs went into a seizure, the dog had an epileptic fit and it had to remain at the vet clinic on fluids and oxygen therapy,” she said.
Some of the warning signs to look out for include vomitting rapid breathing, increased heart rate and they can appear agitated and nervous.
If this is the case you have to get the dog to the vet as soon as possible.
“During Easter it’s important to make sure that all chocolate supplies are hidden well out of reach of the family dog and that children understand that it isn’t good for them to give chocolate to dogs,” Mr Girdler said.
“If you’re having an Easter egg hunt make sure all the eggs are counted so they can be accounted for at the end.
“If you really want to spoil the dog give them a dog treat.”