Easter is here, slightly earlier this year however many people manage to save some of their chocolate for several weeks after the Easter long weekend. (I am not one of them!).

Why should we take care with chocolate and our pets?  Human chocolate contains ingredients such as methylxanthines (specifically caffeine and theobromine), to which all dogs and cats are very sensitive. Different types of chocolate contain varying amounts of methylxanthines though in general, the darker and more bitter the chocolate the greater the danger is to dogs and cats.  The most toxic is cocoa powder while white chocolate contains almost no methylxanthines at all.

Chocolate is slightly more toxic to cats than to dogs as they have a slightly lower capacity to process chocolate toxins in their livers, thus smaller amounts of chocolate can cause more significant toxic effects in cats.  However chocolate poisoning is rare in cats as they actually have little ability to detect sweetness (little sweet tastebuds on their tongues) so are unlikely to consume sufficient amounts of chocolate to make themselves unwell.

If your pet has ingested chocolate, you may see some of the following clinical signs, usually within the four to 24 hours after ingestion of chocolate: rapid breathing, increased body temperature, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle rigidity, increased heart rate, low blood pressure, seizures, weakness and in worst cases cardiac failure and coma.  OF course there are many toxins (including baits) and diseases which have similar clinical signs, so if you observe any of the above, please contact your veterinarian.

So what should you do if you suspect your pet has eaten chocolate? Firstly find the wrapper/packet and try to estimate how much has been ingested.  When you contact your vet the first question we will ask is how much was eaten in grams (g). On many occasion I have Google “Lindt Easter Bunny medium size” based on the owners description of the offending chocolate, to find out the weight in grams and what type of chocolate it was (dark, white etc)!

The next important piece of information is the weight of our pet in kilos (kg).  Perhaps it is written down with the last vaccination, or maybe you remember this detail.  If not, we can always estimate the weight from the breed and even size of dog relative to another breed.  It is always preferred and safest to underestimate your pet’s weight and overestimate the amount of chocolate ingested.  Armed with this information we can now research the expected level of toxicity.

I use the following calculator http://veterinaryclinic.com/chocolate/calc.html , ensuring it is in Kg and Grams. It will give you the likely level of risk, expected clinical signs for your dog. However there are others available if you Google.  If you are concerned or unsure, or if the calculator says a Mild/Moderate/Severe reaction, please contact your vet immediately. There is no anecdote for chocolate toxicity, however timely decontamination of your pets gastrointestinal tract can limit the ongoing absorption of methylxanthines.  Making your pet vomit will help remove most of the chocolate that remains in the stomach, followed by feeding ‘Activated Charcoal’ to absorb toxins of any remaining chocolate in the intestinal tract. In severe cases your pet may be anaesthetised and a hose used to pump the stomach clean and another hose to evacuate the colon.  Yes, not so nice but decontamination saves lives.

Prevention is better than cure, so while you are enjoying an Easter egg (or three), or chocolate at any time of the year, please keep the chocolate locked away from your pets.  Happy holidays everyone.