Chocolate Is Harmful To Pets. True or False?
Just like their human counterparts, pets, especially dogs, crave the delicious goodness of chocolate. Recent studies have shown that chocolate may be beneficial to human health, but it is important to know that chocolate can be toxic, and in extreme cases, even fatal for animals.
Chocolate Can Be Toxic, Even Fatal
Dogs are most commonly affected due to their ability to sniff it out, and the common ‘sweet tooth’ that they share with people. It is important to remember that cats and other species are susceptible to the toxic effects of chocolate too.
Three factors determine how toxic the sweet stuff will be to a particular animal: the type of chocolate, the size of the animal, and the amount of chocolate that is ingested. The most dangerous chocolates are unsweetened baker’s chocolate and powdered cocoa.
Chocolate, when ingested by animals, causes theobromine poisoning. Common symptoms of theobromine poisoning in a pet include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle tremors, increased urination and restlessness. In really severe cases, cardiac arrhythmia and seizures can result. The possibility that an animal will kill itself with chocolate is fairly low (based on the amount eaten). More likely your pet will get a nasty tummy ache. In any case, it is wise to keep chocolate far away from pets.
